Sonshine Festival

Last updated
Sonshine Festival
Genre Contemporary Christian music, Christian Heavy Metal
Location(s) Somerset, Wisconsin (previously Willmar, Minnesota 1982–2014)
Years active1982 to 2016 (currently on indefinite hiatus)
Website sonshinefestival.com

Sonshine Festival is a Christian music festival held annually, starting in 1982 in Willmar, Minnesota and continuing in that location through 2014. That same year, festival organizers announced its relocation to Somerset, Wisconsin for 2015 onward because of an inability to attract sufficient people to the original location. [1] [2]

Christian music festival festival featuring Christian music and entertainment

A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music. The festivals are characterized by more than just music; many feature motivational speakers and evangelists, and include seminars on Christian spiritual and missions topics, service, and evangelism. They are often viewed as evangelical tools, and small festivals can draw 10 times the crowd of traditional revival meetings. While the central theme of a Christian festival is Jesus Christ, the core appeal of a Christian music festival remains the artists and their music. Critics point out that the dichotomy of business and religious interests can be problematic for Christian festivals. In similar ways as the Christian music industry in general, festivals can be drawn away from their central theme and gravitate toward commercialization and mainstream acts in an attempt to draw crowds.

Willmar, Minnesota City in Minnesota, United States

Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 19,610 at the 2010 census.

Somerset, Wisconsin Village in Wisconsin, United States

Somerset is a village in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, along the Apple River. The population was 2,635 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Somerset.

A member of the Christian Festival Association, Sonshine has featured Christian musical artists from around the world. In 2012, the Newsboys recorded their live album Newsboys Live in Concert: God's Not Dead at the festival. [3] Since 2014, Sonshine is produced by Creation Festivals. [4] Citing financial reasons, Sonshine 2017 was postponed, with "hope and desire to see [it] return in 2018", according to the festival's webpage. [5] The festival is indefinitely on hiatus, awaiting the advent of new financial backers.

The Christian Festival Association was formed in September 2006. The group consists of members representing major Christian music festivals held in the United States and Canada. Collectively, this group represents nearly a million attendees annually, whose events are held annually between April and October. The association's Executive Director is Julie Klinger and the organization is headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Newsboys Christian pop rock band

Newsboys are a Christian rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. They have released 17 studio albums, 6 of which have been certified gold. The band consists of lead vocalist Michael Tait formerly of DC Talk, keyboardist and bassist Jeff Frankenstein, drummer and percussionist Duncan Phillips, and guitarist Jody Davis. In addition to performing music, the band has appeared in the films God's Not Dead and God's Not Dead 2.

Newsboys Live In Concert: God's Not Dead is the second live album from Australian Christian rock band Newsboys. It was recorded on July 2012 at Sonshine Festival and Lifest and released through Sparrow Records on October 22, 2012 and features songs from their albums Born Again (2010), God's Not Dead (2011), and live recordings of Michael Tait singing "He Reigns" and "Something Beautiful".

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References

  1. ↑ "Sonshine leaving Willmar, relocating to Wis. in 2015". West Central Tribune. Retrieved 2014-11-14.
  2. ↑ "Breaking: Sonshine Music Festival Relocating to Wisconsin". Willmar Radio. November 14, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Jesusfreakhideout.com: Newsboys, "Live In Concert: God's Not Dead" Review"..
  4. ↑ "NEWS: Creation Festivals Goes Worldwide with Live Streaming". Gospel Music Association. June 26, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2016. Creation Festivals currently produces ... Sonshine Festival
  5. ↑ "Sonshine Festival". Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
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