LifeLight Music Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids LifeLight Music Festival |
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| Genre | Free Family Friendly Christian Festival |
| Dates | Labor Day weekend |
| Location(s) | Sioux Falls, South Dakota (1998–2009) Worthing, South Dakota (2010–2019) Downtown, Sioux Falls, South Dakota (2023) |
| Years active | 1998–2019, 2023–present |
| Founded by | Alan and Vicki Greene |
The LifeLight Festival is a big, free outdoor music event. It happens every year during the Labor Day weekend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It's a Christian music festival, which means it features bands and artists who play Christian music.
The Festival's Journey
The LifeLight Festival began in 1998. It was started by Alan and Vicki Greene. The first event was a small afternoon concert. It took place at Good News Reformed Church. About 2,000 people came to that first show.
Growing Bigger and Better
By 2001, the festival needed more space. It moved to the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls. The crowds kept growing! In 2002, the number of people attending tripled. It reached 32,000 visitors over three days. The festival continued to expand. It grew to have six stages. It welcomed over 320,000 people each year. The festival's yearly budget was almost $700,000.
After outgrowing several spots, LifeLight found a new home. This was on a family farm near Worthing, South Dakota. The 2010 festival was the first one held there. Even though it's a free concert, it helps the economy of Sioux Falls. Festivals like this can bring in up to $10 million.
LifeLight Tours and Recent Events
Since 2005, LifeLight has also organized tours. These tours feature artists who play at the festival. They started as local tours with local bands. Over the years, LifeLight Tours partnered with bigger bands and speakers. They now travel to many states beyond the Midwest. Past tours have included artists like John Reuben, Brian Welch, and Sanctus Real. They visited cities in Texas, Illinois, Nebraska, and other states.
The festival did not happen from 2020 to 2022. This was due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
In 2023, the festival returned. It was held in downtown Sioux Falls. About 30,000 people attended, even though it was very hot. In 2024, the festival was held at Nelson Park. This new location in eastern Sioux Falls allowed for even more people to attend.
How Many People Attended?
Here's a look at how many people came to the festival in its early years:
- 1998: 1,500
- 1999: 4,000
- 2000: 6,500
- 2001: 10,000
- 2002: 32,000
- 2003: 110,000
- 2004: 240,000
- 2005: 275,000
- 2006: 263,000
- 2007: 320,000
- 2008: 320,000
- 2009: 270,000
- 2010: 320,000
Featured Artists and Bands
Many different Christian artists and bands have performed at the LifeLight Festival over the years. Here are some of the artists who have been part of this amazing event.
Artists from the 2013 Festival
Some of the bands and artists who performed in 2013 included:
- Newsboys
- Audio Adrenaline
- Skillet
- Plumb
- For Today
- Flyleaf
- Building 429
- Disciple
- Children 18:3
- Aaron Gillespie
- And many more!
Artists from the 2012 Festival
The 2012 festival featured these artists:
- Skillet
- Tenth Avenue North
- Peter Furler
- Five Iron Frenzy
- Sanctus Real
- Mandisa
- Leeland
- Andy Mineo
- KB
- John Rueben
- Children 18:3
- And many other talented musicians!
Artists from the 2011 Festival
The main stage in 2011 hosted:
- Relient K
- Tenth Avenue North
- Jeremy Camp
- Sidewalk Prophets
- Britt Nicole
- Hawk Nelson
- Fireflight
The Souled Out Stage featured:
- Disciple
- Blindside
- Write This Down
- Children 18:3
- The Wedding
Artists from the 2010 Festival
Some of the performers in 2010 included:
- MercyMe
- David Crowder Band
- Family Force 5
- Brian "Head" Welch
- BarlowGirl
- Children 18:3
- Disciple
- John Reuben
- Kari Jobe
- Showbread
- And many others!
Artists from the 2009 Festival
The 2009 festival featured:
- Newsboys
- Kutless
- Thousand Foot Krutch
- Tenth Avenue North
- Family Force 5
- Sanctus Real
- Stellar Kart
- Superchick
- Disciple
- Children 18:3
- And many more great bands!
Artists from the 2008 Festival
Headliners for the 2008 festival included:
Other bands that performed were:
- Family Force 5
- MxPx
- Natalie Grant
- Sanctus Real
- Seventh Day Slumber
- Showbread
- And many others!
Artists from the 2007 Festival
The main artists for 2007 were:
- Jars of Clay
- TobyMac
- Chris Tomlin
Other major bands and artists included:
- Anberlin
- BarlowGirl
- Big Daddy Weave
- Family Force 5
- Leeland
- Project 86
- Stellar Kart
Other Past Performers
Many other well-known artists have played at LifeLight, such as:
- Audio Adrenaline
- Casting Crowns
- Jeremy Camp
- Newsboys
- Pillar
- Relient K
- Skillet
- Steven Curtis Chapman
- Superchick
- Switchfoot
- Third Day
- Thousand Foot Krutch
