Since 1984, Cornerstone Festival has been an annual pilgrimage for people of faith of all ages, styles and denominations from around the world. Attendees join together 20,000 strong on the hills of western Illinois for a week-long celebration that invigorates belief, inspires creativity and showcases the best in pop culture, faith-based entertainment, spiritual engagement and fun activities.
Cornerstone Festival 2011 will take place June 30-July 3 at Cornerstone Farm in Bushnell, Illinois. Once a year for the past two decades, this small town in western Illinois with fewer than 3,500 residents is inundated with artists, musicians and fans from across the globe who make a pilgrimage to experience an event unlike any other.
MUSIC
Music has always been and always will be the centerpiece of this multi-interest experience. This year, artists and bands will descend on the festival grounds with a variety of styles ready to please every listener. From headlining artists to the New Band Showcase, one thing remains constant: Cornerstone is the place every Christian band dreams of playing.
“Cornerstone is still one of the highlights of any touring band, and for us it holds a special place in our hearts,” said Stephen Christian of Anberlin. “We started out on a generator stage, bought our way onto a stage the next year, then Tooth and Nail day, then the encore stage and finally main stage. It was a process to get there, but that makes it so much more amazing. We don’t ever take playing main stage for granted and always have the time of our lives. If you never have been to Cornerstone, this is the year to go.”
Cornerstone 2011 kicks off at full speed, featuring a Wednesday night dance party hosted by one of the most renowned deejays from the UK, Andy Hunter. Thursday night features good old-fashioned Jesus Rally showcasing many of the groundbreaking artists of the early Jesus Music movement including Classic Petra, DA, Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill. Friday will launch The Whosoevers Day, hosted by former Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch. Saturday evening will feature the best in alternative rock, including Blindside’s return to the United States. Closing out Cornerstone 2011, Sunday evening will feature a massive worship experience where participants will be able to sing along with Gungor, Robbie Seay Band and thousands of your closest friends.
Bands for the 2011 season include Anberlin, P.O.D., Classic Petra, Blindside, Phil Keaggy, Paper Route, Daniel Amos, Seabird, The Lost Dogs, The Letter Black, Gungor, The Robbie Seay Band, The Chariot, The Choir, Anchor and Braille, Luminate, Brooke Waggoner and many more to be announced in the coming weeks. Click here for a complete list of artists.
POP CULTURE: ART, FILM, THOUGHT, SOCIAL JUSTICE
more than music, Cornerstone is also known for its intelligent seminars, arts exhibitions, cultural discussions and everyday spirituality. The 2011 Imaginarium, the festival’s film and pop culture arena, will be filled with film screenings, discussions and game nights. Cornerstone is proud to welcome iconic actor Doug Jones, known to pop culture fans around the world for his roles in Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Batman, Men in Black II and many more.
The Cornerstone Film Festival will feature films such as Exit Through the Gift Shop (2009), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Marwencol (2010) and Shakespeare Behind Bars (2005). More films will be announced in the coming weeks.
To deepen the cultural experience, Cornerstone Festival also has partnered with Northern Seminary to create a program that can earn attendees seminary credits in addition to practical ministry knowledge. More than 150 hours of seminars are being offered, including topics such as the scandalous women in Jesus’ genealogy, songwriting workshops, science and religion, Icons, a look at the life of Dorothy Day, church politics and alien worlds.
FOR THE KIDS
As always, Cornerstone Festival provides creative and progressive programs for attendees of all ages. Artrageous will be open daily throughout the event, giving the youngest of Cornerstone-goers the chance to create masterpieces of their own, including face painting, clay sculpting, leather working and much more. Creation Station will focus on
SPORTS
Another unique element of the festival is the organized Cornerstone Games Competitions. For sports-minded fans, Cornerstone offers a variety of opportunities, including organized team competition in basketball, dodgeball, soccer, volleyball and more. The onsite skateboarding park is popular every year. The lush grounds also offer swimming, canoeing, fishing and hiking.
Tickets for Cornerstone Festival are available through iTickets.com. Full event, group and family options are available. As always, tent camping is free, and RV spaces can be reserved on a first come, first served basis.
About Cornerstone Festival:
Cornerstone launched in 1984 to meet the needs of a new generation of music lovers and spiritual seekers, with the hope of bringing together great music, art, film, and intelligent Christian thinking on family, worship and play. For too long, the Christian community neglected Christian artists and musicians who didn’t fit into a narrow mold, and tackling real life issues was not a regular part of the Christian music festival agenda. Since inception, Cornerstone has highlighted music that was screaming to be heard and provided thousands of hours of seminars and workshops covering everything from personal life issues (i.e., sex, homosexuality, accountability, etc.) to social justice, being part of the global Christian community, caring for the poor, mission business and hundreds of other topics. People travel from all over the world to Cornerstone to hear and see the best and most creative artists in the faith community across multiple artistic disciplines. Cornerstone fans are cultivating a way of engaging with the world that opens a path to a lifetime of individual growth and community.
Cornerstone is hosted each year by Jesus People USA, an inner-city mission organization based in Chicago, and is held at Cornerstone Farm, 23325 N. Cornerstone Road, Marietta, Ill., 45 minutes north of Chicago. This annual event moved to its current 650-acre campground located in Central Illinois in 1991.
