FESTIVAL HISTORY
Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, LifeLight began its ministry in 1998 with the first festival held on a church lawn. The festival (held annually over Labor Day weekend) later moved to the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds in 2001 with 10,000 people in attendance. Within two years at its new home, more than 100,000 people attended the 3-day event. In 2005, the festival was once again moved to its current home, Wild Water West Waterpark. The new grounds hosted 275,000 people over 4 days in 2005 and 263,000 people over 3 days in 2006. Thousands of people have come to know Jesus at LifeLight Festivals with many, many more recommitting their lives to Christ.
There are two unique aspects of the LifeLight Festival; it is a FREE event, and our Sunday morning city-wide worship service crosses denominational and doctrinal lines and draws many area churches together to participate and worship as one body of believers. LifeLight is part of the local community and has nationally become a model for the Body of Christ coming together to reach out to each other, as well as the world.
1998...2,000 Attendees...1 Night
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In 1998, Alan and Vicki Greene hosted a Sunday afternoon Christian concert on the Good News Reformed Church lawn. Church members invited un-churched friends and neighbors to the free family event. Over 2,000 people attended the first LifeLight Festival . . . . God amazed the staff and provided a better turn-out than they ever expected! Attendance: 2,000
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1999....4,000 Attendees....1 Night
| In 1999, LifeLight expanded -- more bands, more volunteers and more hours of music! The attendance doubled to over 4,000 people in this second year.
Again they saw God amaze them. Attendance: 4,000
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2000....6,500 Attendees....1 Afternoon & Night
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LifeLight again held the annual Festival on the lawn of Good News Reformed Church. Over 6,500 people attended and the event featured even more music than the year before.
Attendance: 6,500
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2001....10,000 Attendees....Morning, Noon, & Night
| To accommodate larger crowds and more bands, LifeLight moved the 2001 Festival to the W.H. Lyons Fairgrounds Again we expanded the time to 12 full hours of music.
Over 10,000 people attended the event. Attendance: 10,000
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2002....32,000 Attendees....3-Day Weekend
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In 2002 it seemed as though LifeLight was beginning to explode for now the attendance tripled from 10,000 attending the year before to 32,000 in 2002! We could have never foreseen what God was beginning to do.
That year LifeLight had over 40 bands, 5 stages and camping for our first 3-day festival weekend at the Sioux Empire Fair Grounds. Our budget in 2002 was $170,000. Attendance: 32,000
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2003....110,000 Attendees....3-Day Weekend
| In 2003 we expected our attendance numbers to double to a possible 60,000 to 80,000 in attendance. IT WAS AMAZING and God was at work again. 110,000 attended the 2003 LifeLight Festival. Hundreds came to Christ for the first time while hundreds more rededicated their life to Christ.
In 2003 our budget was $320,000 for over 50 artists, 6 stages and more camping. Attendance: 110,000
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2004....240,000 Attendees....4-Day Weekend
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With the numbers of people hearing about what God was doing at this festival, and more and more coming to the Festival over the Labor day weekend, and so many asking for more bands and more stages, LifeLight went to a 4-day festival for the first time.
Now with around 100 artists, 7 stages and enough corn-dogs to feed a small army, the Sioux Falls LifeLight Festival was becoming one of the largest festivals in the nation. In 2004 we again doubled our attendance numbers from 110,000 the prior year to 240,000 people in 2004. Thousands gave their life to Christ at this festival. Attendance: 240,000
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2005....275,000 Attendees....4-Day Weekend
| 2005 brought in all kinds of new changes for the festival as we had started to out-grow the Sioux Empire Fairgrounds. And again we saw the hand of God in this ministry as He brought us to a new location that was perfect for future growth and many years of festival nights worshipping Him.
It was a huge outdoor arena located between three cornfields and a water park. It was the Wild Water West Water Park Festival Grounds. And it was perfect for the 2005 festival. 275,000 people attended the LifeLight Festival located at the Wild Water West Festival grounds, and now we are considered to be the largest free Christian festival in the nation. Every dollar spent was well worth it as over two thousand people came to Christ in this four day period. Attendance: 275,000
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2006....263,000 Attendees....3-Day Weekend
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At the 2006 LifeLight Festival we came together to serve and “be the church” to the lost & dying world by “Taking the Church outside the walls… bringing light into the darkness.” We are so thankful to so many of you for your prayers and support. We want to thank you for making each and every LifeLight Festival a success. How do we define success? Changed Lives! We witnessed God’s spirit and presence at the festival grounds. We have received stories of how people felt the power of God as they walked onto the festival grounds, testimonies of commitments and recommitments to Christ, and specific needs for hundreds of people were prayed for. Attendance: 263,000 People
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2007......320,000 Attendees.....3-Day Weekend
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Attendance: 320,000 people Artists/Speakers Include:TobyMac Chris Tomlin Jars of Clay Barlow Girl Phil Joel Anberlin Tait Big Daddy Weave Stellar Kart Family Force 5 Grits Showbread Leeland Casting Pearls Everlife Paul Baloche Desperation Band Building 429 Project 86 Remedy Drive Red Cloud Jose Zayas Joe White Ray Comfort |
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