Rock the desert
Encyclopedia
Rock The Desert is a Christian music festival
held in Midland, Texas
USA every August.
The first RTD drew more than 4,000 to the parking lot at Holy Trinity. In 2001, the event was moved to Beal Park by the RTD Planning Committee as an interdenominational event. The concert was headlined by Newsboys and expanded to include bands as well as skateboarding, extreme games, a campout and the addition of a Jumbotron
screen. The attendance grew to over 32,000.
In 2002, the event was expanded to three days and included highlights of the Christian Wrestling Team, Jedidiah Skateboarding and an authentic Sudan
ese village, which provided a hands-on ministry opportunity to concert-goers. Artists headlining the 2002 event were Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Toby Mac and Audio Adrenaline. Attendance topped the 90,000 mark.
In 2003, the event drew over 100,000 and touted a separate skateboard park and concert venue. The concert was headlined by Chris Tomlin, and Toby Mac. The worship service on Sunday morning continued to grow and provided a unique setting for Sunday morning worship with music provided by Watermark.
In 2008, Rock The Desert was attended by approximately 13,000 people. There were approximately 1,000 campers braving the West Texas elements at Rock The Desert and volunteers totaled around 400.
In 2009 over 14,000 people from across Texas, 13 states and Mexico attended each day. Over the past five years RTD has seen a growth in attendance of 15% each year.
In 2010, RTD will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for "Largest Line Dance". On August 7th at the festival all the attendees will perform "The Cupid Shuffle". The World's record is 17,200 set last year in China.
Christian music festival
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music...
held in Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
USA every August.
Background
Rock the Desert began in August 1999 on the parking lot of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Midland, Texas. An idea birthed by Jeff Fouts, the associate Rector, to provide a free concert as a project to reach out to the church neighborhood has grown to become an area-wide event.The first RTD drew more than 4,000 to the parking lot at Holy Trinity. In 2001, the event was moved to Beal Park by the RTD Planning Committee as an interdenominational event. The concert was headlined by Newsboys and expanded to include bands as well as skateboarding, extreme games, a campout and the addition of a Jumbotron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
screen. The attendance grew to over 32,000.
In 2002, the event was expanded to three days and included highlights of the Christian Wrestling Team, Jedidiah Skateboarding and an authentic Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese village, which provided a hands-on ministry opportunity to concert-goers. Artists headlining the 2002 event were Mercy Me, Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Toby Mac and Audio Adrenaline. Attendance topped the 90,000 mark.
In 2003, the event drew over 100,000 and touted a separate skateboard park and concert venue. The concert was headlined by Chris Tomlin, and Toby Mac. The worship service on Sunday morning continued to grow and provided a unique setting for Sunday morning worship with music provided by Watermark.
In 2008, Rock The Desert was attended by approximately 13,000 people. There were approximately 1,000 campers braving the West Texas elements at Rock The Desert and volunteers totaled around 400.
In 2009 over 14,000 people from across Texas, 13 states and Mexico attended each day. Over the past five years RTD has seen a growth in attendance of 15% each year.
In 2010, RTD will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for "Largest Line Dance". On August 7th at the festival all the attendees will perform "The Cupid Shuffle". The World's record is 17,200 set last year in China.