Sonfest
Encyclopedia
Sonfest was an annual 3–4 day Christian music festival
held in Boonah, Queensland
, Queensland
, Australia
from 2000 to 2005.
The event was created by record executive Dale Bray and creative director Steven Dix. Sonfest is also the name of an annual music festival held on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University
in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
It featured artists and speakers from Australia and around the world. Thousands came from all over Australia for the festival, some people coming from as far as New Zealand
. Some big Christian names that have been at Sonfest include Relient K
, Pillar
, Third Day
, Audio Adrenaline
, Fido
, The Supertones, Wishful Thinking, Newsboys
, Jars of Clay
and many more. It was said that during Sonfest the population of Boonah tripled.
In 2006 the annual Sonfest Festival was canceled with the following message on the Sonfest website:
) announced on their website that Sonfest would return in January 2009. On 26 January 2009, Sonfest was revived as a one-day festival held at Citipointe Church at Mansfield, Brisbane. It was claimed by organisers that they would gauge interest in the one-day event to determine the resurrection of a longer event, however the lack of headline artists (the only international artist being Family Force Five) and the short time period resulted in reduced attendance. Sonfest did not return in 2010.
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 Boonah, Queensland
Boonah, Queensland
Boonah is a town in south eastern Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, the town had a population of 2,285. The area produces vegetables for the nearby Brisbane Markets notably carrots, potatoes, and cereal crops. Beef, pork and timber are also produced locally.The town is positioned near the...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 2000 to 2005.
The event was created by record executive Dale Bray and creative director Steven Dix. Sonfest is also the name of an annual music festival held on the campus of Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a Christian liberal arts college located in Mount Vernon, Ohio.-History:The result of a 1960 education commission, Mount Vernon Nazarene was first chartered as the Zone A College of the Church of the Nazarene in 1964 by the church's General Assembly...
in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
It featured artists and speakers from Australia and around the world. Thousands came from all over Australia for the festival, some people coming from as far as New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Some big Christian names that have been at Sonfest include Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
, Pillar
Pillar (band)
Pillar is a Christian rock band currently located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their sixth studio album, Confessions, was released in 2009.- Formation and independent albums :...
, Third Day
Third Day
Third Day is a Grammy award-winning Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee and former member Billy Wilkins. The other band members are bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr...
, Audio Adrenaline
Audio Adrenaline
Audio Adrenaline was a Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. During the band's 17-year existence, they were awarded two Grammy awards, multiple Dove Awards and they released 17 number one singles. They were regular performers at the...
, Fido
Fido (band)
Fido is a rock band from Victoria, Australia, although they list themselves as Heavy Pop on their myspace page. Fido formed in 1999 and have toured around australia...
, The Supertones, Wishful Thinking, Newsboys
Newsboys
Newsboys are a Christian pop rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia. They have released 15 studio albums, six of which have been certified gold...
, Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay is a Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee. They met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.Jars of Clay consists of Dan Haseltine on vocals, Charlie Lowell on piano and keyboards, Stephen Mason on lead guitars and Matthew Odmark on rhythm guitars...
and many more. It was said that during Sonfest the population of Boonah tripled.
In 2006 the annual Sonfest Festival was canceled with the following message on the Sonfest website:
- Thank you to everyone who has been enquiring about Sonfest 2006. Unfortunately Sonfest Music Festival is will not be on in 2006. We thank everyone for their support of Sonfest for the past 5 years and understand that there will be a lot of speculation regarding why this has happened. Please know that this decision was not made lightly and did not come about due to one overwhelming reason, rather there were several factors that have led to this. Sonfest is still very dedicated to touring the top Christian bands from around the world and we still hope to be able to restart Sonfest in the future.
2009 Event
In early November, Easterfest (formerly the Australian Gospel Music FestivalAustralian Gospel Music Festival
Easterfest is a three-day music festival held in Toowoomba, Australia.Easterfest is the largest festival in Toowoomba and claimed to be the largest drug and alcohol free festival in Australia....
) announced on their website that Sonfest would return in January 2009. On 26 January 2009, Sonfest was revived as a one-day festival held at Citipointe Church at Mansfield, Brisbane. It was claimed by organisers that they would gauge interest in the one-day event to determine the resurrection of a longer event, however the lack of headline artists (the only international artist being Family Force Five) and the short time period resulted in reduced attendance. Sonfest did not return in 2010.