HOT SPRINGS, NC — At the Wild Goose Festival tent revival meets Burning Man as the largest gathering of its kind in North America. Spirit, justice, music and arts will intersect this summer at Hot Springs, North Carolina, near Asheville from July 9 to 12. Inspired by Greenbelt (UK), SXSW, the Iona Community, and TED, the Wild Goose Festival takes its name from the Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit.
John Dear, author of The Nonviolent Life and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will be one of dozens of leading authors, activists, and musicians from around the world addressing this year’s theme: Blessed Are the Peacemakers.Traci Blackmon, who ministered on the front lines of Ferguson, will be joined by other powerful speakers, including William Barber, leader of the Moral Mondays movement; Brian McLaren, often identified as the Martin Luther of the new reformation and author of A New Kind of Christianity; Rudy Rasmus, pastor of one of the most culturally diverse congregations in the United States; renowned activist and author Alexia Salvatierra, founder of the Faith-Rooted Organizing UnNetwork; Frank Schaeffer, best selling author of Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God; and many more.
Featured musicians include critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated Gungor; former Sudanese child soldier, hip-hop artist and TED Talk star Emmanuel Jal; hit country music artist Ty Herndon; Timothy’s Gift, a band who brings a message of hope and reconciliation to the imprisoned; and more than twenty other musical performances across multiple stages set along the beautiful French Broad River straddling the Appalachian Trail.
New to the festival this year is RAWtools, lead by Michael Martin, where participants will forge guns into hand tools, creating a cycle of peace. This is only one of many opportunities to effectively turn words and ideas into actions. Collaborative art pieces and worship experiences will be available throughout the festival grounds.
“We’ll gather this summer to reaffirm our place in the world as people of peace,” said festival Executive Director Rosa Lee Harden. “We’re presenting a variety of speakers, musicians, and hands-on experiences that will encourage and support us in our vocation as peacemakers.”
The family-friendly festival is an open space where people of all ages become a community, cultivating respectful but fearless conversation and action for the common good. For many festivalgoers, unexpected connections, late-night conversations around a campfire, or a spontaneous shared meal are the highlight of their experience.
“Wild Goose is about community and connection,” said one longtime wild gooser. “I not only get to rub shoulders with well known authors that I respect, but also meet fascinating activists, teachers, and musicians that I’d never even heard of before. I am reminded that I am part of something bigger.”
Special programs are available for youth and children from birth through 17. Kids five and under are free. Full festival passes are $299, which includes a camping site. Day passes for Thursday and Sunday will be offered at $49 with day passes for Friday and Saturday going for $89. Parking is available for $10 a day or the entire weekend for $20.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.wildgoosefestival.org.
