CREATION FEST GEARS UP FOR STELLAR 2007 WITH HOTTEST ARTISTS, TOP NOTCH SPEAKERS AND NEW HIGHLIGHTS

Medford, NJ – Creation Festivals announces the official line-up for its 29th Annual Northeast and Northwest events. Tickets are available now through iTickets.com.

The largest outdoor Christian music and teaching festival of its kind, Creation Northeast will be held June 27th – 30th at the Agape Farm in the beautiful mountain ranges of Mount Union, PA., and Creation Northwest will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary at the amazing Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA July 25th –28th.

Continuing the tradition of featuring the hottest acts in Christian music, as well as highlighting up-and-coming artists and introducing audiences to the finest speakers across the nation, this year’s main stage line-up includes performances from a diverse array of artists such as Switchfoot, Relient K, Casting Crowns, Newsboys, Third Day, Kutless, Israel and New Breed, Leeland, Barlow Girl, Grits, Bethany Dillon, KJ-52, Thousand Foot Krutch, Sanctus Real, Parachute Band, new artists Aaron Shust and Ayiesha Woods and MSN’s 2006 Artist of the Year, David Crowder Band. Speakers include Ron Luce, Founder of Teen Mania Ministries, Bob Lenz, President of Life Promotions, Duffy Robbins, Margaret Copeland and Celebrate Ministries founders, Jay and Laura Laffoon.

The Tooth and Nail Records sponsored “X2007 Fringe Stage” will feature the best the in alternative Christian artists, including Emery, Flyleaf, Family Force 5, Project 86, Hawk Nelson, John Reuben, Pillar, Superchick, MOC, Fireflight, Mainstay and Seventh Day Slumber, whose lead singer, Joseph Rojas, will also share his testimony with the crowd. Reggie Dabbs, Mark Matlock and Zoro will also be speaking from this stage.

"For nearly three decades the Creation Festivals have gathered believers from all over the world,” says Pastor Harry Thomas, festival co-founder. “Our prayer for CREATION ’07 is that people will be changed, restored, and challenged to serve the Lord and make a difference in this world. You are invited to come and experience what could easily be the highlight of your summer and maybe your life!"

An important focus for the Festival is worship and this summer is no different. Creation Northeast will partner with WorshipTogether.com while Creation Northwest will see a partnership with Christian Musician Magazine for the Creation Worships Tent. Both festivals will offer a training conference for worship leaders, musicians and writers each afternoon. With distinct seminar classes ranging from songwriting to hands-on training for bands, worship leaders and musicians will have a rare opportunity to come together for teaching and fellowship.

A new addition to Creation 2007 is the 1st Annual Generator Stage. Taking a fresh, unplugged approach, this stage will be off the beaten path and will feature local and regional talent.

The late night Creation Café is always a popular part of the event. This year’s performers include a Comedy Night with Darren Streblow, Blues Night with Jimmie Bratcher and the 2nd Annual Indiescovery Ultimate Battle of the Bands, where the winner has the opportunity to open Saturday’s Fringe Stage and record a demo for a major Christian Record label.

“The Creation Festival has the ability to provide a great platform for independent artists to show off their talent and we are committed to offering them an opportunity to do so,” explains Nick Kulb, vp of marketing and sales for the Festival. “We are pleased to be working alongside hearitfirst.com for the second year for the Ultimate Battle of the Bands competition and are excited to be kicking off the Generator Stage, where growing artists can showcase their talents.”

To enter your band for the Indiescovery Ultimate Battle of the Bands, please go to www.hearitfirst.com/indiescovery. Additional information about the opportunity to perform on the Generator Stage will be posted soon on the Creation Festival website, www.creationfest.com

An event for the entire family, both Creation East and West also provide a Children’s Tent, which will feature a program geared especially for the younger attendees, including Phredd, The Bigsby Show, Mark Thompson and an array of puppets and fun music. Each afternoon, kids gather under the trees in the “Kids Grove” for a special craft time.

The Creation Festival also strives to provide resources that will make the event an even better learning tool. Every afternoon there are special seminars on a variety of topics from keynote speakers, as well as a daily Musician Seminar, hosted by Christian Musician and Worship Musician Magazines. Again this year, Creation will team up with Interlinc to provide youth leaders with excellent seminars and other resources, including a daily afternoon seminar lead by Duffy Robins, Talkback Sessions where Group Leaders can meet and have candid discussions with some of the most popular artists appearing at the Festival, and a VIP Youth Leader Tent, where leaders can get out of the sun, look through an assortment of free literature and other beneficial resources and share ideas with other Youth Leaders.

Other special features include X-Games with climbing walls, spider jumps and sumo wrestling, a Skateboard and BMX ministry, a Gear Giveaway and a vendor Exhibit area with almost 200 booths with an assortment of merchandise and apparel available for purchase and ministries and colleges offering free literature and information.

The Creation Festival was founded in 1979 in Pennsylvania and has since grown to become the largest event of its kind, adding a second event in 1998 on the west coast, held at the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA. In 2005, Creation branched out once again, this time internationally. Friendship Fest, held just outside the beautiful gardens and old walls of Marrakech, the cultural capital of the Kingdom of Morocco, was a huge success with more than 80,000 fans gathering for this truly historical event in a Muslim country.

Tens of thousands of people attend the Creation Festivals from all across the United States and Canada, as well as many international countries, including Iceland, Switzerland, and France. The Festival has also been featured by many mainstream media outlets including CBS News’ “Sunday Morning”, VH1, CNN, FOX News, Details Magazine, The New York Times and GQ Magazine to name a few.

In April 2004, the Creation Festival was awarded the Gospel Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, an honor that recognizes major contributions to the gospel music industry through a company’s commitment to the Christian community for 20 or more years.

For more information about Creation Northeast and Northwest, to view the complete program or for information on purchasing tickets to the event or becoming involved as a volunteer staff member, please visit www.creationfest.com and choose the link to the Festival you would like to attend.

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