With the goal of being an affordable, family-friendly event, Early Bird weekend passes are available now for $65 through iTickets.com and can be purchased until March 31st. For no extra charge, attendees are provided camping, parking, and hot showers. Additionally, the Wednesday night concert, featuring fan-favorite Jars of Clay, will be free and open to the public as well as Sonshine ticket holders.

"I feel that adding the Wednesday program with a free Jars of Clay concert is just one way we can say 'Thank You' to the people who have been attending for years and have helped make Sonshine one of the best festivals of the summer," explains Michael W. Scanland, Sonshine Festival co-founder. "We have an amazing Festival planned for 2008 and are looking forward to all that this year has in store for those attending."

A festival for music lovers of all ages and music styles, Sonshine features a variety of performers on four different stages. The 2008 line-up includes:

• Main-Stage: Third Day, TobyMac, Newsboys, Jeremy Camp, David Crowder Band, Flyleaf, Superchick, Stellar Kart, Hawk Nelson, Barlow Girl, Skillet, and Kutless.

• Stage 2: The Wedding, Pillar, Run Kid Run, Spoken, Thousand Foot Krutch, John Reuben, KJ-52, Dizmas, and Eleventy-Seven.

• HM Stage: Haste the Day, The Chariot, August Burns Red, Project 86, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, As I Lay Dying, Inhale Exhale, and Flatfoot 56.

• Hip-Hop Stage: Artist line-up to be announced soon

Sonshine not only presents top Christian artists, but the Festival also features a Sports Arena Stage, showcasing acts such as World Impact Wrestling, Chaos on Wheels, and The Power Team. Randy Christensen and Friends will be entertaining children at The Big Top Stage with magic, music, puppets, juggling, uni-cycling, crafts, and more.

Not only about entertaining through music and fun activities, Sonshine also has a goal of impacting and changing lives. To that end, featured speakers for the weekend include Bob Lenz and Jeremy Kingsley.

"For the 27th year in a row, the Sonshine Music Festival will be held in Willmar, MN and will be nothing short of a lifetime memory," comments festival co-founder, Bob Poe. "What could be better than the best in the Christian music world – in one place – for three days? Maybe it is hanging out with friends or making new ones. Maybe it's the skate park, the kids' ministry or the new sports arena stage. Maybe it is Main Stage, Stage 2, HM Stage or the Hip Hop Stage. Maybe it's the 20,000 people attendees will worship with each day or a personal encounter with the One we worship. One thing is for sure, Sonshine 2008 is for you!"

About Sonshine Festival
Launched in 1982 by local Willmar, MN youth pastor, Bob Poe, Sonshine Festival has grown from 1,800 attendees in its first year to 25,000 in 2007. The Willmar Community College Campus played host to the event for the first four years and after outgrowing the venue, Sonshine relocated to the Willmar Civic Center in 1987, where it has remained for the past 22 years, in part to the construction of the Willmar High School facility next door. Throughout its 26-year history, Sonshine has featured nearly every major artist in the Christian music world and remains true to its commitment to deliver the hottest artists as well as encourage young people to become or continue to be a life-long follower of Jesus. Poe and the original steering committee are still organizing and providing leadership for the Music Festival.

Sonshine belongs to the Christian Festival Association, a membership organization representing the premier Christian Music Festivals across the country, collectively hosting more than 1.4 million attendees nationwide.

For more information about the Sonshine Festival, to view the complete program or for information on purchasing tickets to the event please visit www.sonshinefestival.com.

 

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