Describing Freakstock is not such a simple task. You`d have to mention the origins – in the mid 1990`s, the Jesus Freaks movement. You`d have to mention the magical places where Freakstock took place – the horse racing course, the old army barracks, the air field. And the hundreds of awesome volunteers that make the event possible every year. You`d have to mention the peaceful atmosphere, sommer nights with dancing til dawn, life-changing experiences, legendary concerts, passionate spirituality. You`d have to talk about camping and compost toilets. About the tea tent and prayer tent. About currywurst, cocktails and coffee parties. About brit pop and hip hop, dixie and death metal. About skaters and ravers and grandmas and punks and intellectuals and hippies and hipsters and bouncy castles.
And much, much more.
But before we get lost in reminiscence and details, let`s get to the core of Freakstock, and what`s important to us:
Jesus. Freakstock is the Jesus festival. It`s all about his message and experiencing him. Jesus is priority number one by a long shot, and after that: art, culture, and the joy of living.
Creativity. Freakstock is a creative place that wants to impact, support and challenge our cultural landscape. This is expressed in concerts, teachings, services, drama, art exhibits, readings, fire performances and whatever else people come up with.
Diversity. We like it colorful. Freakstock thrives on the diversity of the people that attend and contribute to the festival with their gifts. We want to embrace, not sidestep the friction that lies in our differences and contrasts.
Unity. Amidst a world and church history that is shaped by constant division, we feel challenged to live Christ-like unity. With him as the common denominator, we enjoy fellowship and cooperation with our brothers and sisters from various faith traditions.
Welcome. Everybody is welcome to come as they are. Jesus showed unconditional love and acceptance to all, and took particular interest in those who were despised, rejected and considered failures. Likewise, Freakstock explicitly welcomes all those who don`t feel welcome anywhere else.
Children. Kids are cool and a part of Freakstock! We try to make festival life as easy as possible for parents and kids. There is a separate camping area for families, and a fantastic child care program.
Sustainability. In terms of ecology and economics, we try to go the extra mile. This includes – among other things – fair trade foods, regional suppliers, and smaller beverage brands instead of products from global enterprises.
Non-Profit. Freakstock does not pursue financial profit – in fact we`re quite happy if we just don`t make a loss! We generally try to keep ticket prices as low as possible, and offer additional discounts for low-income attendants and guests from abroad. In part, Freakstock is financed by donations. Freakstock is hosted by Jesus Freaks Deutschland e.V.
