Sonshine Festival

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Sonshine Festival is a Christian music festival held in Willmar, Minnesota every year, usually centered around July 15. It spans three days and features some of the most popular Christian rock music bands in the United States. The year 2006 is the 25th anniversary of Sonshine Festival. The festival is a member of the Christian Festival Association.

The Sonshine Festival has five stages -- main stage, stage two, HM Stage (sponsored by HM Magazine) as well as, two "showmobiles," one serving as the "debut stage."

Entry fees to the festival provide camping facilities in "tent city" for all attendees.

The 2006 lineup featured popular Christian artists:

Third Day
Audio Adrenaline
tobyMac
Relient K
Newsboys
Jeremy Camp
Chris Tomlin
BarlowGirl
David Crowder Band
Thousand Foot Krutch
Skillet
Hawk Nelson
Kutless
John Reuben
Pillar
and many more, as well as emcee Peder Eide.

During the 2006 (25th anniversary) festival, a thunderstorm threatened to shut down the first night of the festival. The main stage suffered moderate damage in heavy rains, resulting in Kutless, Newsboys, and Jeremy Camp deciding not to play. This is the first show that the Newboys have missed, ever. Many people tried to leave, creating conditions where many cars got stuck in mud. The following two days were a success, the main stage being repaired and bands playing.