The Main Stage of Cornerstone. |
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| Location(s) | Illinois, United States |
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| Years active | Since 1984 |
| Founded by | Jesus People USA |
| Genre | CCM, rock, metal, punk, pop, rap, folk, electronic, Celtic, country |
| Website | CornerstoneFestival.com |
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the Warped Tour. Cornerstone Festival is a member of the Christian Festival Association.
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From 1984 to 1990, Cornerstone (or "C-stone", as many of its attendees call it), was held at the Lake County Fairgrounds near Grayslake, Illinois. In 1991, Cornerstone moved near the town of Bushnell, Illinois where the organizers of the Festival purchased a large piece of land, which is now called "Cornerstone Farm".
Tens of thousands of people attend Cornerstone Farm each year and see over 300 bands play many styles of music, including rock, metal, punk, hardcore and pop music. In addition to the many musicians, Cornerstone Festival also presents guest speakers, and features independent/foreign film screenings, writers' seminars, and art workshops.
The main Cornerstone Festival now takes place over 5 days on multiple stages. Cornerstone is known for its "Evening Encore" performances, now simply called "Encores". Encore performances are usually done at or after midnight, and the performers (especially on the later nights of the festival) are among the most popular, most well-established bands in Christian music at the time.
In 2010 the festival's main stage moved to the "Midway," which is about 0.7 miles northeast of its previous location in the "bowl."[1]
Cornerstone festival has featured such major recording artists as P.O.D., MxPx, Larry Norman, Charlie Daniels Band, Five Iron Frenzy, MC Hammer, Switchfoot, Anberlin, Stryper, As I Lay Dying, Joe English, Underoath, Sixpence None the Richer, Phil Keaggy, mewithoutYou, Kerry Livgren, Copeland, Vengeance Rising, The Crucified, Petra, Daniel Amos, and countless others.
In 2005, Cornerstone held smaller events in Orlando, Florida, known as Cornerstone Florida as well as a festival in North Carolina. Between 2005 and 2007 Cornerstone also held a festival in Orange County, California at Oak Canyon Ranch.