tobyMac at Winter Jam 2009 |
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| Location(s) | North America touring (1995–present) |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Founded by | Newsong |
| Date(s) | January, February, March |
| Genre | Christian rock, Christian rap, contemporary Christian music |
| Website | www.jamtour.com |
Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, also referred to as simply Winter Jam (and formerly known as January Jam from 1995–2000), is an annual American music tour featuring Christian rock, Christian rap, and contemporary Christian music bands, stunt and/or comedy performances, and a speaker. It is the United States' largest annual Christian Music Tour.[1] It has also provided a platform for non-profit groups such as Holt International, an organization that provides sponsorship and adoption for orphans. Winter Jam has featured a diverse range of big name bands such as tobyMac, Newsboys, Third Day, MercyMe, Skillet, and Audio Adrenaline, and has helped expose and popularize artists such as Hawk Nelson, Krystal Meyers, and Stephanie Smith.
Conceived and created in 1995 as "January Jam" by CCM group Newsong, Winter Jam has run annually since 1995. From its inception in 1995 through the most recent 2009 tour, the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular has toured all over the United States of America. Tickets are not required for the tour, as a US$10 general admission is collected at the door of each arena.[2]
As of April 2009, they report a total attendance of about 335,300 people, and 69,700 "decisions for Christ".[3] In 2009, the tour started using text messaging and e-mail as a way to communicate and keep track of the number of people who have made these decisions. The record attendance for a single show was 21,000, which was set at the Greensboro, NC show on February 5, 2011.
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In October 2009 Winter Jam announced the 2010 Concert Lineup. The artists are Third Day, Newsboys, Fireflight, Tenth Avenue North, Newsong, Sidewalk Prophets, Robert Pierre, Revive, & Speaker Tony Nolan. The tour experienced great success, having the second highest attendance of a tour in the first quarter of 2010 (next to AC/DC).
Winter Jam 2011 features Chris Sligh, Chris August, Sidewalk Prophets, Speaker Tony Nolan, KJ-52, NewSong, Francesca Battistelli, RED, Kutless, David Crowder Band, and Newsboys as the headliner.
On June 21, 2011, Winter Jam announced on Facebook and Twitter that the tour would head to the west coast for the first time ever. The tour kicks off November 3 and ends on November 20. This year's artists are Newsboys, KJ-52, Red, Kutless, Newsong, Fireflight, Matthew West, and guest speaker Tony Nolan. The tour will hit Tacoma, Bakersfield, Fresno, Ontario, CA, Sacramento, Denver, Phoenix, Albuquerque, Portland, Boise, and Las Vegas.