What’s Behind the Open Crowd Festival
When Open Crowd Festivals become part of your community’s anual rhythm, they can bring about a clear shift in the culture of community life. But why are they so effective?
Firstly Open Crowd Festivals are just one of eight components in a much broader Process of Mission, which when implemented in a community can produce transformation and lead to many beginning a personal relationship with Jesus.
Download our Festivals Handbook to learn more about the Process of Mission (Prayer, Research, Broad Legitimate Contact, Role Modelling, Education, Opportunities for Commitment, Integration into the Local Worshipping Community and Finding Ones Place in Local and Global Mission.)
Secondly, the way Open Crowd Festivals generate a culture based on Kingdom Values in which all participate is based on intentionally facilitating a journey through the Three Phases of the Open Crowd. The team is unreservedly committed to living out values such as Compassion and Kindness, Hospitality and Inclusiveness, Respect and Justice, Creativity and Celebration – all values of God’s Kingdom. Even the layout of the Festival and the activities that are chosen are based on these values. All these things are explained in our free Festivals Handbook as well!

Prayer
Prayer At Planning Stage
Look to God to guide you in all that is planned to ensure His ideas are taken forward. If at all possible have all those involved in the initial planning to meet together to pray before committees are set up and roles chosen.
Prayer Walk Around The Community Venue
Look at your community afresh. Invite leaders to take some time in twos or threes to walk around the venue where you are planning to run your event and pray. Ask God to shine His light and reveal His purposes.
Prayer Teams From Local Churches
Look to the local churches. Get leaders together from different churches to explore how they could pray for the area and what prayer ideas each can offer.
Prayer Themes
Planning
Look to God to guide you in all that is planned to ensure His ideas are taken forward. If at all possible have all those involved in the initial planning to meet together to pray before committees are set up and roles chosen.
Places
People
Pray for:
- People who will be invited – pray for them to be touched afresh by God’s love as expressed through the day.
- People who will lead the Festival.
- People who will be impacted – the wider secular community – businesses, shops, schools, police, media, and your local Council.
Power
Pray for the Power of the good news to be communicated as your Festival takes place. Pray for friendships to develop, love to be shared whether in word, deed or prayer and Christians to be given the opportunity to invite people to take the next steps and share their story of Jesus.
Purpose
God’s heart is for everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ. Pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done in every aspect of the Festival and for all involved in follow up. Pray for a new sense of community spirit to emerge and for the churches to gain a new level of unity in working together.

Key Principles
that will help you ensure that Kingdom Values shape the culture of your festival and make your festival open, engaging, and relevant to your area.
Preaching Happens Through Our Lives
This is because Open Crowd Festivals are within a Process of Mission, with a real emphasis on role modelling faith and establishing genuine and relevant contact with the community.
Children Are The Stars
If the event is safe for children, it’s safe for everyone. Giving every child a joyful experience they will never forget will ensure that the child and their family will value and remember you.
It's A Celebration
Help people taste and experience what God’s Kingdom is like. It has a John 10.10 party atmosphere.
It's Open To Anybody
Everything Is Free
It’s like God’s love. It means that finance is not an obstacle for anyone to join in, not even for the large family down the road or the refugee couple in the shelter around the corner.
The Life Of The Team Is The Ministry
The team all know their role, live the values, and share a common dream of a different community. People’s experience of the team is what they will remember.
Centre Games At The Heart
This is where the community builds. It is the life and soul of the Festival. It’s where you most clearly experience the progression through the three phases of the Open Crowd.
A U-Shape (Horseshoe) Design
This enables team and participants alike, to see each other and to see what is happening at the Festival, wherever they are in the festival.