SPONSORED & SUPPORTED BY
2023 ARTISTs CONFIRMED
THE KINGDOM CHOIR
CALLED OUT MUSIC
VOLNEY MORGAN & NEW YE
SARAH TEIBO
LOVE & JOY GOSPEL CHOIR
SENSE OF SOUND
DAVIDB
LIGHTHOUSE CHOIR
HAYLI KINCADE & WAVERTREE GOSPEL CHOIR
NAFFYMAR
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
The first Liverpool Gospel Music Festival will take place on the 9th of September 2023. The event, taking place in North Liverpool, will feature internationally known artists, including headliners The Kingdom Choir and Called Out Music.
The festival is currently sponsored by Vistaprint, Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council. As the festival develops over the next few years, it will also include panel discussions with artists, meet the artist events, participatory activities for families and the community and wider celebrations of black culture.
How you can help
£65,000 has already been raised for the Festival, including support from Liverpool City Council, Vistaprint, LFC, the UK government's Shared Prosperity Fund and the Arts Council England among others.
However, to help bring gospel music to the mainstream and keep the Festival affordable for all, we need your help to make it happen. Give £5, £10, £20 or £50 to bring this vital cultural event to life and keep it accessible for the whole community.
What is gospel music?
The Gospel Music Industry Alliance identifies UK Gospel Music as derived from the African, American and Caribbean musical experience relating to the Christian faith. It had a profound impact on the development of popular music throughout the 20th century.
The Liverpool Gospel Music Festival, whilst acknowledging and valuing the roots of the genre in Christianity, black culture and spirituality, welcomes people of all faiths, ethnicities and identities.
Why a Gospel Music Festival? Why Now?
Gospel Music is an inclusive, joyful, uplifting, moving music genre that celebrates the stories, histories, cultures and achievements of black communities.
Much modern mainstream music, as well as many genres of music of black origin, owe their origins and inspirations to gospel music. However, these roots often go unacknowledged and unrecognised.
Gospel musicians are fantastic, talented artists, and gospel music is a popular artform, particularly among black communities, but there is no mainstream UK gospel music festival.
These are times of profound challenge. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, ever-present racial tensions, political unrest and a cost of living crisis that has many people living in fear, this is now an ideal time for gospel music, a musical genre which celebrates hope, life and love. A celebration of gospel music is a celebration of the resilience of the human spirit.
This festival will connect families and communities with music that combines positive, uplifting messages with an unflinching acknowledgement of the difficult realities of the world, creating an experience of great meaning and hope.
It will also, through the allied gospel music into schools programme, bring widespread education of the contribution of black people to the culture and music enjoyed by all in the UK.
BECOME A FESTIVAL SPONSOR
We have an exciting offer for companies and organisations who want to join our sponsors and partner with us to deliver this vibrant, inclusive cultural event which will attract the vast and diverse gospel music audiences and communities impacted by gospel music.
This event provides the opportunity to reach audiences currently underserved by mainstream UK arts and cultural events, providing a unique opportunity to reach audiences that many organisations may find harder to connect with. To become a main sponsor, we are looking for a commitment of at least £10,000.
We will work with all our main sponsors to design a bespoke package of benefits that could include:
· Branding opportunities that will create an association between your organisation and an uplifting, joyful, inclusive event featuring world-class performers, that will attract young, diverse audiences.
· A limited number of VIP tickets for corporate hospitality that provide access to the VIP areas of the festival.
· A stall at the main festival to promote your activities and provide opportunities to interact with audiences.
· Opportunities to provide representatives to sit on discussion panels.
· Volunteering opportunities.
To discuss sponsorship please contact helen.brown@liverpoollighthouse.com to arrange a meeting. You can also donate to the Festival using the button at the top of the page.
