2024 Music Festival

Suggestions for Planning

Festival: A Youth Concert is an opportunity for youth to gather and strengthen their discipleship of Jesus Christ. “Youth should lead out in planning and carrying out” activities like Festival (General Handbook, 29.3.10). These following suggestions may be helpful as leaders counsel with youth:

1. Let Youth Lead: “[Stake and] ward youth council meetings provide opportunities for youth to lead” (General Handbook, 29.2.6). Whether held at the stake or ward level, an activity featuring Festival should be planned and carried out by youth, with adult leaders providing support as needed.
2. Encourage Group Participation: In early July, a playlist of concert songs and promotional materials will be available on youth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Youth are encouraged to become familiar with these songs before the event. You might encourage youth to invite friends of other faiths to sing, celebrate, and worship Jesus Christ together with them.
3. Consider Size: Consider whether to gather as a stake or with multiple stakes. Larger gatherings may provide the best experience for this event.
4. Adapt for Local Needs: The broadcast will be available on August 5. Stakes or wards may tailor their plans for the event to the local circumstances and resources, choosing the date and time that works best for them. For example, the event could include a dance or other activities, food, or an event host.
5. Consider Location: Due to the celebratory style of the music and the hope for youth participation, it may work better to meet in an outdoor location or a large gathering place.

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Additional Items to Consider When Planning

This event will work best with a large group of youth. Where possible, combine wards, assemble as a stake or multiple stakes, or gather branches or districts. This would also be a great opportunity to invite friends of other faiths.

It will help if the youth who are planning this event have had a chance to watch portions of the event beforehand to see the different segments. There will be fast songs for dancing, a few songs where youth may want to hold up phone lights, and two brief scripture story portions that they will resonate with. We have found that it really helps ensure great success if your youth know to be prepared for each of these different elements.

Having a group of youth in the audience who know what is coming up in each portion of the concert would be helpful. They can lead the crowd to know when it is a time for loud singing and dancing and a time for listening. You will not need more than 4 or 5 to help with a big crowd, but more would be even better depending on the size of your gathering and the number of youth helping to plan the event.

Ensuring you have a good audio speaker set up is important. The youth will be more excited to participate if the music is loud enough for them to sing without feeling insecure about being heard.

Groups have told us that if the event is being held outside, it is more successful when held in the darker evening hours, which also ensures the screen is visible.