Skylight Festival of Arts, Faith , Peace, Justice and Nature is excited to welcome John Bell, of Iona Scotland to Skylight Festival July 17-19, 2020.  The Festival opens at 6pm with a Mohawk Thanksgiving, followed by programming for the evening.

Campers can arrive anytime
after 1pm.  All others from 3pm.

On behalf of Skylight’s Vision Team, it is our great pleasure to welcome you to Skylight 2020!

As part of our commitment to diversity and honouring those gender diverse in our community, all washrooms in the Main Building are gender neutral.  We will also have a shuttle that will be running throughout the weekend from the Main Building to the venues in the lower field.

Throughout the weekend there will be worship opportunities in various sites.  We have been working to provide a variety of worship experiences throughout the weekend, including the main worship on Sunday which is open to the community.  There will be other opportunities in the Teaching Lodge by the Labyrinth where we are excited to again offer some expressions of Forest Church and Indigenous sessions.

Social Media @ Skylight

• Tweet us @Skylightfest
• Keep connected with our hashtag: #skylight2020
• Post your Skylight moments on our Skylight Festival Facebook page
• Post and tag pics on Instagram @skylightfest
• Keep up to date with our schedule on the SCHED app.

Check out our MAP of the area

Youth Program (12-17 yrs):  

Youth at Skylight will have the opportunity to join all the amazing events planned at the festival, while having a homegroup with other youth to check in with regularly and engage in evening devotionals the Friday and Saturday night.

Youth will gather for the first time as a group Friday evening once the festival takes off for get-to-know-you games, community building and fun! After the SHAD concert youth will gather again for an evening vespers and check-in. On Saturday, youth will attend the workshops, concerts, talks and events as they desire to, with several times during the day to check-in as a group and create long-lasting connections! An evening vespers and check-in will also take place Saturday night after Skylight events. Sunday youth will attend the worship service and depart on their own that afternoon.

Join us for youth programming at the Skylight Festival where we’ll be interacting with other people of faith, exploring justice and Jesus, and making connections that will last a lifetime

Meals and accommodations are on your own.

Children’s Program (Ages 5-11)

Our one-day children’s program (Saturday) will consist of playing some groovy games, amazing activities and making some cool crafts to take home and show off to all of your friends! Opportunities to engage with the Skylight Festival events, children’s concerts, and outdoor adventures will be incorporated into programming. Saturday evening from 7pm-9pm the program leaders will show a movie for anyone to join!

Lunch and snacks included.

ALL REGISTERED CHILDREN AND YOUTH ARE WELCOME TO THE PROGRAMS WHICH ARE FREE WITH REGISTRATION!

As you arrive Friday, you could go to the Edge Tent for some make-and-take fun, after 4pm visit the Displays and book room, (see below). Or, go for a dip in the Five Oaks pool, which will be open from 4-6pm Friday.

At 6:00 we begin at the Main Stage with a traditional Mohawk opening, offered by Faithkeeper Michael Montour, of Six Nations.  In Mohawk tradition, a Faithkeeper is the first person and last person to speak at any gathering so Michael will open and close the Festival.

We are pleased to have Grand River Books working with us who have brought in many books of present and past Contributors as well as other Emerging Church authors.  They will also be selling CD’s and other merchandise for our Contributors.  You can find them in the main building.

In the Upper Room of the Main Building you will find an information area and displays of partners and sponsors with Skylight.  Take some time to check them out!

Don’t miss Faithmarks display at the Pub Space at New Hall in the Main Building.  Contributor Anna Golladay is curator of this unique display of tattoos that have a spiritual meaning for the individual.  Anna welcomes and invites you to share your tattoos that have a faith or spiritual connection for you.  She may even ask you take a picture of it!  Enjoy this display as you grab a beer or other beverage at the pub!

The United Church of Canada’s Edge Network for Ministry Development has their own tent venue offering a variety of programming and much more! In the Edge Tent, you can find the Edge Living Room! – a comfy hang-out space for people to relax in between sessions or take a break as they need it. In the field outside the Edge tent, there will be lots of games games going on throughout the weekend. At any point during the festival, you can come to the Edge Tent to use our button maker, a creative make-and-take table, as well as spiritual practice stations around the outside of the space.

Our Pub is located in the New Hall of the Main Building, which also has a patio.  Come enjoy coffee and snacks for purchase during the morning. Beer will be sold in the afternoon and evening.  There will be open mic opportunity as well as table talk – offer a topic or issue that you wish to invite people into conversation about.

Hours for the Pub for Alcohol:

• Friday 5pm-12,
• Saturday 12pm-12am

We are excited to expand our relationship with The Parish Collective at Skylight this year.  The Parish Collective identifies, connects, and resources followers of Jesus that desire to grow the fabric of love and care in their neighborhood. They are at the center of the growing Parish Movement that is refounding the local church in the everyday life of the neighborhood and learning to join in with the redemptive work God is already doing there. The New Parish was written by Tim Soerens, Paul Clark, and Dwight Friesen who discovered the importance of being rooted in place as a faith community.  We are excited to build partnership with Canadian Dave Harder, who is producer of the Re-Imagine conference in Hamilton in October and social entrepreneur.  We have a Re-Imagine venue in the Summer Centre curated by Dave that includes Jonathan Brooks,  Willow and the Deep, Anna Golladay, who is also staff with the Parish Collective and more!  Check out their sessions Saturday!

As part of our relationship building with Six Nations on whose land we gather, we are including as part of our programming, an opportunity to attend the Grand River Pow Wow at Six Nations which they are hosting.   This a North American competition gathering participants from many Nations.  Following worship at 11am on Sunday, those who wish to attend will travel together to Six Nations pow wow arbour for the Grand Entry at 12pm.  When you register and at the same information table throughout the weekend there will be a sign up sheet for you to indicate your interest in attending and whether you need a ride or can offer a ride.  Tickets can be purchased at the gate for $10, Children $2.   Plan to join us for this opportunity to experience Indigenous culture that is part of our journey toward reconciliation!

The Five Oaks Labyrinth is available for your use in the lower field.  It will be available at all times throughout the festival as a space for you to take some reflective time, walk, ponder and just be.

The pool on the upper field will also be open and life-guarded at four different times throughout the weekend:
-Friday 4-6pm
-Saturday 12-2pm & 5-7pm
-Sunday 7-9am