The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
The FEST 2020 going virtual due to coronavirus concerns
Band line-up agrees to return in 2021; performances still planned for this year
This isn’t what the Rev. Bob Stec envisioned for the 20th anniversary of The FEST.
But he did his best to provide an uplifting message in the recent announcement that the mega free festival of “faith, family and fun” will be virtual only in August, due to the novel coronavirus.
“This year, you’re going to be able to invite everyone you know, because this year, The FEST is coming to your home,” he said in a video released May 22. “It’s going to be an amazing day of music, reflection, great witnesses, activities, all that you can do from the comfort of your home.
“And just like always, this year will end with an amazing, uplifting and inspiring Mass where all of us can come together,” he added. “And if there has ever been a time when we need to come together, it’s this year. Given the challenges of our time, we need the message of The FEST. We need God’s message in our life — a day of faith, a day of family and a day of fun. And FEST 2020 will be a glorious day.”
He acknowledged the big change from past years when an estimated 40,000 people flocked to the Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe to see big-name Christian music artists.
“We prayerfully considered the implications of gathering tens of thousands of people together, spoke with our safety partners and sponsors, and concluded that the best thing we could do is to not gather in person, since it would be difficult to maintain social-distancing and keep everyone safe,” The FEST website says.
The FEST @Home, as it’s being called, will be held Aug. 9 and is to include performances online by national and local acts, the site says.
The bands that had been lined up for this year’s inperson event were For King & Country, Danny Gokey, Tauren Wells and We Are Messengers. They all have agreed to move their performances to the 2021 event, Aug. 8.
“We are working with them and some past FEST artists for special performances at this year’s FEST,” the website stated.
Along with entertainment, plans include faithbased messages, resources, ideas for crafts and activities, and “engaging videos from our partners on everything from faith to hair and nail care to beard care to dinner recipes for your family.”
“It’ll look different than years gone by and, God willing, it will look different next year,” Stec said.
“But for this year, it will be the glorious day that you and I need where we come together to reflect deeply on the blessings of God in our life, and we use the day to strengthen the bonds of faith and family.”
Stec, former vocations director for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, launched the event in 2000 to welcome home the diocesan contingent from their trip to Rome for World Youth Day. It was called “Home from Rome” and drew about 3,000 people.
It was renamed and grew into the huge celebration that has become a summer staple for many families in the region.