2013 Wild Goose Festival scheduled August 8-11 in Hot Springs, N.C.; Tickets now on sale

By Jeaneane Payne

Two thousand tickets will go on sale today for the 2013 Wild Goose Festival. The 4-day music festival is a gathering of progressive evangelicals at the intersection of justice, spirituality, music, and art.

Wild Goose is patterned after the Greenbelt festival which has taken place in England for over 20 years. The event will take place August 8-11, 2013 in Hot Springs, North Carolina near Asheville.

The "Wild Goose" is a Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit and a metaphor for unpredictability, beauty and grace.

In addition to being venues for amazing musicians, provocative and courageous speakers, and a warm, welcoming community, Wild Goose seeks to create gatherings that inspire justice activism.

At a typical event, an attender might take in a main stage performance, a conversation with a screenwriter and director, an interfaith dialogue, and dozens of open air conversations under trees, around drinks, and at campfires.

The atmosphere intentionally lowers class and social barriers, creating free interaction between even the most accomplished speakers and attenders. Attendees have the chance to request and host informal conversations about topics they're interested in during the event, which may be attended by Grammy winning producers, seminary presidents, Oscar-carrying writers, New York Times best-selling authors and a host of others they wouldn't usually have the chance to interact with.

You can follow the festival on @wildgoosefest or on Facebook www.facebook.com/wildgoosefestival. You can also visit the web site at wildgoosefestival.org. Tickets start at $149.00.

Published January 24, 2013