What's It All About?

Some have been asking "What is this festival all about?"  Here is an excerpt from the festival webpage:

The Luther500 Festival is much more than a traditional festival. Yes, there is music and celebration and new friends. But there is also European travel, historical sites, cultural exchange, exploration of ideas, conversation, learning, service to others, and recreation. It is the most exciting International event for Lutherans in the summer of 2011, a combination of all the options families, congregations, youth groups and college groups generally have to choose between. Now, because of the Luther500 Festival, you can say yes to it all. There is something for everyone. It’s a bit like Summer Camp meets Youth Gathering meets Music Festival meets University Seminar meets European Vacation meets Mission Trip meets International Ideas Forum. There is a lot of meeting going on!

Speaking of meeting, you’ll meet Martin Luther. You’ll visit the important sites in the life of Martin Luther: the font where he was baptized(*), the castle where he translated the Bible, the church where he preached, the doors where he began a revolution, the House where he was born and the house where he lived with his own family, the school he attended, the monastery where he took vows, the forest where he prayed to St. Ann, the place where he is buried. This is the definitive look at Martin Luther’s Germany. You may have been Lutheran your whole life, but during this week you will meet Martin Luther for the first time or greet him again as an old friend.

You will also visit Berlin, one of the world’s most extraordinary capital cities. Over the course of eight days in Germany (more if you decide to add on some days for further travel) you’ll see more places, meet more people, learn more things, think more new ideas and hear more music than in any week of your life!