Cornerstone Festival was a
Christian music festival put on by
Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near
Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year.[1] In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also played at other events such as
Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the
Warped Tour. The final festival was held in 2012.[2]
From 1984 to 1990, Cornerstone was held at the Lake County Fairgrounds near
Grayslake, Illinois.[3] In 1991, Cornerstone moved near the town of Bushnell (outside
Macomb) where the organizers of the festival purchased a large piece of land, which is now called "Cornerstone Farm".[4]
Tens of thousands of people attended Cornerstone Farm each year and saw over 300 bands play many styles of music, including
rock,
metal,
punk,
hardcore and
pop music.[5] In addition to the many musicians, Cornerstone Festival also presented guest speakers, and featured independent/foreign film screenings, writers' seminars, and art workshops.[6][7]
In 2010 the festival's main stage moved to the "Midway", which is about 0.7 miles northeast of its previous location in the "bowl".[8]
On May 15, 2012 it was announced that the 2012 Festival would be the last.[11] The final song performed at Cornerstone, on July 7, 2012, was "To Bid Farewell" performed by
Derri Daugherty and
Steve Hindalong of
The Choir.[12]