Music, special events for teens and children, part of weekend-long outreach
DES MOINES, Iowa, Sept. 15, 2021 – The Iowa Celebration with Will Graham, coming to Wells Fargo Arena, Oct. 1-3, will feature a weekend full of free concerts by some of the top artists in Christian music.
Aaron Shust, who will perform every night of the Celebration, is an accomplished and award-winning praise and worship leader. He has received the Dove Award’s New Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, and Song of the Year commendations. “I’m not writing things just for one guy to stand onstage and sing,” he has said, “but for worshipers to sing together.”
In addition to Aaron Shust:
- Friday night, Oct. 1, will be headlined by CeCe Winans, the best-selling female Gospel artist of all time, with an RIAA-certified 5 million record sales. Among her many accolades are 12 Grammy Awards, 23 GMA Dove Awards and 15 Stellar Awards, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Saturday, Oct. 2, will feature The Afters, Dove Award-recipients for New Artist of the Year and Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year. The Afters have been a consistent and popular presence on the Christian music scene for more than a decade, garnering multiple top five hits on the Billboard Praise & Worship charts.
- Sunday, Oct. 3, will be youth night, and will feature Grammy Award-winning, Multi-Platinum-certified rock band Skillet. Widely considered to be the most successful Christian rock band of this generation, Skillet boasts mainstream crossover appeal that has resulted in billions of global audio streams and multiple No. 1 hits. Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award nominated hip-hop artist FLAME, who has several Billboard chart-toppers on his resume, will also headline the evening.
“To have artists of this caliber performing at the Iowa Celebration is absolutely exciting,” said BJ Rogers, who is directing the Celebration on behalf of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. “The concerts are free and open to everybody. You don’t need a ticket to get in. Just invite your friends, come early to get a good seat, and enjoy watching some of the most-decorated bands in Christian music.”
In addition to the evening Celebration events, a special program for children and families will take place the morning of Saturday, Oct. 2. KidzFest will feature music by children’s performer Go Fish, an interactive video Gospel presentation called The Quest, and a message of hope from Will Graham. The one-hour event will be followed by bounce houses, face painting and games.
Visit www.IowaCelebration.com for a full schedule of artists, dates and times.
About the Iowa Celebration with Will Graham:
The Iowa Celebration with Will Graham is a free, family-friendly, event coming to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Oct. 1-3, 2021. It will feature music from award-winning Christian bands and messages from evangelist Will Graham. It is open to everybody and all are welcome to attend.
Iowa Celebration COVID Statement:
The Iowa Celebration will follow applicable government COVID requirements, as well as protocols laid out by Wells Fargo Arena. Visitors are encouraged to observe the CDC guidelines for being in public places. Individuals who are sick, in a high risk group, or otherwise concerned, are encouraged to stay home and instead watch the online livestream of the Iowa Celebration.
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