Who we are
Firestarter is a youth festival that runs over five days every summer. It is open to everybody of high school age and features live gigs, sports, games and educational seminars.
It is organised and run by leaders from the Island’s Christian churches, and features Christian content. However, the majority of the youth who attend are not Christian, and all activities are optional.
Our aim
Our goal is to provide a great festival for the youth on the Isle of Man in a safe environment, and to offer them the opportunity to think about and discuss the Christian faith, if they want to.
About the Festival
Firestarter is whatever the youth make it. We put on a lot of different kinds of entertainment, but the roughly 100 youth who turn up every year decide what they want to do with their time. We have a 24-hour rock café, live bands and shows, sports, hikes, games like pugel fighting, massive ‘water wars’ involving thousands of water bombs, themed parties, movie nights and educational seminars and workshops on a range of lifestyle topics such as bullying, self esteem, personal responsiblity, drugs, sex and Faith.
All of the entertainment, three meals a day and a camping pitch are included in the ticket price. We keep the price as low as possible, and offer cut-price tickets to those on low incomes in order to keep access to the Festival as wide as possible. The youth need to bring with them a tent, sleeping bag, changes of clothing, good footwear, insect spray, suntan lotion and money for snacks in the café.
We have 24-hour security, qualified first aiders and a very strict child protection policy approved by Social Services. All visitors to the site, from the milkman to the police to parents, are supervised if they come on site. No alcohol or drugs are allowed, and there are separate male and female camping areas.
Firestarter has been running since 1997, and is an approved ministry of the Churches Young People’s Committee.
How you can help
There are a number of ways you can help to support the festival.
Firestarter is entirely run by volunteers, so if you think you could volunteer, we always need more people. We especially need people willing to do admin through the year, and do overnight security shifts at the festival.
Donations are also gratefully received, as they help us to keep ticket prices down and guarantee wide access to the event. We can offer mutually beneficial packages to corporate sponsors wanting to support the Island’s youth.
Donations in terms of resources are also welcome. We are always looking to borrow campervans, freezers, vans, trailers and other items over the course of the festival.
