Summer camps, festivals & weekends away for youth by Becky Lawrence, Youth and Children’s Worker at St Mark’s Milton Keynes, Bucks.
Our latest podcast episode features Olly and I unpacking our experience of taking young people away on summer camps, Christian festivals, residentials and weekends away. We promised to include a list of useful links we knew of to help you to know what options are out there for your youth group.
Soul Survivor used to be ‘the big one’, it ran for 25 years and thousands of young people went every year over the 3 weeks each summer holidays. Over the years other festival and camps options for youth have popped up and now that Soul Survivor has finished there are also several new ones that were inspired to start in 2020, but weren’t able to due to the pandemic! There are lots of Christian activity centres, residential venues and camping grounds that can be hired too for reasonable prices, so that you can plan and run your own kids/youth camp or residential.
There are literally lots of options including festivals, weekends, conferences some aimed just at youth, and others for the whole family that you could go to as a church, or as a youth group. There are others that have leaders already that you can recommend to parents/families, or perhaps you might want to organise your own youth camping trip, weekend away or residential instead.
We used to do two weekends away, a summer camp and a youth mission trip every year at my last church, which was a lot of organising – but I was a full time youth worker, and our church had two full time youth workers – so we were blessed with the time to plan so much good stuff! We happily took youth to soul Survivor for many years, despite it being a 4-5 hour drive in traffic to get there, flooding, vomiting bugs and home sickness. We stopped going to Soul Survivor for a few years so we could better invest in our youth group by doing our own indoor residential summer ‘camps’, these worked better for us at building deep community, tailoring the teaching, and empowering our young leaders. These days i’m a part time youth worker at a much smaller church with a much smaller youth group which is not worse but it is different. Last year we were due to take some of our youth on their first Christian holiday experience to Spring Harvest – but with the pandemic, sadly it all got cancelled. Some of this summers festivals and conferences are still happening online and a couple are still happening in person, you can find full details below.
I’m currently at the stage where i’m wondering what to do with my youth next year – which is where you might be too!? As mentioned in our latest podcast episode we recommend that you start by putting together some aims including what you hope to achieve by taking your young people away and what is the most important to you. 
As well as evaluating where your young people are at in their faith journeys and what type of group you’ve got, your budget and what leaders & skills you have – all this key info will help you narrow down the details like ideal length of trip, whether you stay local, go for something catered and whether you attend a big event or organise your own thing.
A few examples of aims might be… building community, deepening faith, doing some particular teaching on Christian basics or apologetics or something else, providing opportunities for young leaders to do more leading, getting some more adult volunteers involved, taking youth to the beach who have never been, experiencing a Christian festival and worshiping with hundreds or thousands of other Christians, or keeping it small and bespoke for your group or others I haven’t thought of. If none of your group are up for the idea of camping or if getting tents would be too many logistics, there are indoor options you could explore instead. If you can, its also a good idea to speak to some other youth leaders who have been to that camp or fesitval to find out the pros and cons and their experience. You could also go visit for a day and plan to go the next year if you really want to get a feel for it before taking your group. You could also work together with some other youth groups to do a combined camp or trip to a festival.
If it would be useful to speak to us and use us as a sounding board or if you’d like to go over ideas or help analyse what would be best for your group – Youthwork+ offers free advice and consultancy for any youth and kids leaders – please email me to get the ball rolling. If we can help and encourage you as you think about taking your youth away, we’d love to!
The short of it is that we totally recommend taking your youth on weekends away, summer camps & festivals and residentials! These are fun key pivotal moments in the lives of young people and are the places where faith is stretched, community is built, young people experience God, learn new things about Him and lifelong memories are made.
I’ve done all the hard work for you by compiling a list, below you’ll find a full list of the youth camps, festivals and conferences I know about for youth and families – there are a whopping 24 to choose from! We mentioned a couple of them in our podcast if you haven’t listened to that, you can find the episode i’m referring to here. You’ll see below a short review of the ones i’ve been to, plus dates, info and links…
Festivals & camps for Youth:
Spree by Urban Saints 4 venues including Southwest at West Point Exeter 24-26 June 2022/ Spree in the Borders at Rock UK Whitaugh Park Newcastleton/ Spree Central at Rock UK Frontier 
Centre Northamptonshire/ Spree North West at Bowley Scout Camp Blackburn/ Spree West Midlands at Blackwell Adventure Bromsgrove Dates for 2022 TBC.
At my previous church we used to take our 11-14’s group here, it’s a mini christian festival over a weekend, our nearest location is Rock Uk near Northampton and there is a choice of indoor accommodation or camping for your group. Each day is packed with main sessions of teaching and worship, outdoor activites, fun games and more. We really liked it and so did our youth, we even took youth along who weren’t christians from our after school club and they loved it too, one even made a faith commitment and joined our church youth group. Spree has several locations across the UK, most if not all at similar venues with both indoor and outdoor options.
A fully organised weekend with activities galore from dawk to dusk. You can bring your entire group (ok, those aged 8-18). The Christian faith is explained in a clear, engaging way in age-appropriate sessions, relevant for those from all backgrounds. There are opportunities for those aged 16-18 to join the service crew/helpers team (at most sites). Accessibility matters, we’ll work with you to try support the needs of your group, 
including financial support and practical adaptations. We look after you and your team because we know just how hard it is to take a group away (our leaders cafés are legendary!). There’s a range of accommodation and catering options. See our website for details.
Spree Southwest 24-26 June 2022 https://www.spreesw.org
Main Urban Saints Spree info (for all sites) https://camps.urbansaints.org/spree/
Satellites by Youthscape (starting 2022) East of England Arena, Peterborough, 9-13 August 2022
This one hasn’t happened yet so we can’t do a review, but we’ve used a lot of the Youthscape resources and been on youth leader training with them – all of it has been well organised and top notch. Sateilites is a new summer festival for youth groups on the same venue as Soul Survivor in Peterborough. Soul Survivor have recommended them as an option for anyone who used to go to their festivals. “Satellites is a brand-new event for young people, brought to you by the team at Youthscape. It’s a five-day gathering, designed to inspire teenagers to live with God at the centre of their lives for the other 360 days of the year. We’re hosting a new summer festival for year round faith, for 13-18 year olds.”
https://www.youthscape.co.uk/satellites
Limitless Festival by Elim (6-7 August 2021 online) at Stafford Showground 6-10 August 2022
This one hasnt happened yet either but is also recomended by Soul Survivor as a new contender. New Christian camping festival for youth in the same ethos as Soul Survivor with camping, worship, teaching, seminars, after hours activities and more. Limitless Festival is a vibrant summer gathering that’s all about community, connection and change. Featuring dynamic venues for youth (11-17) and young adults (17-30), as well as a packed programme of activities, sports, events, seminars, workshops, and after hours venues. Limitless Festival is the declaration of a generation who exceed the limits of their expectations.
https://www.elim.org.uk/Articles/580003/Choose_your_Limitless.aspx?redirected=1
Newday Christian Youth Festival at Norfolk Showground near Norwich (wed 28-fri 30 July 2021 online). 1-6 August 2022
Christian youth camping festival held in Norfolk. They’ve been going for a few years and i’ve had friends take their youth groups and they had a great time!
Newday is one of the largest Christian events for young people that takes place in the UK every year. Young people aged 12-18 join together with youth leaders and team members from churches up and down the UK and Europe to learn about and worship God, camp out together and soak in the summer festival feeling, leaving Newday further along in their relationship with Jesus.
Dreaming the Impossible (DTI) by Vineyard, A -30 July-2 Aug 2021 or B – 2-5 Aug 2021 at Nottingham Trent Uni Halls and Trent Vineyard. 2022 TBC.
A multi day youth event with worship and teaching for 12-18 year olds.
“We got there. This summer we’re hoping to gather together in person in Nottingham, not once, but twice for a celebration like you’ve not seen before. We’ll be worshipping, dancing our hearts out and lifting Jesus high. There’s even rumours of fair ground rides, food vans and more. We’ve upgraded the accommodation, wave leaking tents and portaloos goodbye. This year we’re staying in Uni Halls, imagine, real showers, real beds and cooked breakfast every morning. We’re so excited to be able to gather physically with you all and are expectant for everything that God’s going to do.”
https://dreamingtheimpossible.org
Neos Festival by West Cambridge Christian Youth Ministries at Gamlingay, Bedfordshire (2021 cancelled). 2022 dates TBC.
Christian youth festival in Bedfordshire for school year 7-13’s. Spread over four days in mid-August in Gamlingay, Neos is a great mix of worship, teaching, prayer, fun, making new friends, and spending time thinking about the big issues facing young people. And the best part is we do it all together… At Neos, we understand that proper community is created when we spend time together so we’ll be camping together, eating together and all pitching in together to help make Neos the best it can be. Young people in school years 7–13 are invited to be part of Neos (those who have finished year 7, about to go into year 8; up to those who have just finished the equivalent of year 13). Young people will need to book with a leader for their group (with a ratio of one leader to 6 young people), and group leaders will need to provide details of their church for us to verify who they are.
The Ascent Festival by Bridge Church Lincoln supported by Hope Together and Ywam Derby, 31 July 2021 Online. Dates for 2022 TBC. West Midlands
“Going deeper, living stronger and being empowered are the main values of The Ascent. Brand new 3 hour online event for 2021. Join us as we see youth groups gather across the nation using our at-home festival kits. This year we are running a highly interactive digital festival. We encourage youth groups to gather together and lock in for a powerful time in the presence of God together.” 3 days hoped in person in 2022 for school years 7-11.
Kairos Christian Youth Camp at Hollybush Farm, Thirsk, August bank hol weekend, 26 to 29 August 2022 (2021 offering free Kairos 2021 personal devotional boxes)
Aimed at Christian young people aged 11-18 to come as a youth group. All groups must have a responsible leader. Kairos means the right or opportune moment in Greek. it is the point in our lives when we decide to stand for what we believe in. Kairos Camp happens in the North East of England to help young people engage with God, each other and go home better equipped to live out their faith.
YFC Weekends Away (various dates usually, keep checking the website for updates in 2022)
We have years of experience running amazing weekends for 8-18 year olds, both churched and unchurched young people. Our heart is to see their lives transformed each and every one. All of our residentials provide all accommodation, food and activities so that you can just come along and maximise your time. Our weekends are run by an experienced team of youth and childrens workers who strive to make each event enjoyable, memorable and jam packed with opportunities to meet God. There is a bursury fund to help out anyone who wouldn’t be able to afford to come.
https://yfc.co.uk/residentials/
Lee Abbey Youth Camp at Lee Abbey Devon, TBC. August 2022 (usually a Week A and Week B in August)
An amazing week to come explore the christian faith through worship, creatvie teaching and seminars. Not to mention the funa nd crazy games, crafts and space to be you! Our camp began in 1948 and we’d love to welcome you if you are 13-18 years old! With a programme full of sports, activities, crafts, messy games and time to chill out and enjoy the beauty of camp (the field overlooks the beach!!), we hope you’ll develop friendships and make new ones! Our camp usually has a week A and week B in August. We also have a bursary scheme to help with the cost.
https://leeabbeydevon.org.uk/visit/camps/layc/
The Field (For ages 18-30) at Lee Abbey Devon (usually a week in early August, dates for 2022 TBC.)
The Field is many things; a holiday, a Christian community, a chance to pause… it is also stunningly beautiful; framed by rolling wooded hills and our very own beach. The Field is a unique place for anyone aged 18 – 30 to come and be, to explore God’s great love, to meet new people, to be creative, or simply to step out of the busyness of life. For your £165* we will welcome you, cook for you, entertain you, offer you inspiration, peace, rest or a challenge. We will pray for you, laugh with you, and stand beside you. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It is. Camping options: Dorm style in single sex shared tents, up to 6 people per tent (we put up the tent, you bring your bedding) or Pitches, you can pitch your own tent, for just yourself or to share. (Small pitch 1-2 person tents or large pitch 3-6** person tents.
https://leeabbeydevon.org.uk/visit/camps/thefield/
Ventures and Falcons, 100 camps to choose from each year various dates and locations across England & Wales.
Ventures are fun-filled holidays that offer children and young people the opportunity to make great friends, take part in incredible activities and explore life with Jesus. Falcons are subsidised holidays, designed to suit children and young people who may face disadvantage or difficult circumstances in their daily lives.
Taking your youth group on a residential holiday is a fantastic way to strengthen both faith and friendships. Ventures and Falcons provide an easy way for your group to reap the benefits of quality time away. We take the hard work out of organising a residential, so you can focus on the important stuff – helping young people get to know Jesus better, in a deep and fruitful way which goes far beyond the holiday. There are discounts available for new groups, and with around 100 Ventures and Falcons to choose from across England and Wales, we’ll help you find the ideal holiday for your group. https://www.ventures.org.uk/
Conferences for Youth:
Contagious Youth Conference, 3 locations including ScoNo- Barnard Castle School/ Central- Kingham hill school/ West- Pioneer centre & East-Royal hospital school. Dates for 2022 TBC.
Some of my youth at a previous church used to go to Contagious off their own backs as well as our summer camps, this isn’t something you can go to with your group (as they already recruit and train leaders to run it) but you can recommend it for your youth to go to.
All our conferences are fully catered in purpose built centres or boarding schools in comfortable dormitories. Young people enjoy three cooked meals a day and are supervised by our experienced leadership team and all fun activities are included. Contagious MAX is a fabulous week of friendship, fun and great Bible teaching for 14-19 year-olds (those currently in school years 9 – 13 or in Scotland it is S4-19). Contagious Go is for 11-13 year olds. We are pleased to announce plans for a new series of residential weeks for 8-11 year-olds starting in 2021 called Contagious Adventure.
https://contagious.org.uk/conferences/
RockNations by Life Church 5-7 August 2021 at Life Church Bradford. Dates and info for 2022 TBC.
Youth conference with teaching, worship, seminars and after parties. The conference for young people and their leaders to encounter Jesus and change their World. https://www.lifechurchhome.com/conferences/rocknations-youth-conference/
YFC Fierce (for youth girls) by Youth For Christ, usually in May, I think in Birmingham, 2022 TBC.
One day conference event for Christian young women aged 13-18, the idea is that leaders take their girls to it. https://yfc.co.uk/fierce/
Hillsong Conference London, (including Young & Free Youth Stream) 27-29 July 2022 at 02 Arena, London
Christian conference for individuals and church groups with worship & teaching. Join with thousands of other christians to be equipped for a God filled life. https://hillsong.com/conference/london/
Hillsong Colour Conference, for women and girls, 18-19 March 2022 online (Usually at Wembley Arena)
I’ve been to this a few times and loved it, usually they have a youth stream, but last year 2020 was online and the teaching and material was all very youth friendly, it made me wish i’d involved a few of my teenage girls. An empowering Christian conference for women and girls with annointed worship and teaching https://hillsong.com/colour/
Scripture Union Holidays for youth and kids & families, various locations and dates in Summer Holidays.
Various holidays for youth and kids with fun and Christian teaching, you can send youth and kids on these or recommend them to church families. This is a good idea if you only have a small youth or kids group as they would definitely make friends. They also need volunteers to help run the holidays so as a youth leader you could sign up to volunteer on a holiday too. These are great value for kids, youth and families, there are grants available to help cover the cost too. https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/holidays-events
Wildfires (for youth and families) at Wiston Estate, Sussex, 31 May – 2 June 2022
Wildfires, a festival where friends from different streams, churches and communities come together to seek God and fan into flame the next Great Awakening. Wildfires is a three day camping festival at the Wiston Estate, West Sussex, UK. It was launched in 2018 as a joint adventure between 24-7 Prayer, Worship Central, Bible Society, Pioneer, Fusion, Big Church Day Out and Tearfund. There is a kids and youth stream with 2 sessions each day. https://wildfiresfestival.com/need-to-know/about/
Focus by Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) (for youth and families) 28-31 July 2022 at Newark Showground
Focus is for HTB network churches and friends of the network, its a summer festival with worship, teaching and camping. Focus Alive is the youth stream of focus. Focus is a chance for our church network to spend quality time together; to pitch in as a family, sharing food, receiving and praying for one another, and supporting each other as we grow. 2022 will bring a year of gathering after two years apart. With a brand-new site and a fresh programme, you are invited to experience impactful teaching, Big Top worship, friendships for life, and amazing encounters with God. Something extraordinary happens when we get together.
Creation Fest (For youth and families) at Royal Cornwall Events centre, Wadebridge Big Weekend 30 Jul – 1 Aug 2021 9-11am each day, 2022 TBC.
A family Christian camping festival in Cornwall. From a field by the sea to a whole week of fun… it has sure been a ride! But the journey’s not over yet. Come join the fun and be part of our future…
Growing up is an adventure. The Creation Fest Youth programme is specifically designed to help young people discover the extraordinary journey of life and faith. If you are in school years 7 to 13, this is YOUR space! Yep. A whole mini-festival, just for you! A dedicated youth space with morning worship and teaching sessions, plus a great line up of bands, speakers, workshops, activities and late night fun. You’re not going to want to miss this! https://creationfest.org.uk
Big Church Day Out (for youth & families) at Wiston House, Sussex Fri 3 and Sat 4 June 2022
Join with over 30,000 people from across the UK and beyond to worship together for 2 days in the jaw-dropping surroundings of the Wiston Estate, in the company of some of the best Christian artists in the world, with camping. For families, churches and groups. 2022 Line up includes Matt Redman, Casting Crowns, Maverick City, Tauren Wells, Jonathan & Melissa Helser, Travis Greene, Guvna B, We the Kingdom, Lecrae, and Elle Limebear.
https://www.bigchurchdayout.com
Spring Harvest (for youth & families) 3 venues 3 dates Skegness 11-15 April 2022, Minehead 18-22 April 2022, Harrowgate 9-13 April 2022.
A christian takeover of Butlins at Easter with indoor chalet accommodation, teaching and worship with streams for family, kids, youth and adults. There are morning and evening teaching sessions in age groups. The afternoons have seminars or you can use the site facilities and go swimming, visit the beach or just hang out. The youth venues have volunteer teams recruited before the event (i’ve been on the team before) who plan and lead all the youth teaching, if you take a youth group – you just drop them off at their youth venue and meet them afterwards for a chat and a debrief about what they’ve heard. You can also choose to upgrade to a catered option or do self catering accomodation.
New Wine (for families) at Bath & West Showground Somerset, 23-28 July, and 29 July-3 Aug 2022 https://www.new-wine.org
Luminosity Youth by New Wine at Bath & West Showground Somerset, 29 July – 3 August 2022 https://www.weareluminosity.org
Christian camping festival in summer holidays in Somerset. Our 11-18s receive top-quality worship, teaching and ministry all sandwiched between huge 
amounts of fun and laughs. We also host an extensive seminar programme for both young people and youth leaders, which cover a variety of relevant and engaging topics.
At our United summer gathering our 0-11s receive top-quality worship, teaching and ministry – and huge amounts of fun – through dedicated, age-appropriate groups led by some of the best kids’ work practitioners on the planet! In addition to our kids’ groups, we have an under 5s family venue, other fun family activities as well as a stream of seminars for parents/carers on family life. Within the main programme there are specific seminars for those involved in children’s ministry, aimed at encouraging, informing and enabling kids’ workers to raise their ministry to the next level.
Greenbelt Festival (for families or young adults) 26-29 August 2022 at Boughton House, Kettering
Greenbelt is a festival with a Christian ethos open to anyone. I’ve had friends and young people go to this and they loved it, its worth mentioning they were more eco types who were very keen on the issues of inclusion and justice which are championed at the event.
Our festival is an intergenerational celebration inclusive and accepting of all regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, background or belief. Engaged with culture, inspired by the arts, sustained by faith, we aspire to be an open generous community re-imagining the Christian narrative for the present moment. Our mission is to create spaces, like festivals, where art, faith and justice collide. Where artistry and activism, spirituality and politics, faith and justice are held together. This mission is primarily lived out annually, over the August Bank Holiday weekend, when we host a rich multi-arts festival programme of music, visual and performing arts, spirituality, comedy, talks and discussion. The diversity of content not only demonstrates our commitment to the arts, faith and justice, but also our underlying values of tolerance, dialogue and hope. We do all we can to keep the festival as accessible as we can, offering a range of discounted and concession ticket deals as well as giving away some tickets each year (through our Open Festival scheme) to people who otherwise would not be able to afford to go to Greenbelt – or any other festival. And we try to make a difference beyond the festival, through our campaigning activity and through Trust Greenbelt, which gives grants to quirky, entrepreneurial, risky community projects combining arts, faith and justice.
If you know of any other summer camps, festivals or conferences for youth that are open to anyone – let us know we’d be happy to add them to our list.