Thousands ring in 2012 at Winterfest

Liberty University ushered in the new year at its 11th annual music festival, Winterfest 2011, on Dec. 30-31,with more than 6,000 middle school, high school and college students in attendance.

Some of the biggest bands in Christian music today performed in the Vines Center, including Skillet, Switchfoot, Tenth Avenue North and Family Force Five, along with speakers Bob Lenz, Matt Pitt, and Liberty’s campus pastor, Clayton King.

“Hundreds of people gave their lives to Christ at Winterfest. The Gospel never gets old. It still works,” King posted on Twitter after preaching a salvation message.

McKenzie Brooks, a seventh-grader from North Carolina, attended the event with her older sister, who is a junior at Liberty. She said her experience at Winterfest was a fun way to kick off 2012 and explore what the university has to offer.

“Winterfest was great. I loved the bands that came this year,” Brooks said. “Liberty has an exciting campus and makes me feel safe. I would love to go to go there one day and play soccer.”

During the weekend, participants were granted full access to campus recreational facilities, including skiing, snowboarding, and tubing at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, ice skating at LaHaye Ice Center, and basketball, indoor rock climbing, swimming and indoor soccer.