Finding a venue for Christcore Fest was nothing like we thought it was going to be. Here’s what the search actually looked like, and how we landed on Wilson Logistics Arena in Springfield, Missouri.

Our Non-Negotiables

Before we started reaching out to venues, we knew a few things had to be true no matter what.

The venue had to understand hardcore and metal culture. There’s been enough bad press around venues mishandling this scene that it mattered to us going in, especially around security. Mosh pits require a specific kind of awareness. We’ve seen too many venues handle crowd safety poorly and let people get hurt as a result.

It also had to be indoors. Missouri weather in April is unpredictable enough that we didn’t want to build contingency plans around rain or wind or heat. Indoors meant we could control the environment entirely and stop worrying about the weather altogether.

And the artists had to be looked after. That’s something we’ve talked about before, and it shaped this search as much as anything else. In this scene, it can feel like unless a band is playing arena-level shows, nobody’s fighting to take care of them. Our goal is to give everyone the VIP treatment. We wanted green rooms, showers, and a space where artists could actually decompress before and after they played, not just a stage and a exit.

The Search Itself

We started by reaching out to venues in the 800 to 1,200 capacity range. The pattern was almost identical every time. Whoever answered first was interested, even enthusiastic, and then the actual decision makers either went silent or turned short and dismissive. One venue took its time responding, then barely read the email before writing back with something rude. Another quoted us a price close to what we’re now paying for an entire arena. This place had a room that wouldn’t have held a quarter of our crowd. Plus they wanted to charge a ton more with extra fees.

Looking back, a lot of that felt like doors closing on purpose. We had built a plan that was sensible on paper. The largest show John had promoted before this was somewhere around 900 people. So this was the original plan. But God was calling us to bigger. He made this clear over and over again.

The Venue We Almost Ignored

At our most discouraged point, we sent a wave of blanket emails to venues, more than we could really keep track of. One venue wrote back saying the date was open. Our first reaction was that it had to be too big for what we needed, so we let the email sit for almost a month before finally following up.

When we finally went to see it, we sat in the car outside for a minute first. It was an arena, and it was a lot bigger than anything we had pictured. We prayed for peace if it was the right venue, and for clear direction if it wasn’t. Then we walked in.

It was immediately obvious this was the place. We could already see where vendors would go, where the stage would sit, where the crowd would move. We hadn’t even reached the green rooms yet and we already knew.

The Small Details That Mattered

One thing we cared about from the start was making sure vendors weren’t tucked away in a back corner. We wanted them front and center, visible and easy for people to actually stop and talk to. Small businesses deserve that kind of visibility, not an afterthought spot nobody walks past.

The green room situation came together in a way that still feels almost too easy. We found a bathroom right next to a green room with a lockable door, exactly what we needed to make sure the women coming to play or work the festival would have a space they felt safe and comfortable in. Small details like that, stocking the bathrooms, stocking the green rooms with snacks and things that make a long day easier, are the parts we’re genuinely excited about.

Navigating Two Very Different Event Cultures

One thing that caught us off guard through this whole process was how differently events work in the US compared to the UK. In England, a venue deposit typically covers the bar, security, and insurance as part of one package. In the US, that’s rarely the case, and a lot of festivals post no crowd surfing or no moshing rules that everyone knows won’t actually be enforced. It’s there for insurance purposes, so if someone gets hurt, the venue has something in writing.

Wilson Logistics Arena has been the exception in the best way. They’re handling concessions, janitorial support, and a lot of the setup and teardown logistics we hadn’t accounted for early on. We’re still bringing in volunteers and hiring some staff closer to the date, but a lot of the smaller logistical worries that used to keep us up at night are already covered.

Insurance alone has been its own project: separate coverage for the building, for attendees, and for band members, on top of coordinating with the fire marshal once the layout is finalized. It’s a lot to manage, but having a venue that’s walked us through each piece has made a genuinely overwhelming process feel manageable.

Why We Believe This Was God’s Doing

At the end of the day, we believe God gave us this venue. What stood out most wasn’t just the space itself, but how much was already in place: the green rooms, the layout for a production room, concessions already built in, no need to bring in outside infrastructure for something that would normally require it. Piece by piece, things that should have been complicated turned out to already be handled.

You can see more of the space in the venue walkthrough we shared on Instagram, or check out the full lineup and FAQ for everything else we’ve locked in so far.

Advice for Anyone Planning Their Own Festival

If you’re in the middle of your own venue search, know what you actually need before you walk in, and figure out whether the venue can meet those needs directly or whether you’ll need to bring in outside help to cover the gaps. We ended up bringing in an external production team since the arena didn’t have one in-house, which meant adjusting our original plan of finding a venue that already had a stage and equipment ready to go.

Flexibility matters more than having every detail nailed down in advance. Write your questions down before you tour a venue, even the ones that feel small or obvious, because it’s much easier to ask them in person than to chase down answers over email afterward. And talk to people who’ve actually done this before, people who’ve built stages, run festivals, handled the parts you don’t know you don’t know yet.

Stay in the Loop

We’re documenting this whole process as it happens. Get on the email list for early access to updates, band announcements before they go public, and behind the scenes details you won’t find anywhere else.

And if you want to rep the festival before the weekend even arrives, check out the merch shop for shirts and stickers made for people who don’t water down their faith or their playlist.