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What is the Best Way to Enjoy FireFest? |
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1. Register Online
FireFest NW is free! When you register online, it helps us plan ahead for food and activities. While tent camping is free, RV Parking 2 nights with electrical is $50 (plus$5.20 fee for total $55.20). This is especially important if you are bringing an RV and plan to hook it up, as hook-ups are limited. Start right and register online now!
2. Choose Your Lodging
If you would rather not camp on the festival fairgrounds, here are other lodging options to consider.
- Area Camping - There are many state parks in the Columbia Gorge.
- Stay Home and Drive In - If you live close enough, this is a fine option.
- Motels - Check both sides of the Columbia River.
- Luxury - Ready to be totally pampered at the Skamania Lodge? And so close to FireFest! ($$$)
- Airbnb, Vrbo - These tend to be pricey, but they look really cushy, too! ($$$)
- Maybe camping on the fairgrounds is actually a great idea after all!
- Area Camping - There are many state parks in the Columbia Gorge.
- Stay Home and Drive In - If you live close enough, this is a fine option.
- Motels - Check both sides of the Columbia River.
- Luxury - Ready to be totally pampered at the Skamania Lodge? And so close to FireFest! ($$$)
- Airbnb, Vrbo - These tend to be pricey, but they look really cushy, too! ($$$)
- Maybe camping on the fairgrounds is actually a great idea after all!
3. Traveling to FireFest
FireFest NW is held at the Skamania Fairgrounds in Stevenson, Washington, 710 SW Rock Creek Drive. If you are coming from the Oregon side, then you must cross a bridge to get here. There is a toll bridge in Cascade Locks, Oregon; they accept cash or credit card. From Portland, this is the fastest travel under any conditions. The other option is to cross for free from Portland to Vancouver on either I-5 or I-205 and then follow Washington SR14 east to Stevenson; there is no bridge toll to pay, but crossing either bridge across the Columbia River can entail extremely heavy congestion in the afternoon and into rush hour on weekdays. For detailed directions and maps on the About page, presss the button below.
4. What to Bring
Check the weather forecast before packing clothes. Labor Day in Stevenson tends to be warm and sunny, so bring adequate sun protection, including sunscreen, hat/cap, sunglasses, light long-sleeve tops and other weather-appropriate clothing. Consider bringing swim wear! One year, we had incessant rains and moved all our musicians indoors, but this was by far the exception; it never hurts to have an umbrella handy (except for those Oregonians among us who are not sure what umbrellas are even for). By all means, have an adequate supply of your required medications and daily supplements on hand.
Other suggested items: flashlight, bug repellent, Bible, pen, notebook, journal, good book to read, ear plugs (or even hearing protection ear muffs), camera, binoculars, kite, Frisbee, bicycle, kayak. A few of our bands and musical artists will make this a must-have... Bring your dancing shoes!
Other suggested items: flashlight, bug repellent, Bible, pen, notebook, journal, good book to read, ear plugs (or even hearing protection ear muffs), camera, binoculars, kite, Frisbee, bicycle, kayak. A few of our bands and musical artists will make this a must-have... Bring your dancing shoes!
5. Our Community Meals
Everyday for breakfast, we put out basics such as bagels and fruit. This is a self-serve meal and some people bring their own breakfast if they want a more substantial meal. We always offer coffee, tea, and water 24/7. On Friday night, we will all share a special Shabbat kosher dinner together. Saturday and Sunday, we will serve a full lunch and dinner to everyone. After dinner, we often have snacks available, such as popcorn, cookies, or chips. Regarding liquids, some carry a water bottle or similar container around so that they can sip water all day long. Especially when it is warm, it is paramount for you to stay hydrated! We do not allow alcoholic beverages at this festival.
If you have special dietary needs including food allergies, please let our kitchen staff know when you arrive. While we are generally unable to provide you with substitute foods, it is still important that we know of your needs and it will help us to properly label the food that we do offer: gluten-free, sugar-free, etc. You are best off to bring supplementary food so that beyond what we offer that you are safe to eat, you will be adequately fed! There is a small market in Stevenson from which you can purchase food.
Even without any special dietary needs or restrictions, we recommend that you bring some nutritious snack foods of your own to enjoy all throughout your time here. For example: nuts, dried fruit, bananas, granola or protein bars, trail mix, jerky, smoked salmon, popcorn, air-popped or veggie chips, vegetable or apple slices with peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, string cheese. Some of these items normally require a cooler with ice to stay fresh. Note: take caution on items containing chocolate knowing that the hot weather here in the Gorge is likely to melt the chocolate!
If you have special dietary needs including food allergies, please let our kitchen staff know when you arrive. While we are generally unable to provide you with substitute foods, it is still important that we know of your needs and it will help us to properly label the food that we do offer: gluten-free, sugar-free, etc. You are best off to bring supplementary food so that beyond what we offer that you are safe to eat, you will be adequately fed! There is a small market in Stevenson from which you can purchase food.
Even without any special dietary needs or restrictions, we recommend that you bring some nutritious snack foods of your own to enjoy all throughout your time here. For example: nuts, dried fruit, bananas, granola or protein bars, trail mix, jerky, smoked salmon, popcorn, air-popped or veggie chips, vegetable or apple slices with peanut butter, hard boiled eggs, string cheese. Some of these items normally require a cooler with ice to stay fresh. Note: take caution on items containing chocolate knowing that the hot weather here in the Gorge is likely to melt the chocolate!
6. Taking In the Music
FireFest NW is about Christian music and fellowship. If you really wanted, you could end up taking in 30 or more bands over the whole weekend. Some of this music will sound familiar to you. Some of it will not only be new to your ears, but perhaps not at all to your liking (to put it mildly). You are under no obligation to subject yourself to music that makes you feel uncomfortable. These fairgrounds are large enough that you can always find a place to wait out until the next time slot of a band or music genre that you do want to hear.
On the other hand, what if you were to allow yourself to be exposed to music that you are unfamiliar with? Just remind yourself that this is a brother or sister in Christ who genuinely loves the Lord Jesus and is doing their best to express their Christian faith through their music. You might be surprised to find a new musical and even spiritual experience that has the power to enhance your relationship with God, not bring it down or taint it. You will not know until you try, but again, you are under no obligation to go there against your will.
One effective way of bridging into what might seem to you like unknown musical territory is to simply strike up a conversation with a musician from a band which seems questionable to you... AFTER they have played their set. Who knows what God can do with that? For some of us who have been around this non-mainstream Christian music scene a long time, this kind of interaction has inevitably led to lifelong friendships and an appreciation of music by which we understand that God can work through absolutely anything for His glory, even things which some might deem to be "the devil's music"! It was not so long ago that some of us heard this negative label being applied to new, up and coming Christian music, and now today, we routinely hear this same music in our churches and on the radio.
Besides learning to appreciate the diverse music that these bands and musical artists bring us, we have the unique opportunity to support them by buying their merch. With many of them, the few minutes following their musical performance may be the only chance you have to purchase their stuff since few of them operate commercially, and some hit the road shortly after they have played. If you loved their music, show them love and buy their merch.
On the other hand, what if you were to allow yourself to be exposed to music that you are unfamiliar with? Just remind yourself that this is a brother or sister in Christ who genuinely loves the Lord Jesus and is doing their best to express their Christian faith through their music. You might be surprised to find a new musical and even spiritual experience that has the power to enhance your relationship with God, not bring it down or taint it. You will not know until you try, but again, you are under no obligation to go there against your will.
One effective way of bridging into what might seem to you like unknown musical territory is to simply strike up a conversation with a musician from a band which seems questionable to you... AFTER they have played their set. Who knows what God can do with that? For some of us who have been around this non-mainstream Christian music scene a long time, this kind of interaction has inevitably led to lifelong friendships and an appreciation of music by which we understand that God can work through absolutely anything for His glory, even things which some might deem to be "the devil's music"! It was not so long ago that some of us heard this negative label being applied to new, up and coming Christian music, and now today, we routinely hear this same music in our churches and on the radio.
Besides learning to appreciate the diverse music that these bands and musical artists bring us, we have the unique opportunity to support them by buying their merch. With many of them, the few minutes following their musical performance may be the only chance you have to purchase their stuff since few of them operate commercially, and some hit the road shortly after they have played. If you loved their music, show them love and buy their merch.
7. Not Just Music!
You are not limited to just listening to music at FireFest. Here you are in the Columbia Gorge, one of the most beautiful and special places in the entire country! Click on the button below to read about other possibilities that you have available to you. Some of these are essentially free, but most have some cost to them. We do recommend that if you are camped here and are planning to leave the fairgrounds to enjoy one of these activities, please let others know so that we can anticipate your safe return. We are watching out for one another!