After successful involvement together as Advance joining in with Wildfires 2022, 2023 and 2024, we are joining Wildfires again in 2025, to be inspired, to connect together and play our part with other UK churches in ‘contending for the next great awakening’.
Wildfires is working really well for S&L Advance churches and people, to help us build identity and unity for what God is doing among us as a family of churches. We will have our own ‘village’ (camping area and marquee, see images below) and will plan a programme of village events, to complement the wider programme, including inspiring worship and teaching, with provision for all ages.
This new timing, at the start of the summer holiday, is our ‘traditional’ S&L UK / S&L Advance slot, so we’re expectant that this weekend will be even more popular for Advance people, and so are talking with the organisers about a larger Advance village next year.
Youth may arrange to attend with their own family, or another family as agreed with their parents. The Advance youth team will be around onsite too, and will plan some activities for Advance youth.
We want to be contributors not just consumers. Last year we led the Site Team and had some people stewarding or on childrens’ and the accessibility teams. This year we would love to have more of our members volunteering in different ways!
Volunteers bookings are open here: wildfiresfestival.com/volunteer/ .
Booking
Important: Please look out for the “Salt & Light” options when you book. If you book as a general camper and then move to our village on arrival, we don’t get allocated enough space to host you well! (If your specific church isn’t listed please type it under ‘Other’)
Volunteer bookings will open later in the autumn. Wildfires are working on some enhances to the whole process, and if someone booked (and paid) now and subsequently decided to volunteer they would refund your ticket.
FAQs
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Please email wildfires@advancechurches.uk and Rach Gallant will advise you, and can liaise with the Wildfires booking team if necessary.
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Yes! If you want to camp next to other friends on the Advance village, just email wildfires@advancechurches.uk and we will do our best, when arranging the pitches, to include your request alongside other constraints (e.g. requirement for accessibility or electrical hookup)
Can I camp with friends from non-Advance churches? Yes, but they will need to book as part of the Advance group when they book.
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If you have specific needs for a member of your party, such as special needs that we should be aware of; you need an electrical hookup for medical devices; you need to be close to a path, or a toilet - please email wildfires@advancechurches.uk
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Wildfires is very like our own previous summer camps, with worship, teaching, prayer and children and youth activities. Some details of camping are different. The site is entirely car-free, for safety reasons.
People booked in with Salt & Light Advance will camp together in a 'village' area, within which we will have a 'village hub' (marquee).
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We last camped together as S&L Advance in summer 2019 for ‘Supernatural Advance’. We love gathering together in this way, in a festival/camping environment, to allow us to connect relationally, to worship God together and to be transformed by the Holy Spirit.
However, with all the uncertainties of the pandemic and rising costs, it has become clear than running our own event is not possible at a level of provision and price that works.
After attending Wildfires 2022, 2023 and 2024, seeing that it had been a great success, with many personal testimonies and an overflow of spiritual life into our churches, the Advance Team have decided to develop the connection with the Wildfires event and make it our summer event.
For other events, run more directly by us, including Thrive, celebrations and leaders' events, please visit events
Resources for churches
Click here for the 2025 comms package (videos and slides) from Wildfires.
Download our (Advance at Wildfires 2025) video here.
Wildfires’ own 2025 promo is at youtu.be/DGsmjObTsGY