Our Values

In organizing and implementing our festival, we are guided by our values. These values were developed and established by our area leaders. Feel free to read here about what is important to us.

Responsibility & Leadership

Organizing a festival for over a thousand people requires a high level of professionalism—many of these tasks and roles typically require years of training. We, however, take a different approach: no formal training, no degrees—just passion.

We have the courage to share responsibility, to create space for challenges, and to tackle them together as a team. We strive to remain open to new ideas and concepts while always supporting each other. We firmly believe that with the right team, mentoring, and passion, anyone can take on responsible tasks without being overwhelmed.

Since such deep commitment can sometimes lead to overstepping personal boundaries, we place great importance on treating each other with care and mindfulness. We are convinced that, with God’s help and a whole lot of passion, we can pull off an incredible festival year after year.

Support and Advertising

Homeward is a non-commercial festival and therefore refrains from displaying visible advertising (for other/commercial enterprises) during the event itself and in all publications. The only exception is a designated space for event-related advertising, where promotional materials can be placed independently, for which we assume no responsibility.

The successful realization of the festival relies heavily on the generous time and financial support of many dedicated individuals and companies, for which we are deeply grateful. However, this does not create any entitlement to advertising, as it would be impossible for us to fairly represent each contribution.

That said, in the spirit of supporting, promoting, and connecting our region, we reserve the right to highlight other events and organizations whose goals align with our values. This decision is at the discretion of the organizing team.

Our Motivation

Our faith is at the heart of our content and conceptual direction. With Homeward, we want to create a space that reflects how we believe God envisions human relationships: full of trust and love, cooperative, and shaped by helpfulness and the unconditional value of every being.

In our lives, we trust in God. This trust doesn’t just shape our actions, thoughts, and decisions in private—it also influences our planning and execution of the festival. This is why we come up with seemingly absurd ideas, like budgeting 10% of our income as a donation for charitable organizations or people in need—even before we knew whether we would break even in our first year. Because we believe that God provides for us.

Everyone brings their own ideas and experiences of God, and every relationship with Him is deeply personal. For us, it is more important to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us. We see ourselves as learners, questioners, explorers, and seekers in our relationship with God—continuously growing and discovering.

Do It Yourself

Homeward thrives on the idea that everyone can take an active role. Everyone has the opportunity to be both a participant and a contributor, creating a sense of connection in the process.

By paying attention to the details—whether it’s the big amplifier or the small tea light—each person helps build their own festival. Our love for detail is very important to us, and we aim to create as much as possible ourselves: decorating, repairing, improving, reusing, and co-shaping the space.

Some elements only reveal their true beauty in the darkness, giving Homeward its warm and loving atmosphere.

Not At My Homeward

Racism, homophobia, sexism, vandalism, violence, gossip, judgment, drugs, hearing damage, photos, and camera flash – As is already common in some clubs and at various events, we also want to raise and promote awareness for safe partying, in the spirit of love and tolerance.

Look out for one another and treat each other with respect! Every person here is a wonderful creation of God, regardless of appearance, origin, dance style, behavior, or sexuality! This festival brings together a colorful mix of people from all walks of life. Seek out the beauty in those around you instead of talking about them. Try to see your fellow human beings through the eyes of God, their Creator!

We want everyone to feel free here and to fully embrace their emotions! Please try to do so without relying on drugs. We understand that for some, substances are part of the experience and can be tempting. However, be aware of the risks and the responsibility you have toward yourself and those around you. No one benefits from you losing control of your body and mind through intoxication. Enjoy the atmosphere and the music just as they are!

If you're looking for an intoxicating experience, let yourself be filled with the Holy Spirit! Check out Ephesians 5:18-19 in the Bible—it fits perfectly with our festival! Prayer and worship should not be confined to a silent chamber or a church building; they should be a part of our everyday lives! No one ever said that organ music is a requirement for a heart to overflow with enthusiasm and love, or for consciousness to expand. If a pounding bassline or a synthesizer melody from a distant galaxy has that effect on you, then that’s wonderful! Close your eyes and praise the Lord!

To ensure that everyone can fully immerse themselves in the moment, we ask you to respect privacy. This includes not disturbing people who are relaxing, dancing, or performing with excessive photo and video recordings—especially with flash photography. This is a small, intimate festival, so we won’t tape over anyone’s cameras. We also understand that memories captured in photos can be precious. However, we believe that focusing on the real moment rather than its digital replica contributes to everyone’s relaxation.

For the music to be truly enjoyable, a certain volume level is necessary. However, your physical health is important to us! If you need a break for your ears, or want to prevent lasting damage, feel free to grab some free earplugs from us!

If, despite all these efforts for a safe and welcoming atmosphere, you ever feel uncomfortable or harassed, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our awareness team, any bar staff, or security personnel. Openness and discretion are guaranteed! Let’s all look out for one another!

We donate 10% of our revenue.

In recent years, we have repeatedly been inspired by the saying: "Those who have too much of everything don’t need higher fences, but longer tables." This statement also reflects an important value in how we handle money at Homeward.

We want to see ourselves as richly blessed. Of course, we have to honestly admit that as a team, our knees have sometimes shaken when facing the large sums of money needed for Homeward. And yet, we believe in a God who owns everything and has promised to always provide us with what we need.

That is why we have decided to generously share and give away much of the good that we have received. It is incredible to see how many helping hands, organizations, bands, DJs, and DJanes have joined us in this spirit of giving. Last year, this included: flowers, working hours, discounts, solidarity-based entry fees, talents, machinery, vehicles, listening ears, firewood, and much more.

Concretely, this means for us:

Offering festival entry on a solidarity-based system. This means that all festival visitors can pay the recommended amount, but they don’t have to.
Donating 10% of the festival’s revenue to people, organizations, and committed individuals who currently don’t have money to spare.
Once again trusting that many people will support our dream of the festival and that, together with all festival staff, we will be able to gift approximately €100,000 worth of volunteer working hours to our visitors.