In my city of Toowoomba there is an annual festival celebrating the true meaning of Easter. As a Toowoomba Christian I am very proud of Easterfest. I love that at Easter, the most important event in the Christian calendar, our city is literally pumping out good vibes and there are people everywhere singing and talking about Jesus. Literally, there is music everywhere you go. And not only is there music, but the shops are overflowing with happy customers, (the shops are within walking distance of the festival), as are the nearby restaurants and cafes which are a perfect place to relax especially since most have live music over the weekend. There are free events everywhere.

However all the best action happens within the ticketed area in Queens Park from April 18-20. Once again, it’s not just about music, but music there is plenty of, in every possible genre you could imagine from Heavy Metal – not my thing at all, but The Accountant doesn’t mind his music heavy on occasion – to Easter Jazz – it’s new this year, and totally my thing! There’s plenty of rock music but also worship music, punk and soul and even music to bush dance to! (I believe there will be a bush dancing world record attempt…)

But like I said, it’s not just about music. There are show rides, a sports zone, live streaming, dancing and more traditional Christian elements such as church services on Easter Sunday and the Stations of the Cross.

Most importantly for families there is a kids zone. The Kids World is fenced in, so there’s less chance of wee ones escaping and there is sand to play in, singing, games and craft amongst other things. We go to Easterfest regularly, but we haven’t been since the triplets were born. Not just because it’s a bit daunting taking them out in crowds, but also because The Accountant grew up leaving the city at Eastertime and he still likes to escape to the beach some years. I do like to support Easterfest though. Even though the tickets aren’t cheap they really are good value. For those of us who are Toowoomba locals, it’s also about supporting the cause, although the kickbacks for supporting the cause are pretty impressive! If you really enjoy Christian music and live out of town, it’s well worth the visit. If you want to save money, there’s even a camping option on the site! (For those who are happier campers than I am!) I should note that a lot of people who just enjoy music and aren’t in on the Christian music scene come along and enjoy it and are pleasantly surprised!

The last time we took the kids, they loved the kids area. Especially the giant sandpit. Luckily there are plenty of chairs to sit and supervise the kids and even a coffee stand nearby for those coffee addicts. (I’m a tea kind of girl, but The Accountant will make full use of the coffee stand!) I do warn you, it can get a bit boring sitting and watching the kids play in sand when you can feel the great vibe pumping all around. Mind you, I had found out the day before that I was expecting triplets, so I spent a lot of the time sitting wondering how on earth I would survive. However in the moments I wasn’t panicking about living with triplets, we found the perfect solution was to join up with other families and rotate the parents who remain on playground duty while the other parents race out and take advantage of the other festival excitement. I will be studying up the schedule before we go this year so that I know exactly the times I want to escape Kids World. My friends BBeingCool and The Crafty Mummy are going to be around so I might work out which are good girly gigs to watch and which would be good ones to see with hubby. Mind you, I expect we may have some timetabling clashes, so we might have to do paper scissors rock to determine who gets to see some of the acts.

I have to admit, I’m not up to date with all the artists, (I listen to far too much Colin Buchanan and The Wiggles around here), but top of my list at this stage is Jimmy Needham, Jars of Clay, Alabaster Box and The Idea of North. Oh, and Dami Im. I loved her on The X Factor last year, she just seemed so nice and whoa, killer voice! I might do a bit of research and get more familiar with some of the other artists, so this list may change. Hello iTunes!

Now, here is the really exciting news! I have a family pass to giveaway to my readers! Yes, that’s right, you can jump up and down a squeal if you like! (Or at least get your kids to do that for you!)

You just need to leave a comment below answering the question below. (I’d also love it if you would “like” Easterfest and Caitlin’s Happy Heart pages.)

If you would like more chances to win, head over to BBeingCool and The Crafty Mummy and enter their competitions. They also will each be giving away an Easterfest family ticket. Yes! You actually have three chances to win!

The Fine Print:

• Only one entry per family.
• This is a game of skill, not chance. You must answer the question for a valid entry. Judging will be on creativity and originality.
• The prize is a 3-Day Pass for a Family of 4 as described on the Easterfest Tickets page: http://easterfest.com/tickets/prices/
• The ticket covers entry to the festival only. The winner is responsible for their own transport, meals and accommodation.
• You must leave a valid email address for a valid entry.
• Only open to Australian residents – apologies to my overseas readers. 
• Entries open with this post on Friday 29th March 2014 and close on Friday 11th April 2014 at 8pm Brisbane time.
• The winner will be chosen by an Easterfest representative from the valid entries and contacted via email as soon as possible after choosing. Names will be removed from entries so that they are anonymous for the judge to choose.
• If the winner does not reply within 48 hours of the email being sent, a new winner will be selected.
• The tickets will be sent via email to the winner from the Easterfest team. I can’t take responsibility for any issues in the delivery process. 

*Disclosure: My family has been gifted a family pass to attend Easterfest this year. I really do fully support Easterfest and of course all thoughts and opinions I have written above are my own.