About New Horizon
New Horizon is a seven day Christian festival that takes place every year on the Ulster University campus in Coleraine, set on the picturesque north coast of Northern Ireland. It exists to provide a space and time in which thousands of people of all ages can be taught from the bible, be inspired through worship and story, develop a missional heart, and engage with relevant and challenging issues. The event has been running in NI since 1989 and we are very much looking forward to seeing and hearing what God has in store for us in the years and decades to come.
People of all ages attend a multi-faceted programme of events. New Horizon does not attach an up-front cost to the adult events as we seek to be as accessible to as many people as possible. We rely solely on the generosity of all who give through gifts and offerings and draw in people from a wide variety of church backgrounds. This is a tremendous gift to us and one we seek to honour. Although clearly evangelical our gathering is populated by those who are reformed, charismatic, those who may not know (or want to know) the difference, and some who are a bit of both! We have those who come from churches and backgrounds that permit women to engage in full leadership and those who don’t. We have those who prefer traditional expressions of worship and those who want to press into the worshipping expressions of tomorrow. We have those who go for full immersion and those who wet the baby’s head! This has been reflected across the years, and continues to be expressed, across our various planning committees, stage hosts, invited speakers, worship leaders, and the army of helpers who pull the whole event together. We are members of the Evangelical Alliance and agree with their Basis of Faith and abide by the Evangelical Relationships Commitment.
The event normally starts on the first Saturday in August and runs until the following Friday. It’s non-residential – so apart from pre-registration for the Children/Youth programme you can just turn up. Each year we build a ‘tented village’ on the edge of the university campus with a ‘Main Tent’ that seats 3,000 people.
The Evening Celebrations start at 19:30 (Sat-Fri) and the morning Bible Teaching starts at 10:00 (Mon-Fri), both in the New Horizon Main Tent. From 11:45 -12:45 a number of NH Explore seminars take place in various locations in the tented village.
There’s no charge for attending the events in the main tent or the daily seminar programme. New Horizon is supported by the generosity of freewill offerings from those who attend the event.
Our desire is that New Horizon isn’t just an event that people attend, but something they are part of. We’re grateful for the many people who give freely of their time and abilities to ensure the smooth running of the event. Each year we have approximately 400 volunteers carrying out all sorts of duties from stewarding, managing health and safety, site preparation before and after the event, administration, planning teams, the board, management team, youth and children’s work, hospitality, prayer and counselling, and many others.
A part-time office serves as a vital hub ensuring that all the varied parts of the event work efficiently and effectively, bringing together the actual week of the conference. The office manages all publicity, communications, promotional activity, website and design work as well as dealing with frequent queries and questions from attendees.
Hope to see you at New Horizon. We would be delighted if you would join with us by volunteering, giving financially or praying for New Horizon so that this event can continue to play its part in the extension of God’s Kingdom.