If you find yourself in the Garden State this weekend, consider checking out a Catholic music festival that will feature more than 15 Catholic artists from around the country.

The second-annual “Catholicpalooza” will be held July 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Williams Center in Rutherford, New Jersey. 

“Our mission is to provide Catholics with a good environment to experience holy recreation,” said Adam Stynchula, the creative director of Catholicpalooza. “It’s a non-liturgical concert event to help promote Catholic musicians that make original music from an array of genres.”

Stynchula, a musical artist himself known as “Wafers 3D,” said the festival is not a praise-and-worship concert, but rather gives a platform to Catholic artists, many of whom will be performing for the first time on Saturday.

Catholicpalooza began when the post-punk Catholic artist “Hallowed” first had the idea in November 2022.

“All the best art used to be made by Catholics, and the Church had a role in sponsoring that,” said the artist, whose first name is Daniel. “You can’t win the culture war if you don’t have good culture, and this is an awesome way to showcase Catholics who make music.” 

The first Catholicpalooza was in Richmond, Virginia, in July 2023. Originally planning on a smaller festival, Daniel and Stynchula found more artists than they expected who wanted to perform. When attendees flocked in from around the country, Stynchula said he realized many Catholics wanted an event like Catholicpalooza, and he desired to see if the Lord was calling him to continue pursuing it.

“I’ve learned in this past year to completely rely on the grace of God to carry you forward,” he said. “I really want Catholics to come together and find a mini oasis from all the craziness of the world — obviously, the true escape is Our Lord in adoration and the sacraments — but people need rest.”

Stynchula said Catholicpalooza gives exposure to performers in a Catholic space without having to compromise their values.

“People, because they’re artists, think it’s okay to be heterodox, but, no, it’s even more important to be orthodox when you’re a Catholic musician,” Daniel said. “We need more Catholic musicians making more Catholic art because it brings Catholics together and gives them something to bond over.”

Stynchula described the atmosphere of Catholicpalooza as “halfway between parish festival and Coachella,” with an emphasis on temperance and modesty. 

The lineup will include performances from Wafers 3D, Hallowed, social-media influencer Franco Aurelio, hermit Father Maximilian Mary Dean, rapper E-Knock, rock band Dear Other, and many more. Attendees will hear genres ranging from Latin to ’80s Synth-pop to indie at the festival, according to Stynchula.

Students for Life, Catholic artists and small businesses, and the Italian Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Newark will be vendors at the festival. 

Stynchula said Catholicpalooza is for those who enjoy music and having a beer with friends, activities that can be enjoyed in a Catholic context and provide an opportunity to evangelize. 

“It’s not boring to be a Catholic,” Stynchula said. “Being Catholic is being fully alive and being reintegrated with heaven and earth, and that’s what we’re providing.”