Summer Madness
Summer Madness is a Northern Ireland registered charity that runs the longest-running Christian youth festival on the island of Ireland, an annual multi-day event serving young people, youth groups, and church leaders from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland since 1987.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersBelfast, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Summer Madness does
Summer Madness is a Northern Ireland-based registered charity and private limited company (Summer Madness NI Ltd, NIC 104975 / NI055719) that operates what it describes as the longest-running Christian youth festival on the island of Ireland, running annually since 1987 under a Church of Ireland founding initiative. Its core product is a multi-day annual festival (typically Friday evening through Tuesday midday) featuring mainstage worship and teaching, program activities, and four on-site trading areas — a coffee shop operated by Fringe Coffee, a bookshop operated by Faith Mission, an exhibitors tent, and a food village. The festival serves young people, youth groups, and church leaders from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and is supported by a heavy volunteer model (14,500 hours of voluntary input annually, equivalent to more than seven full-time posts).
The organization's technology stack is built entirely on standard third-party SaaS tools — Google Drive for storage, Mailchimp/Mailerlite for email, Filemaker for web applications, Sage/SagePay for accounting and payroll, PayPal for payments, and a dedicated SM App (built on the madapps.uk platform) for programme and volunteer engagement. There is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, and no integrations beyond these commodity services.
Summer Madness operates a hybrid nonprofit revenue model. Income is drawn from donations and standing orders (with Gift Aid), grants from a small set of identified trusts and a local council (Mid and East Antrim Council, Ardbarron Trust, TBF Thompson Trust, Herd Trust, and the Church of Ireland Priorities Fund), and trading income from pitch fees and commercial activity in the coffee shop, bookshop, exhibitors tent, and food village. The organization has only two paid staff — full-time Founder/CEO John Kee (retiring end of December 2026) and part-time administrator Anne Shields — and is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Rev Barry Forde. Distribution is event-driven and geographic, anchored on the annual festival with digital channels (Facebook, Instagram, X, Substack newsletter, and the SM App) used for awareness, volunteer recruitment, and community engagement.
Summer Madness firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Summer Madness
- Legal name
- Summer Madness NI Ltd
- Website
- https://summermadness.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Summer Madness is a Northern Ireland registered charity that runs the longest-running Christian youth festival on the island of Ireland, an annual multi-day event serving young people, youth groups, and church leaders from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland since 1987.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Summer Madness industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Religious and Faith-Based Event Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive) (EDAMALAJ), Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB)
Keywords
Where Summer Madness is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belfast
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Summer Madness business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Festival Trading Operations: The festival operates four main trading areas during the event: Coffee Shop (operated by Fringe Coffee), Bookshop (partnered with Faith Mission), Exhibitors Tent (selling merchandise and services), and Food Village (food vendors). These generate revenue from trader pitch fees and commercial activity during the festival weekend.
- Donations and Charitable Giving: Relies on donations from individuals, trusts, and grants. Accepts standing orders and one-off bank transfers. Supports Gift Aid for UK taxpayers. Receives funding from Mid and East Antrim Council Events Funding, Ardbarron Trust, TBF Thompson Trust, Herd Trust, and Priorities Fund (C of I).
- Volunteer Staffing: Recruits volunteers through its staffing portal who provide practical support for the festival. No direct revenue but enables the event delivery.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Summer Madness product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Summer Madness is an annual multi-day Christian youth festival held in Northern Ireland that brings together young people from across the island of Ireland to celebrate, connect, and explore the meaning of faith in their culture and community. The event features mainstage worship and speakers, an exhibitors tent, coffee shop, bookshop, and food village, and is supported by the SM App and a large volunteer network. The organization operates as a registered charity and limited company, relying on donations, grants, and trader pitch fees to fund the event.
Product overview
Summer Madness is an annual youth festival organization based in Northern Ireland that brings together young people from across the island of Ireland for a faith-based celebration. The organization operates as a registered charity (NIC104975) and limited company (NI055719). Their core offering is the annual Summer Madness Festival event, which runs for approximately 5 days and includes mainstage worship and speakers, program activities, and trading operations including a coffee shop, bookshop, exhibitors tent, and food village. They also operate an SM App for festival participation and engagement. The organization relies heavily on volunteers and offers various ways for people to get involved including volunteering, prayer support, and financial donations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Summer Madness Annual Festival
- SM App
- Madness Coffee Shop
- Madness Bookshop
Companies that use Summer Madness
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Summer Madness technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Summer Madness partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Church of IrelandcoreThe festival originated as an initiative of the Church of Ireland beginning in 1987. It has since grown to include participation from across denominations but maintains its Church of Ireland heritage and roots.
- Faith MissioncoreFaith Mission operates the Madness Bookshop in an annex off the main Exhibitors Tent during the festival. This is a long-standing partnership providing Christian literature and resources to festival attendees.
- Fringe CoffeecoreFringe Coffee currently operates the Madness Coffee Shop located in the Exhibitors Tent during the festival. Provides coffee and refreshments to festival visitors.
- Mid and East Antrim CouncilminorProvides Events Funding to support the Summer Madness Festival. Acknowledged as a key supporter in the acknowledgments section.
- Ardbarron TrustminorProvides funding support to the festival. Listed among key donors and grant providers.
- TBF Thompson TrustminorProvides funding support to the festival. Listed among key donors and grant providers.
- Herd TrustminorProvides funding support to the festival. Listed among key donors and grant providers.
- Priorities Fund (Church of Ireland)minorProvides funding support to the festival through Church of Ireland Priorities Fund. Listed among key donors and grant providers.
- Cyril Johnston CentreminorThe Cyril Johnston Centre on Ballynahinch Road in Carryduff serves as the registered office address for Summer Madness.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Summer Madness competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New Wine: UK network of Christian conferences and church-planting events with significant family and youth programming. Comparable as a UK/Ireland faith-event organization running multi-day worship and teaching gatherings.
- Keswick Ministries (Keswick Convention): Long-running UK Christian convention in the Lake District delivering multi-day Bible teaching, worship, and community programming. Comparable in longevity, faith-based event model, and UK Christian audience.
- Creation Fest: Christian music and outreach festival held in Cornwall, UK, with mainstage worship and youth-oriented programming. Comparable in festival structure, Christian mission, and UK-based worship-led event delivery.
- Big Church Festival: UK Christian music and worship festival featuring mainstage performances, teaching, and family programming. Comparable in festival format, worship-led programming, and UK Christian audience.
- Festi: UK Christian festival gathering worship, teaching, and family activities in a multi-day summer format. Comparable as a Christian-led multi-day festival with similar audience and programming mix.
- Spring Harvest: UK-based Christian ministry running multi-day festivals and conferences with worship, teaching, and family programming. Most directly comparable to Summer Madness in mission, audience, and annual multi-day event format.
Others
- Youth for Christ UK & Ireland: Christian youth mission organization working across the UK and Ireland with schools, churches, and events. Adjacent peer sharing the same Christian-youth mission space but operating a year-round missional model rather than an annual festival.
- Scripture Union: UK and Ireland Christian charity focused on children and young people's ministry, including school work, holidays, and mission. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — operates youth-focused faith programming rather than a single annual festival.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Summer Madness social profiles
Digital presenceSummer Madness financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Summer Madness leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Summer Madness funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Summer Madness M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Summer Madness
What does Summer Madness do?
Summer Madness is an annual multi-day Christian youth festival held in Northern Ireland that brings together young people from across the island of Ireland to celebrate, connect, and explore the meaning of faith in their culture and community. The event features mainstage worship and speakers, an exhibitors tent, coffee shop, bookshop, and food village, and is supported by the SM App and a large volunteer network. The organization operates as a registered charity and limited company, relying on donations, grants, and trader pitch fees to fund the event.
Is Summer Madness a public or private company?
Summer Madness is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Summer Madness founded?
Summer Madness was founded in 1987. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Summer Madness based?
Summer Madness is headquartered in Belfast, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Summer Madness make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Festival Trading Operations are the primary driver. The others are donations and Charitable Giving and volunteer Staffing.
Who are Summer Madness's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New Wine, Keswick Ministries (Keswick Convention), Creation Fest, Big Church Festival, Festi and Spring Harvest. Others are Youth for Christ UK & Ireland and Scripture Union.
Does Summer Madness have an API?
No public API is recorded for Summer Madness.
What industry is Summer Madness in?
Summer Madness's product category is Religious and Faith-Based Event Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMALAI, Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance), with a secondary code of EDAMALAJ, Music Camps (Band, Choir, Instrument Intensive). Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 7900.