Professor Bob Lyon was inspired by 1969's
Woodstock to create a similar experience for fans of
Christian music. In spring 1970, Lyon and some of his students at
Asbury Theological Seminary hosted thousands at the first Ichthus Festival at Wilmore Campgrounds in
Wilmore, Kentucky. Admission for that first event was per day, or for the weekend (equivalent to $ and $ in ). The name was taken from the , a "symbol used by the earliest Christians as a secret sign". Student-run for decades, the festival hired a director in 2000, and spent that decade expanding Ichthus Festival into a greater
Christian ministry. After Ichthus 2013 was cancelled due to financial problems, it was announced that the 2014 event (September 26–28) would be held at the
Kentucky Horse Park in northern
Fayette County, Kentucky, as part of
Creation Festivals. The dates were later changed to June 4–7 before the festival was moved to 2015 entirely (July 8–11) due to the
2013–14 North American winter causing an "unusually high number of
snow days" that prevented local students from attending. The 2015 Creation-led Ichthus Festival was that group's last, as they announced on February 4, 2016, that there would be no Ichthus 2016: "We underestimated the time and financial resources necessary to restart this great ministry. So, after much prayerful consideration, Creation Festivals has made the difficult decision that stepping away from Ichthus Festival will be in the best interest for the event and its future." On May 6, 2016,
Asbury University announced that it had obtained the rights to the Ichthus Festival name and legacy from Creation Festivals. Fuse Ministries held a relaunch event of the Ichthus Festival on September 18, 2021, at Servant Heart Farm in Wilmore; 600–700 people attended, and the venue operators—Joe and Cheryl Lycan—said it was a success. Fuse's festival has continued there annually through 2022. ==Event==