Each year artists applied to play at Parachute which gave an opportunity for musicians to have their music heard by a large audience at a popular event. Bands applying were required to provide a pastoral reference, that is a reference from a church leader, to ensure that the core members of any act were committed Christians. In some cases individual members of a band were not Christian but Parachute saw this as a good way to involve people in the festival community. While many local bands from New Zealand applied, Parachute received applications from all over the world. Parachute Music also invited a number of headline artists each year to perform at the festival. Around 100 bands from many different genres played at Parachute each year.