What is St. Mark Festival? St. Mark Festival is an initiative by the Coptic Orthodox Church, under the leadership of His Holiness Pope Tawadros II, and was established by the late His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. It started in Egypt first, then churches in the USA and Canada started participating in 2009, with other countries participating later. Activities include: Study of Spiritual subjects and get tested on them​ ​Spiritual competition among the Coptic Churches Competitions in soccer, basketball, computer, research, hymns, etc.