CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The mission of the Soul of Cville Festival remains the same as it reaches its fifth year – to shine a positive light on the talents and achievements of Charlottesville’s African-American community and bring people together.
The scope of the festival? That has grown considerably over the years.
In its fifth year, the festival has expanded, going from three to six days of events and moving the Best in Black Cville awards ceremony to the Paramount Theater, where the winners will be announced live.
“Of course we want to do it big because it’s a milestone for us,” founder Khalilah Jones told Cville Right Now this week.
This year’s festival kicked off Sunday with a Soul Skate event, a free skate party at McIntire Skate Park. On Tuesday, there was Blacks in Tech mixer at IX Art Park.
Wednesday night had the Afrobeats X Carnivale line dancing event.
Thursday night will be Trap Karaoke at IX Art Park.
Friday and Saturday offer the apex of the event, with the Best in Black Cville awards ceremony at the Paramount on Friday night and the Soul of Cville festival at IX Arts Park on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, the week of programming wraps up with the End of Summer Swim and Foam Party and Car Show at Washington Park.
“Soul of Cville is 100 % about embracing and giving a platform to people who are doing things that you may not hear about and particularly from communities or people that are historically or strategically undervalued or ignored,” Jones said.
Charlottesville mayor Juandiego Wade, who will be a presenter at Friday night’s awards ceremony, praised the festival and Jones’s work.
“It’s amazing,” Wade told Cville Right Now. “It shows the class, the power and the presence of the community of color here in Charlottesville.”
Jones and co-founder Jaquan Middleton founded the festival back in 2020, in part, as a response the Unite the Right rally that led to violence in the city.
“There’s other things that go on here in town, other festivals and other recognition contests and everything,” Jone said. “But instead of feeling like you’re on the periphery of those things or that you have to really, really, really jump through some hoops, to feel like your work is being appreciated. We want to make sure that people feel that.”
