Dear long-time & new attendees of SoulFest,
As you may have noticed through the launch of our SoulFest Schedule, Festival App, and various announcements, something seems to be missing… where is the Inside Out Stage? Will there be an Inside Out Stage at SoulFest this year? What happened to the rock and metal bands? Where else can we head-bang to Christian music???!?
Will there be an Inside Out Stage at SoulFest?!
In short, no. Rising costs of production (all elements involved in producing a stage: lighting, audio, backline, labor), increase in expenses to book many artists within a genre, and our ultimate goal: focused festival programming and experiential activities for our attendees, have all been factors, to name a few, that have contributed to our decision to reduce our stages by one.
Will there still be Christian Rock & Metal Bands at SoulFest?
YES! We are excited to share that Project 86, Decyfer Down, SPOKEN, and local band Saved by Skarlet will be performing on Thursday, Aug. 1 at Mercy Street Stage! Join us for this night of rock, and don’t miss LEDGER’s performance on Revival on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 3:35 PM. See hip-hop and fusion artists GAWVI & Propaganda on Saturday, Aug. 3 along with rock band The Violet Burning. Click here for the full SoulFest schedule.
So how many stages are there?
Surprise! We’ve added not one, not two, but THREE new tents at SoulFest, for a total of SEVEN locations to explore: The Youth Ministry Tent hosted by Word of Life Bible Institute with sessions for youth leaders, young adults, children’s programming, and two Open Mic’s. The new Thrivent Tent will feature workshops directed towards college students, Thrivent members, and discussions about giving of your time and talents. The Catholic Diocese Tent, hosted by the Catholic Diocese of Manchester, NH will daily feature a Morning Mass with music by a variety of artists (including Matt Maher!). The Local, hosted by Worship Radio Network, will feature multiple workshops and panels covering topics through the lens of our faith confronting social injustices, art, navigating the human condition, and more. The Mercy Street Stage is where you can start your day with worship, enjoy artist-led workshops, a songwriter/storytelling circle with legendary artists, and Late Night Encore performances ending at midnight! Take the aerial chair lift up to the Mountaintop for acoustic sets by your favorite artists with a backdrop of New Hampshire’s beautiful lakes and mountains. And of course, make your way to The Revival Stage to see performances by GRAMMY-Award winning Christian artists!
What does this mean for the future of SoulFest?
The SoulFest Team is committed to bringing artists to New England that represent a variety of genres within the scope of Christian & faith-inspired music. We are especially committed to bringing artists and speakers that challenge, encourage, uplift, and uphold the call to live a life of Love in Action, the Revolution that Jesus started. We will be more intentional to book alternative, rap, and hard-rock artists in our existing stages. This year was difficult to do so in transition with the decision to cut the ISO Stage. In addition to the music, we are in the works of curating a 2020 festival that is focused on fun and meaningful experiences uniquely to your time at SOULFEST. This year, you can take part in meaningful experiences such as our SONGWRITER’S CIRCLE, where we feature 3-4 renowned Christian artists & songwriters on one stage to collaborate with one another in the round, as well as our MEAL PACKING ACTIVITY hosted by Rise Against Hunger, a fun, educational way for our festival family to put LOVE IN ACTION by preparing meals for people in critical aid need across the globe.
Thank you for being an active supporter of the festival - your faithful attendance and patronage are the reasons we can continue to financially produce this yearly festival, approaching our 22nd year!
Do you have a band that you love and would like to see play at SoulFest?
Contact us! We love to hear from our attendees to ensure that we’re hosting the best Christian music festival New England can possibly offer!
God bless & we’ll see you on the mountain,
- The SoulFest Team