CBUS Soul® Fest is back for 2025, and it’s bringing the funk, the flavor, and the feels. If you’re looking for a weekend full of soul, both in the music and in the food, you won’t want to miss this!
This festival is put on as a partnership between CBUS Soul® and Columbus Recreation and Parks. Its purpose is to to amplify Columbus’ Black culture while celebrating everything that Columbus’ black community does for our city!
So if you’re heading downtown on August 15th and/or 16th, here’s how to have the best time possible.
What You Need to Know
Live Music on the Scioto Mile
This year, Soul Fest in Columbus Ohio expands to a two-day event (Aug 15–16), held at Bicentennial Park on the Scioto Mile. Shows run from 4–10 p.m. both nights.
Friday, Aug. 15:
- MojoFlo at 4 p.m.
- Rahsaan Patterson at 6 p.m.
- Eric Benét at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 16:
- Ria Blaq at 4 p.m.
- Goapele at 6 p.m.
- Raheem DeVaughn at 8 p.m.
It’s got top-tier soul festival Columbus Ohio vibes, with a perfect evening blend of funk, R&B, and feel-good music that’ll force you to dance.
Food Vendors to Fuel Your Groove
For this year’s Soul Fest Columbus, the local food trucks lineup is fiiiiiire 🔥:
- Cupzilla
- Donna’s Delicious Dozen
- Dos Hermanos
- Family Affair Catering Company
- Fat Boy Q
- Flavor 91 Bistro
- Fun’l Frenzy (funnel cakes & fried Oreos!)
- G’s Flavor House
- Posh Teatime Co.
- Suge’s Smokehouse Barbecue
- Taesty’s
- The Water Ice Shoppe
Beverage Options That Hit
Quench your thirst and help keep the Columbus Soul Fest free by purchasing beverages at the event!
Here are your options:
- $8 Beer:
- Miller Lite (16 oz cans)
- Coors Light (16 oz cans)
- Blue Moon (12 oz cans)
- Summer Shandy (12 oz cans)
- $8 Cocktails and Seltzers:
- Lemonade Vodka Sun Cruiser (12 oz cans)
- Iced Tea Vodka Sun Cruiser (12 oz cans)
- Strawberry Kiwi Vizzy (12 oz cans)
- $4 Soft Drinks (20 oz bottles)
- Pepsi and Diet Pepsi
- Mountain Dew
- Starry
- Gatorade
- $3 Water
The festival beverage booth is completely cashless, so don’t be trying to pay in quarters or expect that you can get change for a $100 Benjamin. It’s 2025. Bring your credit cards.
Parking & Getting There
Soul Fest Columbus is taking over Bicentennial Park (233 S Civic Center Dr).
Parking & transit options:
- Street parking, garages, and lots throughout the Scioto Mile. Reserve ahead via ParkColumbus to skip the hassle
- Accessible parking needs disability credentials or you will be towed.
- COTA buses serve the area. Find your bus to the festival here.
- Plenty of bike trails and racks, so bring your ride. Just wear a helmet, please. We don’t want you to turn into an actual soul on your way to the Soul Festival, you catch our drift?
Extra Info You’ll Want to Know
- Admission is FREE, no tickets needed.
- Festival is family-friendly, wheelchair accessible, and while animals are permitted, they must be leashed. And PLEASE pick up their 💩
- Bring blankets or lawn chairs, but no personal tents, grills, glass bottles, etc.
- Leave the weapons at home, obviously. Let’s not be stupid.
- Coolers are allowed, but no carry-in alcohol. Just label your cooler with name & phone.
- Everything is cashless at beverage booths, and food vendors take varied payment forms.
🎯 What’s the Vibe?
Bicentennial Park gives this festival room to breathe, literally and figuratively. Plenty of green spaces to drop your chair, dance, or chill riverside. It’s a soul festival done right, showcasing Black culture, community pride, and creative energy.
Discover Events & Festivals in Columbus Here!