Friday, August 30, 2019
News 12 at 6 o’clock/NBC at 7
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) — The Soul Fest is going on this weekend in Augusta. The city is working on an International Music Soul Fest. It plans on being bigger and more expensive.
Next year, they want to give you a new look with great options for food and music. They plan on making this event even bigger.
To put Augusta’s development boom into perspective, come 2020 the city plans to have golf cart tours, shuttle tours, and of course a new festival.
You can find a little piece of soul on so many of Augusta’s corners. But the little pieces may be adding up to something bigger.
“He’s the root of soul music, so we thought this would be a great fit to come to his hometown to do the first Soul Fest, representing the father of soul in my opinion,” said Debbie Holland, the Soul Fest production manager.
This year’s event will celebrate soul music’s contribution to art and activism and to honor James Brown himself.
This year, managers, event planners, and vendors are preparing for something great. Next year, the city of Augusta wants to do a Soul Fest but on an international level.
“You know, that is awesome, compared to where we have came from,” said Kelvin Williams, a food truck vendor.
For vendors like Kelvin, the bigger the event means the bigger the impact. Not just money to his wallet, but city-wide and he’s proud of downtown development and the latest creative ventures across Augusta.
“Augusta is a great place, and that’s why I’m here, been 14 years,” said Williams.
The convention and visitors bureau told commission they’re working to have plans for the international fest by the end of 2019.
It’s a part of the city’s “destination blueprint” efforts for finding more ways to put Augusta on the world stage and keep it there.
With a lure like golf and the godfather, maybe the city is really onto something.
The Soul Fest is happening until 11 p.m. and tickets are $25. As far as the 2020 International Soul Fest the city is working on, official details have not been released yet. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.