Soultrane Festival

12/09/2026

It’s nice to put up nice pictures. But sometimes you have to remind yourself WHY you’re doing these events, showcasing THESE people and voluntarily keeping Soultrane Festival alive.
Because it isn’t just about ‘nice’ music.
The origins of Black music didn’t come out of ‘nice’. It came from faith, purpose, pride, struggle and resilience. Its beauty and talent were born out of human and community spirit.
As you scroll through our pictures, you’ll see a story unfold. A journey and history of soul that goes beyond the events and even the artists themselves.
At Soultrane, we have to keep our eyes on the bigger picture. The future. We’re here to represent this journey and honour its place in our music scene as something vital and worthy.
So, for the next 6 DAYS, as we count down to our CULTURE NIGHT BLOCK PARTY (FREE EVENT) on 18th September, we’re going back to our roots, community!

Each day this week, we’ll shine a light on a different part of the culture, starting with the roots of soul, GOSPEL, and moving through jazz, blues, hip hop, art and the wider flavours this incredible culture brings.
And speaking of flavour not festival is complete without good food. This year our Block Party will have delicious Caribbean food from TASTE DI SLAND available to buy throughout the event! Plus a live Art wall hosted by our celebrated artist this year Promise O’Nali. This is juicy!! This is soul in action!!

SO, HERE ARE 3 REASONS TO COME AND SUPPORT SOULTRANE:
1. Be part of history. Soultrane is the first soul-centred organisation here building an authentically rooted infrastructure for soul, its artists and its community.
2. Discover and explore the whole journey Celebrate soul with us, and its purpose in Northern Ireland today.
3. Find your soul community. Join our growing network of diverse wonderful people. Make new friends and discover & embrace the cultures stories and people behind the music we love.

And there’s a whole lot more in store.

6 DAYS TO GO!! Get ready !!

Built with Soul. Powered by You.

09/09/2026

THE WAIT IS OVER!

We are SO excited to finally announce the line-up for YEAR 3 of the SOULTRANE FESTIVAL - BLOCK PARTY!

And this year, it’s all about COMMUNITY.

BUILT WITH SOUL. POWERED BY YOU.

For the FIRST TIME, we’re bringing dance into the heart of the festival!

We’ve wanted to see more dance at Soultrane, and have risen to the challenge. We’re delighted to welcome them as Soultrane’s new dance partner, connecting the music, movement and culture of SOUL.

And we’ve picked some of the best from our local community for an action-packed night:

Drew Edghill
Winnie Ama
Manukahunney
Chris Kabs
Rwanda Shaw
Silk & Soul
Imani Jade

And holding it ALL together...

DJ Dee La Soul!

We’re putting it DOWN for at !

Do we really need to say any more?

Friday 18 September
VENUE- yeah music centre -YARD STAGE
Doors 5pm
Through to 11pm
FREE ENTRY

Bring your people. Bring your energy. And DEFINITELY bring your dancing shoes!

YEAR 3. LET’S GO!

BUILT WITH SOUL. POWERED BY YOU.

08/09/2026

📸✨ MINNIE’S MONDAY - ON A TUESDAY!

A day late? Maybe. A moment missed? Never.

That’s the beauty of what Minnie does. ❤️

From the very beginning, Minnie has followed the Soultrane journey through her lens, using her love of photography to capture our story as it grows.

And she doesn’t just capture what happened.She captures SOUL IN ACTION.

The smiles. The movement. The expressions. The connections. The artists. The audience.

A culture growing. A community coming together.

This week, Minnie has dipped into her archives to share some favourite moments from our past Block Parties and whet your appetite for what’s coming next.

Every shot gives you a glimpse.

But the SOUND. The ENERGY. The FEELING?

That part you have to experience for yourself.

So let Minnie’s lens show you where we’ve been then come and be part of what we capture NEXT.

Friday 18th September - Belfast Culture Night

Oh Yeah Music Centre

Doors 4pm

Come feel it. We will be there to capture it.

03/09/2026

Read this great coverage by Love Belfast!!
Thank you to LoveBelfast for shining a light on our fundraiser. We really appreciate your support!!

Want to donate ?
Want to join us on sunday?

See link below

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cavehill-dance-party-fundraising-hike

Soultrane’s Cave Hill fundraising hike and summit dance on Sunday 6 September (11:30am, Upper Hightown Rd) supports a free Culture Night block party at Oh Yeah on 18 September — and Studio 17’s first Soultrane stage.

03/09/2026

Today second nature hotel. Come see Drew Edghill Music !!!

31/08/2026

✨ MINNIE’S MONDAYS ✨

Mondays at Soultrane belong to Minnie. 📸❤️

Meet Minnie Mignonne Smith , our Soultrane Photographer & Content Catcher, the eyes behind so many of the moments you see from us.

Every Monday, we’ll be sharing the Soultrane story through her lens, from rehearsals and performances to the special moments happening behind the scenes.

So, what did Minnie catch this week? 👀📸

It’s been a busy one! Our Director Siobhan Brown was in Dublin rehearsing with Manukahunney ahead of their performance at Mela yesterday.

There’s so much work and preparation that happens before an audience sees the finished performance, and Minnie was there to capture the journey.

It was also a real honour for our Soultrane director to be part of Mela’s 20th birthday celebrations. Their commitment to bringing people and cultures together is something we really admire and a great example for Soultrane as we continue to grow. ❤️

And September is already looking busy…

🎶 THIS THURSDAY We’re back at for our monthly residency with Drew Edghill Music . Come catch a vibe!

🥾 SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER We’re heading up Cave Hill with our Soultrane Supporters for our fundraising walk, raising funds towards our FREE Culture Night Block Party on Friday 18 September.

❤️ Want to support us? Hit the fundraising link below.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cavehill-dance-party-fundraising-hike

See you next Monday for another week…

📸 Through Minnie’s Lens.

31/08/2026

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cavehill-dance-party-fundraising-hike

SOULTRANE FAMILY — WE’RE LIVE.
This is the official launch of our Cavehill Fundraising Hike, to raise £2000, we are at the halfway with on line donations and registrations
But we’ve still far to go…and we are literally climbing for it!

Donate Here

👇🏾
https://www.gofundme.com/f/cavehill-dance-party-fundraising-hike

🌄 CAVEHILL SOULTRANE HIKE — FUNDRAISER SEPTEMBER 6th, 11am meeting at Hightown Road carpark as starting point.

It’s a quick 30‑minute climb, dogs welcome, and at the top we’re throwing a Soultrane-style dance party, sing‑song, music, and special guests!!!

There is already 25+ people coming up, and if you can’t join us, please consider donating big or small, or sharing this post. Every act of kindness goes a long way!

We’re climbing for our culture.

We’re climbing for our Studio17 kids dance crew, who, due to rising costs risk losing their performance slot on stage, at the SOULTRANE ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY FESTIVAL for CULTURE NIGHT in Belfast on the 18th September Oh Yeah Music Centre and we wont let that happen.

So climbing to show that financial barriers will NOT Stop Soultrane Festival this year!!

Thank you to our CaveHill organisers (Soultrane member Cherie Magee, and her friend Natalie Brennan, and our social mogul Rhiannon Johnston) — this fundraiser is powered by real people who believe in the Work the Soultrane is doing .

❤️ THANK YOU

To everyone who has donated, shared, commented, encouraged, or lifted us up — you’re the reason we’re already halfway there. Your kindness is building this festival. Your support is keeping Soultrane alive.

🎟️ JOIN US

Registration: £10
Bring your friends, or your dog, and come climb with us.
Let’s dance at the top. Let’s finish this together!

A special thank you also to our Soultrane photographer Mignonne Smith who is ever -present and out there capturing what we do in all of its forms. Love Soul? Come be showcased with us as part of our Soultrane fam!

Please share!! It takes a village to make a difference x

23/08/2026

Hi everyone! This is an important Soultrane call-out!

Here is the link to just donate anything you can, (we’ve put it at the top for ease.)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cavehill-dance-party-fundraising-hike

But likes and shares take one second and also help so much!

Our festival is on the 18th Sept for Belfast Culture Night and we have a great block party planned, with kids who are hip-hop dancers and are gonna BRING it- they’re so excited to perform! However, we are currently unfunded and have been hit by last minute financial barriers which we hope to overcome with your support.

In a climate where support for diverse community events like this are vital for showing continual solidarity for the unity we believe in, the Soultrane Festival is important. It’s not just about music, it’s about building an eco system around a culture full of vibrancy and opportunitites that will continue to inspire all sectors of of our community for years to come. This is the peoples festival and your support and presence is creating a soul scene rooted in the right foundations.

Appreciate ANY support and donations, big or small. Many hands make light work!

If you are not in a position to donate, again, sharing and liking is FREE, takes one moment, and it helps us reach more people! We are very very grateful to those of you have donated so far and helped out, even total strangers. This is the heart of Soultrane and we are blown away so far by the kindness of our community.

You are also so welcome to join the fundraiser walk itself, and let’s have a bop at the top!! We will be spreading this love after on all our socials!

Thank you all so much.

19/08/2026

Today, we’re shining a spotlight on the amazing Knats, Newcastle-upon-Tyne jazz collective who are making some serious waves! 🎷🔥

And what better reason to celebrate them than being shortlisted for the prestigious Mercury Prize 2026 for their incredible new album, A Great Day in Newcastle, released in May 2026. WOW WEE! 🤩👏🏾

If you joined us at Soultrane 2.0 Mandela Hall you’ll already know just how special these guys are. We had the absolute pleasure of bringing Knats to Belfast, where they introduced our Soul Fans to their debut album, Knats. It was a real treat for the ears and a performance we still talk about!

The band’s story began in Newcastle, where King David-Ike Elechi (drums) and Stan Woodward (bass) met as teenagers at school. In 2022, they moved to London to study jazz at Trinity Laban, where they connected with fellow Newcastle native Ferg Kilsby (trumpet). They were joined by George Johnson (saxophone) and Sandro Shar (piano) to complete the lineup.

We’re incredibly proud to have played a small part in their journey and we’re rooting for you, Knats! 🫶🏾

Go on… 🏆🎶

And… if you need a little more soul in your life, come and join us for some at Native Coffee this Sunday, 12–3pm. We’ll be joined by the lovely Liam Devlin, bringing those soulful vibes straight to your ears and hearts. ❤️🎶



📸Mignonne Smith 📽️ Knats