SoulFest Sends Matt Maher to Lisbon for Global Ecumenical Event
SoulFest is sending Matt Maher to Lisbon, Portugal in place of his initially scheduled headline appearance on August 4, 2023.
Matt received an invite to lead worship in Lisbon at The Change, an ecumenical gathering of over 65,000 people endorsed by the Vatican as an official event of World Youth Day. To show our support of global ecumenism SoulFest is releasing Matt from his slot this year taking the heart of our SoulFest community on his trip to Lisbon.
Matt will be joining us next year at SoulFest! We feel it is very important that he pursues this opportunity, but we’ll miss him and want to make sure we get to see him very soon.
“In 2002, as an independent songwriter and worship leader, I received an invitation to play at a festival in New Hampshire with some other friends. I was blown away that, as a Catholic, I would be given that opportunity alongside other artists that I looked up to so much. That festival was SoulFest.
Since 2002, SoulFest has consistently invested in artists and in the body of Christ by creating a platform in a weekend festival format where not only can people be entertained and worship God, they can learn about important issues and ways in which we can engage the world around us.
I’m such a big fan of Dan and Vanessa and the entire SoulFest team, and am so grateful for this opportunity to attend World Youth Day. 10 years ago I went to World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro and sang “Lord, I Need You” at a very powerful vigil service, and I know that there will be many powerful moments this year at World Youth Day in Lisbon and look forward to being a part of it, thanks to the generosity of SoulFest.” -Matt Maher
To accommodate for this change, we're moving Cory Asbury to the Friday night headlining slot, Katy Nichole moves up to second-to-close and Sanctus Real is joining SoulFest for the first time in several years! (SoulFest tickets are all-day, festival tickets, which means that if the lineup changes we do not offer refunds. These are unique circumstances; we're excited to support Matt in this endeavor and look forward to having him back with us for SoulFest 2024. Contact us with questions at boxoffice@thesoulfest.com
Sanctus Real Joins the Friday Lineup
We're excited that Sanctus Real could make a stop at SoulFest in the midst of their summer schedule! They'll perform on the Revival Stage in the Arena, plus share their story with us in the HEART OF THE ARTIST INTERVIEW hosted by Justin McRoberts. Check out the schedule here.
Arena Updates + More!
We have decided to only sell tickets for all-stage access and not to sell a festival pass with limited access. As information evolved, we were trying to flex our capacity so that we could accommodate our regular attendance. Under these circumstances, that requires way more staffing and time to manage well. Plus, we would have had to limit access to our steadfast volunteers, vendors, partners, and more. That didn't feel like us. We recognize the indoor stage and its standing room (or upgrade seating) only experience is not for everyone, but this is what we must do for the 2023 festival with the limited time of planning in a transition time.
We have great expectations for this festival - the lineup, you, our partners, and the ministry that is about to occur through everyone involved - and even greater expectations for the 2024 festival as we are planning ahead with a year to make things happen. More to come on that - shared onsite at SoulFest first!
This means that everyone can enter the arena and we will stop selling tickets to the festival once this capacity limit is hit. We will not have an overflow video wall outside the arena as everyone will be able to enjoy the concert from within the building. Chairs are still permitted into the festival, but not inside the Arena. Your ticket is good for all 4 stages, the workshops, the marketplace, plus other games, activities, and inflatables. For more details, please visit our FAQs, Kids Zone, and Experience Pages. We're still taking volunteers and closing vendor applications. Camping is still available - learn more down below, along with some great speaker content coming from our Ministry Partners.
Stay tuned for updates in the next week for Soul University, the official release of the SoulFest App (with food vendor and marketplace info), and more fun to come! Did someone say rock-paper-scissor train or square dance?!
Thank you for rolling through these changes with us and please keep this event and all involved in your prayers. We've been praying for you too!
Sincerely,
Vanessa A.
New Sound Concerts, GM.