CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The sixth annual Soul of Cville 2026 festival is coming to IX Park in August, and aims to celebrate the best of Black Charlottesville over five packed days of events.

This year’s theme is “Future Heirlooms: We Are Ancestors” and seeks to spotlight the hidden gems of over 80 Black-owned businesses as well as community figures.

Soul of Cville co-founder and director Khalilah Jones expanded on the event’s theme, which aligns with the festival’s goal of uniting members of the Black community across generations.

“(Our theme) reinforces the idea that the way that you live now is going to impact your future, and it may impact people that you’ll never even meet. But how you live now is a legacy to others, and we want to really emphasize a life of excellence and being an example,” Jones told Cville Right Now. “I don’t care if you’re one year old or 100 years old. At some point, you’re going to be somebody’s ancestor, and it’s up to you to decide what kind of impact you leave on the world.”

Supported by a grant from Virginia Humanities, as well as other sponsors, the festival kicks off with “The Vinegar Hill Endurance” run managed by Prolyfyck – a Black-led local run club – at Jefferson High School to celebrate the school’s centennial.

Kimberly Sheffield, Executive Director of the Jefferson School Foundation, noted that the partnership between the school, Prolyfyck and Soul of Cville seemed like a natural way to unite community interests.

“Prolyfyck starts and stops their runs every day, or every time they run, here,” Sheffield told Cville Right Now. “It was a way for us to kick off the festivities for Soul of Cville, but it was also a way for three organizations that are doing impactful work in the community to come together and collaborate on something meaningful.”

2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Jefferson High School’s opening in 1926, and The Vinegar Hill Endurance challenge follows Prolyfyck’s usual 4.5-mile route every four hours for 52 hours, with participants able to walk or run the route. The intention of the run is to raise funds and show appreciation for the neighborhoods the route runs through. It will take place from Friday, August 10 at 6 a.m. until Sunday, August 12 at 10 a.m.

The kickoff also ties in with the theme of this year’s festival, in that the run aims to ‘pass the baton’ to a younger generation as the school marks its centennial and looks toward its future.

“In order for us to move this needle another 100 years, it’s going to take the activation of our ancestors, the alumni, the folks that have come before us,” Sheffield said. “But it’s also going to take the newer generation to pick up the baton and run with it.” 

The second event, “Legacy Lounge: A Sophisticated Harlem Renaissance Affair” is at the Fralin Museum of Art from 6-8 p.m. on August 12. Jones shared that the event intends to continue bringing together different generations, with an emphasis on intentional programming that connects across ages.

The festival’s flagship event, however, is the third Best in Black Cville Ceremony, taking place August 14 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Live Arts Theater. The ceremony will recognize the winners of Best in Black Cville Awards, with prizes ranging from “If They Leave Cville We Riot” to “Stand on Business and Values” awards. This year’s focus was to highlight less-recognized community members and businesses driving Black Charlottesville forward during the year.

“We opened up a lot of new, different categories to give other people an opportunity who are doing the work that you barely ever hear about,” Jones said.

UVA football alum Ahmad Hawkins and Jen Solomon of 29 News are set to host the ceremony. 

Finally, the Soul of Cville Saturday event and Afterparty, including a multigenerational fashion show, will take place at IX Park on August 15 from 5-10 p.m and host around 50 vendors. The event is free, but the fashion show requires attendees to reserve a ticket in order to manage capacity.

The festival will conclude with a first-ever Soul of Cville Brunch on Sunday, Aug. 16, will also highlight Charlottesville as a birthplace of American cuisine by paying tribute Edith Hern Fossett, the former head chef of Monticello.

One of Monticello’s Feast of Reason programs, the brunch will take place at Order Up! Mobile Food and Catering located at the Jefferson School City Center and Royalty Eats on Cherry Avenue. Free advance reservations are required to attend.

Fossett was an enslaved French-trained chef who worked in the White House during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency in addition to Monticello, where her food was known internationally as it helped build a foundation of American food culture.

Justin Reid, a Civic Partnership Fellow at Monticello and organizer of the brunch, told Cville Right Now the event’s aim is to “honor chef Edith and remind people her legacy continues.”

As the Soul of Cville festival approaches, Jones reflected that in its sixth year, the event hopes to keep making Charlottesville an inclusive place, and to highlight community members working towards that goal. She also noted that even though the event highlights Black businesses and figures, its message of uplifting the community is for all.

“I just believe that no matter where you go, you try to leave the world a little better than you found it. And I think that that’s what Soul of Cville is about,” Jones said. “I want people to understand that this isn’t just for Black people, it’s just a platform to highlight what they’re doing… anytime I walk through like Best in Black (Cville) or Soul of Cville Saturday, and all you see from one end to the other is smiling faces. That’s a space for everybody.”