Soul Yoga Fest
- Dates
- Expected July 2027
- Status
- Expected
- Venue
- Fuller Park Field House
- Price
- Free
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Oct 19, 2026
Soul Yoga Fest's 2027 dates haven't been announced yet. The last festival was 10 to 11 July 2026 in Chicago, IL. Froligo tracks free-entry details, attendee feedback and travel details.
What it stands for
The festival frames itself as 'a powerful gathering of Black Yogis in Action' and as lineage work rather than exercise, saying 'This is Not Just Yoga. It is Intentional Activation' and 'At Soul Yoga Fest, you aren't just practicing poses, you are participating in lineage and preservation.' The organiser describes Kemetic Yoga as an ancient African spiritual technology, built on slow geometrically progressive movement, deep diaphragmatic breathing it calls Sema Tawi, spinal alignment and living in accordance with Maat, or Divine Order, and contrasts it with what it sees as modern yoga's emphasis on performance. Keeping it free is central to that: Yoga Chicago reported that the founder created the festival to introduce yoga, and Kemetic yoga in particular, to communities that would not otherwise know of it, have access to it, or know its African and ancient Egyptian roots. The Friday dinner extends the same idea, honouring pioneers and instructors and putting its proceeds into scholarships for the next generation of teachers
The experience
What's special
A free one day yoga and movement festival on Chicago's South Side, held in and around the historic Fuller Park field house and run by the YogaSkills School of Kemetic Yoga. The Saturday costs nothing, needs no ticket and asks only that attendees bring a mat, a towel, water and the family. Its centre is Kemetic Yoga, the ancient Egyptian derived system that the festival's founder Yirser Ra Hotep developed and named, but the 2026 day ran far wider than that: Kemetic belly dance opened the Main Auditorium at 9am, West African dance from the NAJWA Dance Corps filled the middle of the day, two hours of capoeira and a tai chi class ran out on the lawn, and chanting, guided meditation, a mother and daughter workshop on female health, a men's session and chair yoga for seniors filled the rest. Yoga for children ran on the lawn all day. The founder closed the auditorium at 3:45pm with Breath, Flow and Internal Power Through Kemetic Yoga. A separate ticketed dinner on the Friday, at $45 a head, honours figures in the Kemetic yoga community and funds teacher training scholarships
The practice
all levels. Pitched at everyone and at every age. The organiser describes the practice as slow, geometrically progressive movement with deep diaphragmatic breathing and spinal alignment rather than fast paced fitness, saying 'This is not fast-paced fitness. It is intentional activation.' The 2026 day ranges from a seated Chair Yoga for Seniors class and Yoga for Children through to two hours of capoeira, so attendees pick their own intensity. Yoga Chicago has described the festival as bringing together yogis of all ages and levels of fitness, with classes suitable for children and adults, a special class for men and indoor classes for seniors
Poses adapted to a chair, accessible whatever your mobility.
Beyond the mat
- Meditation
- Guided Meditation
- Kemetic Belly Dance
- African Dance
- West African Dance
- Tai Chi
- Capoeira
- Capoeira Angola de São Bento Grande & Cocobalé
- basic chanting practices
- Sema Tawi, the organiser's term for deep diaphragmatic breathing
- natural foods, herbs and essential oils
- panel discussion
Styles named as the festival itself describes them.
Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
The festival publishes no accessibility statement. The venue operator does: the Chicago Park District's Fuller Fieldhouse page states 'Limited Accessibility In Locker Rooms; Gymnasium Spectator Area, Stairway Access Only'.
The programme itself is unusually access friendly in other respects, with a seated Chair Yoga for Seniors class run twice in the outdoor fountain area and free admission throughout. Contact the organiser on 773 396-6613 for specific accommodations
Roughly half the 2026 programme was sited outdoors, on the Lawn, in the Garden Area and at the Outside Fountain Area, in Chicago in mid July. The itinerary publishes an indoor fallback for each outdoor session, moving them to the West Gym, East Gym or Dance Studio in case of rain; the 2025 listing billed the day as rain or shine
Family oriented and explicitly all ages. The official page asks attendees to bring the entire family, the master class list includes Yoga for Children, and the 2026 itinerary runs Yoga for Children on the Lawn throughout the day.
Yoga Chicago has described the classes as suitable for children and adults
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Schedule
Programme from the July 2026 edition, the most recent held; no 2027 programme is published. Session titles, teachers, times and rooms are verbatim from the festival's own Soul Yoga Fest Chicago 2026 itinerary
Programme14
What it costs
Add-ons
Admission to Soul Yoga Fest is free and covers every class, workshop and demonstration on the Saturday, plus the vendor marketplace. Only two things carry a price, and both were captured verbatim from the organiser's own WooCommerce store on September 3, 2026: the separate Friday Legacy Award Dinner ($45.00 individual, $240.00 table of six) and a vendor table ($150.00 at checkout, quoted as $125 on the festival page). Prices are from the 2026 edition, which has run; no 2027 prices exist
What to bring
A full weekend of practice is easier with your own kit. What earns its place in the bag:
Water and electrolytes
Your own matRentals sell out and shared mats are thin. Bring a grippy, cushioned mat you trust for a full weekend of practice.
Shop options
Warm layersShop links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Photos: “Flannels 5” by Louis Beche, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Teachers & presenters
Roster from the July 2026 edition, the most recent held; no 2027 roster is published. Taken from the festival's own Soul Yoga Fest Chicago 2026 itinerary. Fifteen presenters are named; the Yoga for Children slot names no instructor
Plus the rest of the 15+ teachers, practitioners and speakers across the weekend.
Soul Yoga Fest vendor tables
The festival sells vendor tables and actively recruits stallholders and sponsors, with 'WE ARE SEEKING VENDORS & SPONSORS!' printed across the 2026 itinerary alongside a signup QR code and the number 773 396-6613. A table costs $150.00 at checkout (the festival page quotes $125) and includes a space to set up, two chairs and a table; spaces are limited and first come, first served, and the organiser says vendors have to be accepted. The vendor product description dates the booth day as July 10, 2026 while the official page and the itinerary both place the festival on Saturday July 11, which looks like copy that was not updated. No 2026 stallholder list is published, so named_vendors is empty. Yoga Chicago's account of the 2016 edition described a variety of vendors including a vegan food truck and sellers of crystals, organic skin care, chakra photography and books
Getting there
Nearest airport Chicago Midway International (MDW), roughly 7 miles west southwest; O'Hare International (ORD) is roughly 14 miles north northwest.
How do I get to Soul Yoga Fest?
By car
Most people drive to Soul Yoga Fest. The nearest major airport is Chicago Midway International (MDW), roughly 7 miles west southwest; O'Hare International (ORD) is roughly 14 miles north northwest, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
No direct passenger rail to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
By bus & public transit
No scheduled intercity bus or public transit route to the venue was found. Drive, fly in, or use a shuttle instead.
Taxi & rideshare
Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
Affiliate Flying in? You can book an airport transfer in advance rather than joining the taxi queue on arrival.
🅿 Parking
No parking information is published by the festival, and the Chicago Park District's own page for Fuller Park does not list parking either. Treat as unknown
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at Chicago Midway International (MDW), roughly 7 miles west southwest; O'Hare International (ORD) is roughly 14 miles north northwest
If you are hiring a car, it is worth checking parking near the venue before you go.
Search car hire →Car hire links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Where
Venue
Fuller Park Field House
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Soul Yoga Fest?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Budget stays 3
3901 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60653
≈ $70-130 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Check rates →6535 South Doctor Martin Luther King Junior Drive, Chicago, IL 60637
≈ $70-130 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Check rates →7621 South Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago, IL 60619
≈ $70-130 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Check rates →Mid-range hotels 5
3322 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL 60608
≈ $120-220 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Link coming soon1411 East 53rd Street, Chicago, IL 60615
≈ $120-220 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Link coming soon4900 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60615
≈ $120-220 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Link coming soon1227 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
≈ $120-220 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Link coming soon261 West Cermak Road, Chicago, IL 60616
≈ $120-220 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Link coming soonAirport hotels 3
6530 South Cicero Avenue, Bedford Park, IL 60638
≈ $100-190 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Check rates →6520 South Cicero Avenue, Bedford Park, IL 60638
≈ $100-190 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Check rates →5435 South Archer Avenue, Chicago, IL 60638
≈ $100-190 / night approx, book direct with the hotel
Check rates →Search all hotels near Fuller Park Field House →
Hotel links may earn Froligo a commission; they never change the price you pay.
Pricing
While you're in Chicago
AffiliateA Go City pass bundles Chicago's top attractions into one price, handy if you're making a trip of it rather than coming just for the festival.
See what's includedWe may earn a commission if you buy a pass. It costs you nothing extra and never changes what we tell you about a festival.
Got fresher info? Tell us, a real person checks every tip, and we love fresh info.