Make it 22! Soul Beach Music Festival rings in another year in Aruba

PALM BEACH, Aruba (WTVD) -- It's that time of the year again when thousands of U.S. and international tourists descend upon Aruba for the annual Soul Beach Music Festival.

The festival, which celebrated its 22nd year, was held on 'One Happy Island' from May 22-27 and delivered on its promise to entertain and provide an enjoyable experience for guests from around the world.

Soul Beach dates back to the 90's when comedian Sinbad began it as a comedy festival. It has since grown into a days-long event full of music from award-winning artists, notable comedians, and acclaimed DJ's.

"This is my first time here," said an education administrator from Charlotte who did not provide his name. "I'm glad I came after my buddy told me about it. It's a great time!"

The festival's jam-packed itinerary included carefully curated day parties, the highly-anticipated 'All White & Sandals Party' at MooMba Beach Bar and Restaurant in Palm Beach, Friday evening's comedy show featuring comedians Chris Spencer, Chase Anthony, and Earthquake. Attendees also enjoyed the highly-anticipated weekend performances from Skip Marley, Mariah Carey, R&B artist Tamia, and Boyz II Men.

"Welcome to the island and thank you Aruba for providing such a spectacular backdrop in what a momentous weekend will be," said festival CEO and executive producer Mark Adkins.

With partnerships from a variety of entities, once again SBMF transformed the Caribbean island nation into a desirable destination for music lovers.

"The Soul Beach Music Festival is an amazing opportunity to indulge and relive the 90's R&B era," said festival goer Benita McClain from Wake Forest. "The events are well planned, communicated, flow smoothly. I love attending and applaud the SBMF staff!"

Meanwhile, Tiffany Hall from Durham County, also attended Soul Beach for her first time with a group of family and friends from the Triangle.

"As a first-time attendee to Soul Beach, I found the experience truly enjoyable," said Hall. "The festival had great vibes and a welcoming atmosphere, with everyone there to relax and to have a good time."

Guests were also treated to world-class DJ's in DJ Diablo, DJ Outkast, DJ E-Clazz, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Trauma, DJ Envy, and Atlanta's DJ Frank Ski.

Among the many highlights from SBMF and perhaps the most notable was Saturday's concert headliner, Grammy Award-winning artist Mariah Carey.

Adkins even noted Carey had more than 40 people traveling as part of her team. According to Adkins, Carey has only three public performances this year and Soul Beach was one of them.

"In fact, her team kept saying how well they were taken care of...and (Soul Beach) has them thinking of possibly doing more shows," said Adkins.

The festival's success even attracted the attention of the neighboring Curacao Tourist Board to learn more about how a several thousand-plus event could become a reality on Curacao.

"We want to see how we can bring something like this to Curacao," said CTB counterpart director Muryad de Bruin.

SBMF has made several mentions of "new changes" coming to its 2025 festival. However, nothing specific has been publicly announced.