On May 18, 2025, on the occasion of the European Night and International Museum Day, the Soul Museum will open in Porretta Terme (Bologna) in the renovated location of the old nineteenth-century prison. Free guided tours and tours of the murals.

The museum is located in the center of Porretta in the characteristic via Borgolungo, at number 10, in the old nineteenth-century prison. The museum collects the testimonies of the passage of the great soul musicians from Porretta, starting with Rufus Thomas, Solomon Burke or The Memphis Horns, of whom stage clothes, shoes or other personal objects are preserved. The photographic collection and the audio-video part are very large. The exhibition is curated by Riccardo Negrelli.

On May 18, 2025, on the occasion of the European Night and International Museum Day, the Soul Museum will open in Porretta Terme (Bologna) in the renovated location of the old 19th-century prison. Free guided tours and tours of the murals.

The 37th edition of the Porretta Soul Festival will be held from July 24 to 27 in Porretta Terme on the hills between Bologna and Pistoia. The recent twinning between the Emilian town and the city of Memphis has increased the fame of the event, considered one of the most important soul festivals in Italy and in the world.

During the four evenings, world-famous soul and rhythm and blues artists will alternate in the amphitheater of the “Rufus Thomas” Park: this year’s House Band will be the Memphis Music Hall of Fame Band, directed by Kurt Clayton. Among the guests also Andrew Strong from the cult movie The Commitments.

In addition to the main events, many other initiatives are planned in Porretta Terme during the festival and in the days leading up to it. Starting with the free concerts at the Rufus Thomas Cafe Stage, in Piazza della Libertà and along the streets of the town where you can also admire the series of 15 murals dedicated to the myths of Soul.