On August 30, the Sounds Good Festival, a Ukrainian music event dedicated to Ukraine’s Independence Day, was held on the grounds of St. Anne’s Church in Philadelphia. Guests had the opportunity to enjoy Ukrainian cuisine at the food court, visit a fair and partner booths, and take part in family-friendly entertainment, including activities with children’s entertainers as part of the kids’ program. A separate part of the festival was its charitable mission in support of the rehabilitation of Ukrainian service members: all funds raised during the event will be transferred through the Revived Soldiers Ukraine foundation, which co-organized the festival. Around two thousand people attended the event. Three Ukrainian artists performed on the main stage: Tina Karol, Alekseev, and Patsyky z Franeka.
Sounds Good Festival: How It Happened
Before the concert program began, Father Mykola Ivanov, pastor of St. Anne’s Church, on whose grounds the festival was held, led a prayer and addressed those present, reminding the Philadelphia community not to forget those who are currently on the front line or in need:
“Today we have gathered here together, and we can pray sincerely, we can greet one another. Nothing is flying over us, nothing is falling on our heads. I want to ask you one thing. Today we are here: buying ourselves coffee, beer, holubtsi, eating. I beg you, do not forget those who are in need. Our wonderful young people, the youth of Philadelphia. We gather and enjoy ourselves at parties on Fridays and Saturdays, and we also gather in churches. Let us not forget God. If we do not forget God, God will not forget us. We are here for you,” Father Mykola Ivanov said.
The Revived Soldiers Ukraine foundation, which provides prosthetics and rehabilitation for Ukrainian service members in the United States, co-organized the festival. The foundation’s president, Iryna Vashchuk-Discipio, said that taking part in events like this allows the organization to grow, provide prosthetics for service members, and launch new rehabilitation and prosthetics projects.
“First of all, we need to bring people together and remind them that the war is still going on. Everyone is a little far away from Ukraine, but my brother is serving, and I am sure many people have friends or relatives at war. We need to continue our support and our work. There are so many severely wounded service members in Ukraine, so many men dying in intensive care, and it is our duty not to let that happen,” Iryna added.
Among the festival guests was Illia Haiduk, a veteran and service member of the 128th Air Assault Brigade who served in an FPV strike drone unit. After receiving prosthetic treatment in the United States, Illia continues to volunteer with the organization and believes festivals like this are important for bringing the Ukrainian community in the United States together around the needs of the military: “Here at the festival, our artists invited us and, in particular, are supporting us as service members, trying to help Ukrainian soldiers receive prosthetics here in the United States. This is extremely important from all parts of society. You can feel this support. The more people know about this issue, the more attention is drawn to it, the more people can make a conscious decision to help. The community here welcomes us very warmly. There are many wonderful, socially conscious people who understand and care deeply about our country,” Haiduk said.
A charity auction conducted by the festival’s artists became another emotional highlight of the evening. Among other initiatives, singer Alekseev raised funds for service member Dmytro Kolesnik, a severely wounded defender who lost both legs, underwent 69 surgeries, and is currently undergoing rehabilitation. Funds from the auction and sales of T-shirts from the Steel Man brand, founded by the service member himself, will go toward his continued recovery.
Friends of Dmytro Kolesnik, whom Alekseev supported from the stage, also came to the festival. They shared that the evening felt especially meaningful and served as a reminder of how important it is to support service members so they can continue living full lives after severe injuries. Festival attendee Anastasiia also did not hide her emotions: “It was very moving to hear from the stage that the artists support the military. I believe this is extremely important today, because when soldiers return from the front, they need to feel that we care about them.”
After his performance, Ukrainian singer Alekseev shared his impressions of the evening and of the funds raised during the auction. The artist said financial support from abroad remains critically important because donating at home in Ukraine is becoming increasingly difficult: “When we come somewhere like this, our main task is to keep this support going, because the guys I communicate with directly and raise funds for unfortunately cover 90 percent of their needs themselves. But logically, they should be giving that money to their families. So we have to try to provide what the state, for various reasons, is sometimes unable to provide. Our American community, and the Ukrainian community around the world in general, must continue this fight because it is not over. Unfortunately, it continues, and we have to remember that.”
On stage in Philadelphia, the artist said he felt almost as if he were at home. “I am very happy, friends, thank you! It was special, just like being at home. And it is great that, in addition to this spiritual and cultural synergy, we were also able to do something practical. We raised a significant amount of money, which we will donate immediately. These funds will help a lot because the guys are raising money for a vehicle, ATVs, and FPV drones, and that is what matters most. And as for the concert — you saw it yourselves, the energy was amazing! Thank you, Philadelphia, my ‘Elphians’ — it was wonderful, truly.”
Alekseev has performed in the United States before, although during a tour it can be difficult to fully absorb the American atmosphere. Still, he has formed his impressions. “I really like it here; I almost do not want to leave. You know, it feels like a movie: you can see that people support us, and that matters. I know the American community supports us greatly, and I am very grateful for that. It feels warm and comfortable here. And the guys we were raising funds for are infantry reconnaissance soldiers. They were in Bakhmut, in Chasiv Yar, and now they are on the Donetsk front, where the fighting is most intense. They have been carrying out combat missions since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. My friend, whom I am in direct contact with, has already suffered three gunshot wounds, but he has not been discharged and continues fighting because they are very good at what they do. That is why people like them need support,” Alekseev said. He added specifically for us: “A huge thank you to our people around the world whom we meet — it always feels like home. I want you to remember: Ukraine lives, will continue to live, will prosper, and will develop. Yes, there are many problems, both internal and external. But light always comes after darkness, and the same will happen for us. Glory to Ukraine!”
About Sounds Good Festival
The festival was organized by Yevhen Antypenko, a marketing specialist who has been organizing tours by Ukrainian artists across the United States and Canada since 2017 and later expanded the geography of tours to Australia. After moving to Philadelphia, he noticed that despite the city’s large Ukrainian community, relatively few concerts and events were being held. According to the organizer, the idea for a large-scale festival grew out of years of cooperation with Revived Soldiers Ukraine:
“We have been friends with the Revived Soldiers Ukraine foundation for a very long time, and they kept reminding me that there was a need to organize events that bring together large numbers of people, because only that can generate meaningful funds. Today, raising money has become much more difficult than it was in 2022–2023. There was a synergy between business and a nonprofit that raises funds during the event for the rehabilitation of service members. Then we brought churches on board, held lengthy negotiations, and invested a considerable part of our lives and time into finding all of this. We were scared,” Antypenko said.
Sounds Good Festival is the first festival to receive its own distinct name and brand. Before that, Antypenko’s team organized individual concerts:
“This is our first branded festival. Before this, we held a concert that had its own brand, and I thought about developing it further — it was a major concert in Philadelphia simply called ‘The Big Concert.’ We held the first one in May 2026, featuring DZIDZIO, at a Ukrainian church in the Mykhailivka area. We attracted almost two and a half thousand people. That was when I realized I needed to continue moving in this direction.”
Yevhen knew that Tina Karol was coming to the United States and tried to reach an agreement with the singer’s team. Then Patsyky z Franeka joined, followed by Alekseev, and this is how the festival’s mix of artists came together. Antypenko speaks about the scale and future prospects of the festival with cautious optimism: v
“I hope that going forward, now that we have demonstrated a certain level — that we are capable of bringing people together and know how to organize an event — it will become easier for us to do this. People here are not used to something this large-scale happening. Sponsors are not used to it either: they are accustomed to small church festivals, while we managed to attract more than fifteen sponsors, which is fantastic. In this format, Tina Karol came to Philadelphia for the first time. Previously, I think in 2023, she stopped in the city during her U.S. tour, but that was in a small venue that was not even completely filled. This year, however, the festival drew nearly two thousand visitors.”
From Father Mykola’s heartfelt prayer to the charity auction and fundraising for service members, Philadelphia’s Ukrainian community demonstrated that it is ready not only to celebrate, but also to provide systematic support for the military.
Photo: Savakhaphoto Artstudiophotoandvidio
Author: Ulyana Boychuk
