On a scorching hot June day, thousands of soul fans crowded into Promenade Park for a night to remember.

Check out some of the best bits from Soultasia 2022 here:

Arriving at 4.30pm, I saw huge queues running along all sides of the concert arena. We could hear The Real Thing starting up on the stage and were worried we might miss them. Fortunately, we could hear them quite easily from outside, but it's safe to say standing in a queue in sweltering heat isn't ideal concert viewing.

After a bit of confusion around where people should queue, we eventually got in.

I was told by a council worker later that once he spoke to security about the queues, they made an effort to get everyone in "within 20 minutes".

Thousands of soul fans turned out to enjoy the show (Photos: Ben Shahrabi)

The concert area was jam-packed with amusement rides, bars and food stalls galore. From Caribbean food to fish & chips, all tastes were catered for at Soultasia.

Speaking ahead of the event, organisers Steve Cochrane and Sean McLoughlin said: "We brought back Fantasia for the people of Maldon and beyond to enjoy a fabulous day, creating opportunities for local business and freelance staff."

The Real Thing's Chris Amoo and Dave Smith gave a rousing rendition of their 1976 UK number one 'You to Me Are Everything', which was sure to warm the crowd up if they weren't hot enough already.

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Following their set, Zero Radio DJs Darren "Bully" Bull and Ian Reading kept the mood up with crowd-pleasing songs from George Benson, Chic, Stevie Wonder and others.

Shalamar put on a high-energy show (Photo: Ben Shahrabi)

Next on stage were Shalamar, featuring frontman Howard Hewlett's seemingly ageless vocals. The group put on a high-energy set, making good on their promise to make you feel good.

In a touching moment, DJs Darren and Ian at Zero Radio brought a man nicknamed "Sumo" onto the stage. He and his crew are responsible for the staging, working at Soultasia events all over the country.

Every year Sumo brings his sons with him.

This year, however, one of his crew was missing: Niall, one of Sumo's sons.

Sadly, Niall passed away last year at just 17 years old.

Sumo and his family gathered on stage to pay tribute to Niall (Photo: Ben Shahrabi)

Yesterday marked his birthday, so the DJs brought Sumo and his family on to the stage, where he told the crowd all about Sumo and Niall.

At his instruction, the crowd burst into a rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday', as a tribute on what would have been Niall's 18th birthday.

'We Are Family' vocal group Sister Sledge arrived shortly afterwards, getting the crowd involved in singing their popular 1979 hit.

Keeping it in the family, Sister Sledge original Debbie Sledge was joined by her daughter Camille and son David, along with the late Joni Sledge's son Thaddeus, and long-term Sister Sledge vocalist Tanya Ti-et. They delivered a stellar performance, and even showed off their greatest dancer, David, who body-popped across the stage.

Halfway through their performance, however, an audience member fell ill. First aiders were with the patient just seconds after the alarm was raised.

The patient, who was able to walk, was helped out of the concert arena by several event staff including two of the management team.

Praise should also go to audience members who raised the alarm and provided blankets.

Billy Ocean performed hits including Caribbean Queen, When the Going Gets Tough, and Red Light Spells Danger (Photo: Ben Shahrabi)

Soul sensation Billy Ocean danced on to stage to chants of "Billy, Billy, Billy" from the audience. Opening with a song from his latest album, 2020's 'One World', was a bold decision for anyone expecting a greatest hits show.

But it paid off. This funky, hopeful number was well-received before Ocean reeled through the old favourites.

He also delivered a euphonic cover of Bob Marley & The Wailers' 'No Woman, No Cry', which no doubt would have pleased the romantics in the audience.

Ocean ended with 1984's 'Caribbean Queen', his US Billboard Hot 100 number one. It soon turned into a duet between this seasoned showman and his audience, who obligingly sang the chorus along with him.

With a line-up boasting four iconic soul acts, this was one evening where you could easily get lost in music.