Essence Magazine’s founders went to New Orleans to celebrate the publication’s 25th anniversary over three decades ago. The trip marked the magazine’s debut in the city. Among the activities that took place during the celebrations were an homage to black women that centered on culture, empowerment talks with some of the nation’s most famous thought leaders, and music, of course.
The Essence Music Festival has since been rebranded as the Essence Festival of Culture, which will launch on Thursday, run through the third of July, and take place at a number of venues spread across the central business district of New Orleans. This year marks the 29th time that the festival has been held. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will play host to the great bulk of the free workshops, vendor exhibits, and meet-and-greets with prominent visitors throughout the duration of the festival. The Superdome, which is only a few blocks away from the festival grounds, will play host to nightly ticketed concerts by musicians as part of the festival’s celebration of the first half-century of hip-hop. Headliners like as Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, and Megan Thee Stallion will be among the performers at these events.Hakeem Holmes, a native of New Orleans who was just recently promoted to the position of vice president of the festival, refers to the event as the “crown jewel of Black culture” and says that it “plays a pivotal role in the amplification and celebration of the contributions of the Black community through business, music, and more.” Hakeem Holmes also referred to the event as the “crown jewel of Black culture” when he was speaking about the event.
“This is the first time that three black women emcees are headlining,” said Holmes. “This is a historic moment.” “We are witnessing a momentous occasion.” “That is significant not just in terms of the development that has taken place but also in terms of the path that we are on with regard to the event. It is quite necessary for the audience that we are catering to pay attention to what it is that we have to say. We are now able to appeal to younger generations, which has prompted us to expand so that we can accommodate their needs. It is going to be a very exciting event since up-and-coming bands will be performing throughout each night alongside legendary performers.
