The 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ Celebrates 30 Years of Loving Us with Evening Performances from USHER for a Special One-Night Only 20th Anniversary of Confessions Milestone Moment, Janet Jackson, Charlie Wilson, Victoria Monét, Birdman & Friends Presents 30 Years of Cash Money Millionaires, A Special Passing of the Torch by Frankie Beverly & Maze and more!
Legacy will take center stage as the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® will be like no other, when it makes its return to the festival’s forever home of New Orleans from July 4-7, 2024. This year’s festival will celebrate 30-years of loving us with a four-day event that has spanned generations, both in-person and virtually. To commemorate the three decades of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® the evening concert series at the Caesar’s Superdome will be rooted in legacy and evolution, to represent the festival’s journey throughout its rich history to today. The 30th birthday celebration includes a star-studded line-up with headlining performances from entertainers that have graced the stage over the years, including USHER in a special one-night only performance of the iconic album that turned 20 this year, Confessions, global icon Janet Jackson, 3-time Grammy-Award winner Victoria Monét, a milestone celebration with Birdman & Friends Presents 30 Years of Cash Money Millionaires and 8-time ESSENCE Festival vet, Charlie Wilson. The four-day event will close with the return of the all-white party and a Special Tribute to Frankie Beverly & Maze and passing of the torch moment, curated by Grammy-Award winning producer & songwriter, Bryan-Michael Cox. Attendees, fans and festival goers, are invited to join the festivities as we look at the past, present and future of the festival, originally birthed as a one-time-only event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ESSENCE Magazine. The 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® Evening Concert Series will be hosted by Keke Palmer, Pretty Vee, Big Tigger, Punkie Johnson and Kenny Burns with special DJ sets from Raj Smoove, DJ Clark Kent and DJ Beverly Bond.
As the festival has evolved and expanded from its origin as solely a music festival in 1994, so have the vast daytime experiences offered to attendees each year at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center! This year, fans can expect the return of festival-favorites such as the ESSENCE Food & Wine Festival™, BEAUTYCON™: @ESSENCEFEST Edition, AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA™, ESSENCE Film Festival® by ESSENCE STUDIOS™, ESSENCE Stage™, SOKO MRKT™ by ESSENCE®, ESSENCE Authors™, ESSENCE® GU® CREATORS HOUSE, GBEF® HQ and more. The Suede: Men’s Experience™ (formerly known as In His Zone), will be a place centered around the Black man to encourage fun, freedom and fellowship in a collegial atmosphere exploring topics such as money, fatherhood, creativity, health, travel, fashion and sports. For this monumental occasion, the festival will introduce new experiences such as the ESSENCE Hollywood House™, which will be a space for networking, mentoring, skills-building, and increasing the visibility of Black people in entertainment spaces.
Music legends will hit the evening stage at the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® to celebrate the annual festival that has spanned generations - with many of these artists gracing the stage over their careers. At age 19, USHER gave his first show-stopping performance on the ESSENCE Festival stage in 1998 and as he celebrates 20 years of the musical masterpiece that is Confessions, Mr. Raymond returns to give a one-night only, never-before-seen show. Across the festival’s 30-years, the incomparable Frankie Beverly & Maze has given a showstopping closing performance and as we commemorate this year’s festival, ESSENCE will give flowers to the entertainers who started the all-white Sunday-night tradition and a special passing of the torch presentation by Mr. Beverly. Global icon Janet Jackson returns to the festival stage, following her 2022 performance, which remains one of the highest-grossing nights in the festival’s history. R&B icon Charlie Wilson will take the stage to perform his undeniable melodies and generation-defining songs, alongside some special friends.
For 30 years, New Orleans has and will continue to be the cultural backdrop of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® and like the 30-years since the festival’s inception, 2024 also marks the three-decade milestone of New Orleans-own Cash Money. Birdman & Friends Presents 30 Years of Cash Money Millionaires will bring a special performance to our shared, forever home of the Crescent City, alongside some of our favorite hometown artists and more. Grammy-nominated musical group, Tank and The Bangas, continues the New Orleans takeover with a curated performance alongside special guests & New Orleans natives, Teedra Moses, HaSizzle and Dawn Richard.
Victoria Monét joins the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® line-up for a co-headlining and inaugural performance on the legacy stage that will for sure be a showstopper! ESSENCE couldn’t celebrate a milestone birthday party without one of the best DJs of the culture, D-Nice, who will return to the Superdome stage for a special presentation of his global sensation, Club Quarantine Live. The performance will feature icons of hip hop, latin jazz funk, R&B and soca including Method Man, Sheila E., Big Boi, Donell Jones, Tweet, Machel Montano and Lloyd. Special curated performances each night include Grammy-winning band members, The Roots & Friends featuring Ari Lennox, Mickey Guyton and special guest, T. Pain; and the reunion of R&B supergroup, TGT (Tyrese, Ginuwine & Tank). Additional evening performers include Nigerian singer & songwriter Ayra Starr, R&B songstresses SWV, award-winning hip-hop artist Busta Rhymes, R&B singer Jacquees and more to be announced!
“For three decades, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ has blossomed into a pillar of our culture. It spans generations and echoes life stages, growing at the vibrant intersection of art, culture, freedom, and justice. As the festival approaches its 30-year milestone, we are excited to welcome and celebrate with all our closest family and friends around the world—whether it's your 30th, 11th (like me), 2nd, or even first time. It promises to be an enriching four days of daytime and evening experiences," said Hakeem Holmes, Vice President of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™. "New Orleans is our home, my hometown, and we look forward to embracing this community once again. Last year, we proudly generated $316 million for New Orleans and Louisiana, and we look forward to another year of new memories. This is your formal invitation to join us—bring your family, friends, and cousins too— for a celebration of unparalleled Black joy. Don’t forget to download the app for all the latest updates."
The 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ is presented by Coca-Cola® and major partners, AT&T, L’Oréal Groupe, McDonald’s USA, and Target Corporation. Stay tuned for all official updates for this year’s festival at ESSENCEFestival.com and join the conversation on social at @ESSENCEFest on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Tickets are now available on the festival’s website and for those who are not able to attend in-person, please tune-in to ESSENCE.com and ESSENCEFestival.com for a virtual viewing experience. Consider this your official invitation to meet us at our 30th birthday party! Don’t be the last person in the group chat to lock in their hotel, flights, tickets and all-white outfit, to what will for sure be an unmatched year!
ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
ESSENCE Communications is the number one—and only 100% Black-owned—media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities. With a community of more than 31 million Black women, ESSENCE inspires a global audience through diverse storytelling and immersive original content rooted in Culture, Equity and Celebration. The brand's multi-platform presence in/ publishing, experiential and online encompasses its namesake magazine; digital, video and social platforms; television specials; books; and signature live events, including Black Women in Music, Black Women in Hollywood, ESSENCE Black Women in Sports, Fashion House, Street Style and the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™.
ABOUT ESSENCE VENTURES
A multi-faceted ecosystem that uplifts the Global Black experience through frictionless, borderless economic advancements at the intersection of community and culture, ESSENCE Ventures is a member of the Sundial Group of Companies and is the parent company for ESSENCE Communications, Inc., AFROPUNK, Beautycon and Essence Studios.
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