(C) Verite News New Orleans

(C) Verite News New Orleans
This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .

Essence Festival features another packed lineup of music and culture [1]

['Khalil Gillon', 'More Khalil Gillon']

Date: 2023-06-29

Thousands of people are pouring into New Orleans for the four-day Essence Festival that begins Friday (June 30) and continues through Monday (July 3).

The festival, which has called New Orleans its home for almost 30 years, will include a wide array of cultural events and topical discussions. That includes a musical lineup to honor 50 years of hip-hop history with some of the biggest names in the genre performing on the concert series stage.

“It is the largest festival in the country by per-day attendance,” Essence Ventures President and CEO Caroline Wanga said.

Last year’s festival generated $327 million and created more than 3,500 jobs for the New Orleans metropolitan area, according to a 2022 study conducted by Dillard University on the economic impact of the Essence Festival.

Those numbers were touted by New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell during the Essence Festival of Culture press conference Thursday. The mayor noted that more than 500,000 visitors attended the Essence Festival of Culture last year. The mayor welcomed the festival back to the city in its 29th year, describing New Orleans as “the most Afrocentric city in the United States.”

“You don’t mess up a good thing. You keep a good thing going,” Cantrell said of the festival’s many years in New Orleans.

Cantrell also noted Essence’s mission to uplift Black women and girls.

“Thank you, Essence, for your intentionality,” Cantrell said. “When you invest in the Black woman you bring up the Black family.”

This year’s musical lineup features a number of legendary Black women in hip-hop including Missy Elliot, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve, and Megan Thee Stallion. There will also be a special performance by Lauryn Hill in recognition of the 25th anniversary of her Grammy-winning album “The Mis-education of Lauryn Hill.”

New Orleans natives, rappers Mia X and Juvenile, who is most famous for his 1999 song, “Back that Thang Up,” will also perform on the Essence concert stage.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Thursday, June 29, 2023, welcomes the Essence Festival back to the city for its 29th year. Credit: Nigell Moses/Verite News

“It’s really an honor to headline such a lineup full of legends and emerging stars. I don’t take it for granted,” Megan Thee Stallion told People magazine about her upcoming performance.

The Essence Festival is known to feature big names from various fields. Newsmakers and leaders who have graced a stage at Essence include Janet Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris is expected to return to Essence this year to speak at the Global Black Economic Forum. Other Biden administration officials are expected to attend the forum as well, including Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and EPA Administrator Michael Regan.

In addition to the music concerts, panels and workshops, this year the Essence Festival will feature AfroPunk BLKTOPIA. AfroPunk highlights Black alternative, rock and indie music and the stars associated with it. The mission is to create a safe space for those who feel left out of Black mainstream culture. The AfroPunk Krewe Ball will be held at the Joy Theatre for the duration of the festival.

The Essence food and wine festival will showcase different dishes from Africa, the Caribbean and New Orleans. And Essence Studios will present a film festival where visitors can watch exclusive screenings of original films, new media and live screenplays.

The Essence Wellness House will give tips on how to best take care of your mind and body. There’s also a men’s zone, authors showcase, and BeautyCon center, a space to “celebrate all sizes, hues and identities.”

“We have something for everybody,” Barkue Tubman-Zawolo, chief of staff and diasporic engagement at Essence Ventures.

New Orleans businesses and culture will be front and center during the Essence Festival. The Community Corner will highlight organizations that are looking to inspire the next generation from economic empowerment programs to civil rights and social justice organizations. The nation’s biggest festival will also shine a spotlight on small Black businesses through its SOKO NO.LA event.

Each evening, the festival will pay homage to a New Orleans bounce and hip-hop legend: Friday night, 5th Ward Weebie will be remembered. Saturday night, Soulja Slim will be honored and Sunday night, there will be a dedication to Magnolia Shorty curated by producer BlaqNmilD.

“It was important for us to pay respect to key leaders and musicians in the city,” said Hakeem Holmes, vice president of Essence Festival of Culture and a New Orleans native.

Party promoter Darron Wheeler will travel to New Orleans from Baltimore for the festival.

“Essence Festival means everything to Black culture,” Wheeler said. “It’s the attention to detail that is curated for the Black community — from music, to seminars, to hair products for women.”

The Essence Festival will wrap up with a Family Day Block Party at Louis Armstrong Park on Monday. It will feature local vendors, food and local musicians including the Soul Rebels with special guest Big Freedia, and the Original Pinettes Brass Band.

“When I first came to Essence, it felt like home,” said Erika Bennett, chief marketing officer at Essence Ventures. “It felt like a warm hug. It felt like a family reunion. It was Black girl magic. I feel that every time I come here. That’s the experience we want to give our attendees.”

Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Close window X Republish this article This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Unless otherwise noted, you can republish most of Verite’s stories for free under a Creative Commons license. For digital publications: Look for the “Republish This Story” button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS).

You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.

You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.

Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.

If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @VeriteNewsNola @VeriteNewsNola For print publications: You have to credit Verite. We prefer “Author Name, Verite News” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Verite News” and include our website, veritenews.org

You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.

You cannot republish our photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor Tim Morris

Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.

You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.

You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.

Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.

If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @VeriteNewsNola on Facebook @VeriteNewsNola on Twitter. If you have any other questions, contact managing editor Tim Morris. Essence Festival features another packed lineup of music and culture <h1>Essence Festival features another packed lineup of music and culture</h1> by Khalil Gillon, Verite June 29, 2023 Thousands of people are pouring into New Orleans for <a href="https://www.essence.com/essence-festival-2023-home/">the four-day Essence Festival</a> that begins Friday (June 30) and continues through Monday (July 3). The festival, which has called New Orleans its home for almost 30 years, will include a wide array of cultural events and topical discussions. That includes a musical lineup to honor 50 years of hip-hop history with some of the biggest names in the genre performing on the concert series stage. “It is the largest festival in the country by per-day attendance,” Essence Ventures President and CEO Caroline Wanga said. Last year’s festival generated $327 million and created more than 3,500 jobs for the New Orleans metropolitan area, according to a 2022 study conducted by Dillard University on the economic impact of the Essence Festival. Those numbers were touted by New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell during the Essence Festival of Culture press conference Thursday. The mayor noted that more than 500,000 visitors attended the Essence Festival of Culture last year. The mayor welcomed the festival back to the city in its 29th year, describing New Orleans as “the most Afrocentric city in the United States.” “You don’t mess up a good thing. You keep a good thing going,” Cantrell said of the festival’s many years in New Orleans. Cantrell also noted Essence’s mission to uplift Black women and girls. “Thank you, Essence, for your intentionality,” Cantrell said. “When you invest in the Black woman you bring up the Black family.” This year’s musical lineup features a number of legendary Black women in hip-hop including Missy Elliot, Salt-N-Pepa, Eve, and Megan Thee Stallion. There will also be a special performance by Lauryn Hill in recognition of the 25th anniversary of her Grammy-winning album “The Mis-education of Lauryn Hill.” New Orleans natives, rappers Mia X and Juvenile, who is most famous for his 1999 song, “Back that Thang Up,” will also perform on the Essence concert stage. <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/MayorCantrell-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-7424" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Thursday, June 29, 2023, welcomes the Essence Festival back to the city for its 29th year.</figcaption></figure> “It's really an honor to headline such a lineup full of legends and emerging stars. I don’t take it for granted,” Megan Thee Stallion <a href="https://people.com/megan-thee-stallion-talks-self-care-and-essence-festival-performance-exclusive-interview-7547627">told People magazine</a> about her upcoming performance. The Essence Festival is known to feature big names from various fields. Newsmakers and leaders who have graced a stage at Essence include Janet Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, former First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris is expected to return to Essence this year to speak at the Global Black Economic Forum. Other Biden administration officials are expected to attend the forum as well, including Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and EPA Administrator Michael Regan. In addition to the music concerts, panels and workshops, this year the Essence Festival will feature AfroPunk BLKTOPIA. AfroPunk highlights Black alternative, rock and indie music and the stars associated with it. The mission is to create a safe space for those who feel left out of Black mainstream culture. The AfroPunk Krewe Ball will be held at the Joy Theatre for the duration of the festival. The Essence food and wine festival will showcase different dishes from Africa, the Caribbean and New Orleans. And Essence Studios will present a film festival where visitors can watch exclusive screenings of original films, new media and live screenplays. The Essence Wellness House will give tips on how to best take care of your mind and body. There’s also a men’s zone, authors showcase, and BeautyCon center, a space to “celebrate all sizes, hues and identities.” “We have something for everybody,” Barkue Tubman-Zawolo, chief of staff and diasporic engagement at Essence Ventures. New Orleans businesses and culture will be front and center during the Essence Festival. The Community Corner will highlight organizations that are looking to inspire the next generation from economic empowerment programs to civil rights and social justice organizations. The nation’s biggest festival will also shine a spotlight on small Black businesses through its SOKO NO.LA event. Each evening, the festival will pay homage to a New Orleans bounce and hip-hop legend: Friday night, 5th Ward Weebie will be remembered. Saturday night, Soulja Slim will be honored and Sunday night, there will be a dedication to Magnolia Shorty curated by producer BlaqNmilD. “It was important for us to pay respect to key leaders and musicians in the city,” said Hakeem Holmes, vice president of Essence Festival of Culture and a New Orleans native. Party promoter Darron Wheeler will travel to New Orleans from Baltimore for the festival. “Essence Festival means everything to Black culture,” Wheeler said. “It’s the attention to detail that is curated for the Black community — from music, to seminars, to hair products for women.” The Essence Festival will wrap up with a Family Day Block Party at Louis Armstrong Park on Monday. It will feature local vendors, food and local musicians including the Soul Rebels with special guest Big Freedia, and the Original Pinettes Brass Band. “When I first came to Essence, it felt like home,” said Erika Bennett, chief marketing officer at Essence Ventures. “It felt like a warm hug. It felt like a family reunion. It was Black girl magic. I feel that every time I come here. That’s the experience we want to give our attendees.” <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-verite wp-block-embed-verite"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://veritenews.org/join-our-mailing-list/ </div> </figure> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-verite wp-block-embed-verite"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://veritenews.org/our-commitment-to-listening/ </div> </figure> This <a target="_blank" href="https://veritenews.org/2023/06/29/essence-festival-features-another-packed-lineup-of-music-and-culture/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://veritenews.org">Verite</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-Verite-icon.png?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://veritenews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=7427&ga3=319934958" style="width:1px;height:1px;"> Copy to Clipboard

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2023/06/29/essence-festival-features-another-packed-lineup-of-music-and-culture/

Published and (C) by Verite News New Orleans
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/veritenews/