written by: LeAndrea Mack

Can you believe it? The Essence© Festival has officially been around for 25 years! That is 25 years of the hottest artist, moguls and influencers. That is 25 years of black people coming together to “Party with a Purpose.”

For their 25^th Anniversary, Essence© will be celebrating with Late Night Jam Sessions, Live Podcasts, Underground Performances and a HUGE platform dedicated to advancing Economic Inclusion, Cultural Ownership, Financial Wealth and Community Development.

There is so many areas of participation that we’ve broken it down into three sections; Culture. Purpose. Music. 

Culture:
Grasp the look and feel of African American culture with Essence© Fashion House, Wellness House, Marketplace and Beauty Carnival .   Experience the culture with Essence© Food & Wine and visualize the culture with Essence© Film & TV Festival.   Shop the culture in Essence© Marketplace with their daily retail experiences.   Laugh with Essence© After Dark’s Comedy Series  

Purpose:
Participate in exclusive live forums on Black Wealth with tech leaders, corporate executives, business moguls and venture capitalist at the Global Black Economic Forum.   Grab your resume and join the Recruitment Hub for recruitment sessions and meet and greets with business executives like Disney, Hilton, Facebook and Walmart.   Join Essence in a Day of Service, Take part in Girls United and get involved with non-profits, 501c3 and more charitable organizations in the Community Corner .  

Music:
Oh yes, and their music too! The Essence© Festival musical line-up of more than 80 performers over three nights at the Louisiana Superdome include main stage performers and Superlounge performances.   And the party doesn’t stop there!   Essence plans to take over the late-night scene too, with its Essence© After Dark Series which featuring emerging and established musicians, DJ’s and personalities who represent our diverse, global culture.   But wait, there’s more!   Kick off the festival weekend on Thursday at Essence© In The Park, with performances by Common, Big Freedia & more.   Experience the Culture, Find your Purpose and Catch a Vibe with the Music at the 25^th Essence© Festival. Happening July 4-7 in New Orleans, Louisiana.