It has been a long tradition to celebrate music and pop culture with Essence Magazine in the heart of Louisiana. This year The Essence Music Fest boast headliners like Kendrick Lamar, Mariah Carey and Maxwell. Ciara, Charlie Wilson, Babyface, Lion Babe, Faith Evans and Tyrese are also scheduled to perform. The festival will be held this summer starting June 30 and ending July 3. It will be hosted at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, celebrating the festival’s 22nd year.
It’s not often that some of R&B’s greatest talents gets together for one show. Mariah is currently performing exclusively at her residency in Las Vegas, and singer Maxwell recently held a show in New York with Nas on Valentine’s Day. Lamar is set to be headlining many festivals this summer. For acts like Ciara, Charlie Wilson, Babyface, Faith Evans and Lion Babe, The Essence Music Fest is one of the first entities to bring those acts to the same arena.
The Essence Music Festival started in the year of 1994. The magazine celebrated their 25th year in publication and in its honor, held a festival for Essence readers to come together and celebrate. The festival has been held in New Orleans every year since 1994 except for 2006 when it was held in Houston due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. The festival was broadcast live by MSNBC in 2013 and 2014.
The Essence Music Festival is attended largely by African American women of all ages. The celebration of culture and music is unmatched for its longevity and consistency. In the vibrant city of New Orleans, it’s hard not to make memories with performances by some of your favorite artists. For more on The Essence Music Festival, you can click here.
