ESSENCE is going bigger than ever before in celebration of 25 years of ESSENCE Festival. In addition to more performances from more of the artists you love, that means more curated daytime and evening experiences designed to highlight excellence in Black culture from a global perspective
Offering new and elevated experiences at venues across the city, each touch point will serve the unmet needs of Black women across the globe and bring the pages of the magazine and online content to life as never before across arts, entertainment, music, beauty, fashion, technology, film, food, wellness, advocacy, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
For the first time ever, ESSENCE is also introducing the 2019 Weekend VIP Power Pass. The Weekend VIP Power Pass will provides access to a VIP experience at all of the Festival’s ticketed events throughout the weekend, including the evening Music Festival, Fashion House, Beauty Carnival, ESSENCE Day in the Park, Wellness House and Power Stage, among other experiences to be announced.
Scroll through to get a first look at everything we have in store and then be sure to grab your tickets to join us as we celebrate 25 years of ESSENCE Festival during the July 4 weekend in New Orleans!
01
Film & TV Festival
Fans’ all-access to exclusive previews and screenings, appearances and meet & greets with cast members from the TV shows and films you love. Featuring the Screening Room, Center Stage and Fan Zone.
02
Global Black Economic Forum
Connect with today’s most seasoned corporate moguls and inspiring entrepreneurs focused on building economic empowerment and generational wealth. Featuring the Black CEO Roundtable, The Billionaire’s Forum, Entrepreneur’s Summit, relationship-building opportunities, and more.
These influential power players will illuminate the road ahead towards building economic empowerment and generational wealth within our communities globally.
03
ESSENCE Fashion House
Focused on elevating the Black fashion community as well as the fashion experience for Black consumers, the Fashion House will provide the necessary tools for Black-owned brands to be successful and opportunities for major fashion brands to provide support, capital and partnerships for Black designers and consumers. This experience will also showcase Black-owned brands via a shoppable designer trunk show and online Fashion House collaborations.
With ongoing accusations of cultural appropriation and tone deafness in news and social headlines around the world, many major and luxury fashion brands continue to face issues around their appreciation, understanding and representation of people of color globally. In addition, the increasing awareness that free promotion from cultural giants in the Black community bestow a lucrative cultural significance to these brands, but with little economic inclusion, and as Black creatives struggle to create and maintain significant business, this conundrum presents the challenge of how do we exercise our creative and economic influence for the benefit of our community.
04
ESSENCE Beauty Carnival
Hear from your favorite beauty influencers and wellness experts live on stage, indulge in curated shopping experiences and more! This ultimate celebration of black beauty will get you ready to step into the world with an inner calm and an outer glow!
05
Food & Wine Festival
Indulge in a wide range of mouthwatering selections at ESSENCE’s official destination for foodies nationwide. See how to remake Sunday dinner classics, create delicious date night dishes and even recipes the kids can do with live podcasts & demonstrations!
GO! / Sam Reinders
06
Wellness House
Relax, recharge and refuel your spirit in an exclusive atmosphere with healing experiences, conversations and more designed to soothe your soul.
07
Marketplace
With participation from nearly 300 entrepreneurs, the ESSENCE Marketplace will offer a specially curated, daily retail experience across multiple destinations throughout New Orleans during the four-day weekend. Attendees will indulge in bespoke culinary, craft and retail shopping environments that present unique, culturally diverse and authentic offerings from around the world.
08
The Power Stage
Formerly the ESSENCE Empowerment Experience, the ESSENCE Power Stage invites you to join us for a range of empowering conversations with todau’s most influential voices as we tackle key issues around politics, love & family, community & activism, wealth and more.
09
E-Suite
Get your E-Suite membership pass and access an exclusive suite for senior-level women in business. From panel conversations to recruitment opportunities with our partners, E-suite is the number one destination for high-level career advancement at ESSENCE Festival.
10
ESSENCE Music Festival
The Festival’s 3-night, evening concert series will present more than 80 of the world’s greatest artists and performers across five stages, featuring artist-led curations, tribute moments and one-of-a-kind, only-at-ESSENCE collaborations. This year’s evening concerts will also include a new intimate venue series called After Dark.
11
Day of Service/Girls United
The 2019 annual “Day of Service” – community reinvestment via projects around New Orleans focused on rehabilitation, beautification and inspiration – will focus on ESSENCE Girls United, ESSENCE’s Gen Z platform and the mentoring initiative focused on helping this generation increase their academic potential, self-love and leadership skills. The day will culminate with ESSENCE Day in the Park – a community celebration at Louis Armstrong Park with music, food and local vendors.
12
Black Excellence Awards
The ESSENCE Black Excellence Awards will embrace the triumph of everyday leaders in our communities; honoring trailblazers across disciplines including the Arts, Education, Entrepreneurship, Fashion, Film, Food, Music, Social Justice, Sports, Technology, Wellness and more. This elegant celebration of local and global heroes will also spotlight the impact of corporations, government and Black-owned businesses working collectively for the advancement of all.
