It’s that time of the year again!
ESSENCE Fest is back and better than ever this year. The festival will descend on New Orleans for its 29th year, celebrating 50 years of hip hop with headliners Lauryn Hill, Doug E. Fresh, and Megan Thee Stallion. Hill will give attendees a special performance of her 5x Grammy award-winning album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” Doug E. Fresh will curate a celebration of hip hop legends, and music mogul Jermaine Dupri will be celebrating 30 years of So So Def. Artists Wizkid, Monica, and Coco Jones are also scheduled to hit the stage.
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The 4-day Festival of Culture will include panels, interactive experiences, various entertainment stages and thousands of visitors with sounds by DJ Spinderella, DJ Kid Capri, and DJ Clark Kent. Spend your days enjoying the hundreds of exhibits and your nights partying and laughing with hosts Deon Cole, Janelle James, Affion Crockett, and Spice Adams.
“For nearly three decades, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has been an international and joyful gathering that empowers community throughout the global Black diaspora. As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, it continues to be a crown jewel of Black culture and plays a pivotal role in the amplification and celebration of the contributions of the Black community through business, music, and more. As we gear up to celebrate the ‘50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop’, we couldn’t think of a better way to honor the contributions the genre has made on global culture and the impressions that these artists and their deep musical catalogs, which we all know so well, have been ingrained into the fibers of our day to day lives,” said VP of ESSENCE Fest, Hakeem Holmes.
The festival kicks off on June 29th and if you have never been, you have no idea what you’re missing! For more information and to purchase your tickets, click here.
Cover photo: ESSENCE Fest announces 2023 lineup and special 50th anniversary celebration of hip hop/Photo Courtesy of Associated Press