‘ESSENCE Festival of Culture’ Announces More Celebrity Experiences

The 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® returns to the Crescent City from July 4-7. for a four-day event to celebrate 30 years of loving us!

From sunrise to sunset, there’s something for everyone. Festivalgoers will embark on a diverse array of daytime experiences at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Curated conversations in each of these experiences will range from love & relationships, voter education, health & wellness, beauty trends, music & entertainment, HBCUs, entrepreneurship, sustainability and more! Attendees can register for the free daytime experiences directly on the E360 app and plan out their festival experience.

For the second consecutive year, the 2024 ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® is taking over the entire Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The party may culminate each night at the evening concert series, but it begins with the return of unforgettable daytime experiences including:

ESSENCE Food & Wine Festival™
BEAUTYCON™: @ESSENCEFEST Edition
AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA™
ESSENCE Film Festival® by ESSENCE STUDIOS™
ESSENCE Stage™
ESSENCE Wellness House®
*NEW* ESSENCE Hollywood House™
ESSENCE Community Impact Hub™
ESSENCE Authors™
The Suede: Men’s Experience™ (formerly known as In His Zone)
ESSENCE® GU® CREATORS HOUSE
SOKO MRKT™ by ESSENCE®
ESSENCE Authors™
GBEF® HQ
NEW VOICES VILLAGE™
NEW VOICES ENTREPRENEUR HUB™

Select programming highlights at this year’s festival includes:

One of the greatest athletes of all-time, an entrepreneur and a style icon, Serena Williams, will make her first appearance at the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™, during BEAUTYCON™: @ESSENCEFEST Edition. Serena will discuss being a powerhouse on the court and democratizing beauty for all women through her beauty brand, WYN Beauty. BEAUTYCON™ will also feature beauty tips and tricks from celebrity hairstylist and artistic director, Tippi Shorter and the latest industry trends from Michelle O’Connor, Javon Ford, Sister Scientist and Uche Natori.

ESSENCE Stage™ brings the pages of ESSENCE Magazine to life by seamlessly integrating each editorial vertical, which will be hosted by actress & songstress, LeToya Luckett, from July 5-7. Join us for a fireside chat with Emmy-award winning filmmaker and producer, Ava DuVernay, on her creative journey and the pioneer of bounce, TV personality and New Orleans icon, Big Freedia, who will also hit the stage, alongside reality TV producer, host, and cultural curator, Carlos King.

ESSENCE Film Festival® by ESSENCE STUDIOS™ will feature conversations with some of the top names in the entertainment industry from Garcelle Beauvais, Tisha Campbell, Hailey Kilgore, Essence Atkins, Keith Robinson, Renée Elise Goldsberry and more. Don’t miss the special screening and Q&A of the acting debut of Nigerian Afrobeats artist, Tiwa Savage, in “Water & Garri”, a feature-length drama that tells the story of Aisha, an ambitious fashion designer as she returns to her native home after 10 years away in the U.S., following a family bereavement.

The Suede: Men’s Experience™ (formerly known as In His Zone) will merge creativity and community for Black men leading conversations ranging from achieving longevity in musical career pathways with legendary rapper and actor Method Man, encouraging community involvement through activism, as well as co-founder of the Dream Defenders Phil Agnew, Earn Your Leisure co-founders Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal, and actors & esteemed HBCU alumni, Lance Gross and Terrence J.

ESSENCE Girls United Creators House™ invites you to a creative universe to experience the immersive and inclusive hub that will empower and provide opportunities for the ultimate digital maven. Meet us at the hotspot to create content and build community on and offline, while diving deep into the digital influences that impact pop culture in society today from actress and entrepreneur, Skai Jackson, entrepreneur J Mulan and filmmaker and mental health advocate, Elyse Fox.

The ESSENCE® GU® Kickback is the ultimate day party for the generation of festival attendees, who will lead us into our next chapter. On Saturday, July 6th from 2:00pm – 6:00pm CT, you will want to make sure your phone has storage to capture all the TikTok worthy moments and special musical performances from singer and songwriter, 4Batz and the “City Cinderella,” Miami-bred chart-topping femcee, JT at the Sugar Mill.

ESSENCE Authors™ is a prime cultural experience that will amplify critical voices and discuss how aspiring writers can navigate the publishing industry amidst this new and fluid political landscape featuring top writers and content creators from legendary comedian, actor & award-winning radio host Rickey Smiley, musician, author & publisher, Quest Love, the multi-talented Keke Palmer, NAACP-award winning actor and entrepreneur, Jay Ellis, Gospel recording artist & author, Tasha Cobb Leonard, award-winning author, activist, and media strategist, Raquel Willis, politician Bakari Sellers, physician & author Ian K. Smith, TV personality & entrepreneur Tanya Sam, along with Beverly Jenkins, Brenda Jackson and Donna Hill, who are all celebrating 30+ years of Black romance in literature.

Global Black Economic Forum HQ returns to this year’s festival as the ultimate shared space for innovation, discussion, and action centered on the themes of the future of work, wealth, health, and democracy, This event is an unparalleled chance to engage with the forefront of thought leadership and practical solutions, fostering a unified approach to uplifting and expanding Black economic opportunity and social justice globally from speakers including but not limited to politician, voting rights activist & author Stacey Abrams, civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, Television Journalist & Author Don Lemon, National Urban League President Marc Morial, Television Host Joy-Ann Reid, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, National Coalition of Negro Women President & CEO Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley, TV personality Tiffany Cross, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation Melanie Campbell, Coqual’s CEO Lanaya Irvin, U.S. Black Chambers President & CEO Ron Busby Sr., Actress DeWanda Wise, Broadcast Journalist & Television Personality Cari Champion and Color of Change President Rashad Robinson.

Festival newcomer, ESSENCE Hollywood House™, creates a space for networking, mentoring, skill-building, and advocacy, empowering our community for film & TV enthusiasts to gain innovative solutions to overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential with appearances from comedian, TV host, actor, and singer, Wayne Brady, actress & musician, Bre-Z, American playwright & actor Jordan Cooper and more!

SOKO MRKT™ by ESSENCE® invites shoppers to explore and support emerging Black-owned businesses, providing a platform for shoppers to discover and engage with new enterprises and will feature esteemed entrepreneurs and business-owners including Yandy Smith and J. Bolin.

AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA™ will pioneer the festival experience on a path toward new age existence that shatters global boundaries, social identities and awakens the “other” inside of all of us with conversations from revolutionary voices of today such as Lynae Vanee, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Stevona “Stevie” Rodgers.

Joining the star-studded line-up of the festival’s 30th celebratory experiences, courtesy of this year’s partners, include beloved actor Morris Chestnut, award-winning actresses and two of our favorite besties Regina Hall and Sanaa Lathan, Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, actress and film producer Marsai Martin, legendary actress Jenifer Lewis, actress Meagan Good, actor Cory Hardrict, spiritual leader & author Sarah Jakes Roberts, Emmy winning host and entrepreneur Tabitha Brown, some of Black cinema’s finest including Kyla Pratt, Mekhi Phifer, Anika Noni Rose and Laz Alonso, entrepreneur Jordyn Woods, actor and R&B singer Luke James, actor Aldis Hodge, writer & actress Natasha Rothwell, actress Emayatzy Corinealdi, actors McKinley Freeman and Jessie T. Usher, along with musical performances from Keyshia Cole, Mýa, Jadakiss, Jeremih and Musiq Soulchild.

To celebrate the festival’s 30th birthday, an array of nightlife events will be curated, following the evening concerts, hosted by several established cultural architects from D-Nice and Larry Morrow, alongside highly anticipated experiences such as Ascendance x AFROPUNK™ Presents: New Moon In Cancer, SET DE FLO presents HOUSE IS BLACK, and Boozy Bounce: ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ edition. Diageo, will serve as the premier nightlife partner of the iconic ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ for the first time ever. At each evening’s festivities, that will be 21 years of age & up, Diageo will feature select brands from their world-class Spirits portfolio including: Crown Royal Whisky, Don Julio Tequila, Tanqueray Gin, Ciroc Vodka, Deleon Tequila & Bulliet Bourbon. Diageo encourages consumers to drink responsibly.

As a revolutionary virtual club that safely brought millions together to experience community amidst isolation during the pandemic, D-Nice’s Club Quarantine (CQ) has been a global rhythmic respite. A multigenerational and multi-genre experience, Club Quarantine fosters culture and connectivity. Now, to kick off the 30th anniversary of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola®, CQ will come offline again for a one night only Club Quarantine Live After Dark with D-Nice and Special Guests celebrating music, life, and love in the Crescent City on Thursday, July 4 from 9:30 pm until 1:30 am CT at the Fillmore New Orleans.

With Cancer being the feminine water sign of love, care, and devotion she is, it makes sense that ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® would fall right in the middle of her season. This year, an auspicious New Moon in Cancer falls on Friday, July 5th, just as the festival weekend is getting underway. As such, we are excited to celebrate both Cancer season and Black womanhood with an all-Black woman DJ takeover of our main room, bringing together five talented selectors from all three coasts, headlined by the Jersey Club Queen herself, Uniiqu3, at Café Istanbul from 11:00 pm until 4:00 am CT during the Ascendance x AFROPUNK™ Presents: New Moon In Cancer.

Prepare to be swept away by an unparalleled celebration of music, glamour, and star-studded excitement! Larry Morrow, the mastermind behind some of the most iconic events in New Orleans, has partnered with the ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® to create one of the most sensational after parties of the year, Larry Morrow Presents The After Party: Festival Weekend Takeover at the Fillmore New Orleans. On Friday, July 5th and Sunday, July 7th from 10:00 pm until 3:00 am CT, The Fillmore will be transformed into a night of opulence and sophistication. Picture yourself mingling with the stars, dancing the night away to electrifying beats, and reveling in an ambiance that radiates pure luxury and excitement.

A good time since 2017, Boozy Bounce brings the vibes and fills a representation void, channeling the true essence of New Orleans Bounce from the 90s and 2000s. Join us for Boozy Bounce: ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ edition, where we’re bringing an unforgettable experience with NOLA’s finest DJs — Jordan Rock, Jash Jay, and Zeus. It’s an authentic New Orleans bounce and Southern hip-hop moment guaranteed to get you moving at Joy Theater on Saturday, July 6th from 10:00 pm until 4:00 am CT.

SET DE FLO is a statement. It’s a love letter to the innovative roots of Black New Orleans and its significance in the creation of all dance music. It’s a siren song to the misfits, the dancers, and the alt kids without a 3rd space. It’s a community cornerstone – a Black party in a Black city in the middle of a historically Black neighborhood. SET DE FLO is House music and HOUSE IS BLACK. Now on the cusp of its 7th year leading New Orleans underground sound — SET DE FLO celebrates the ancestors of House music in the second annual SET DE FLO presents HOUSE IS BLACK — it’s not just a dance party; it’s a cultural experience. Set in an intimate, hidden gem, dive bar, this night is about embracing the underground spirit of New Orleans while showcasing the best in Black dance music. Hosted by SET DE FLO creator, DJ, and producer, Lil Jodeci and Lord Chilla at The Domino on Saturday, July 6th from 11:00 pm until 5:00 am CT.