Although it began as a one-time concert event in 1995 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the magazine of the same name, the first Essence Music Festival concerts were a hit. The event will enter its own 25th year in 2020. Aside from a couple of notable exceptions, New Orleans is the official home of the festival, and the city's vibrant history with regard to music makes it a great, atmospheric choice. Essence Festival is the largest concert event to celebrate African-American culture and musical contributions in the US.
This music festival is all about celebrating the unique sounds of African-American musical artists and their accomplishments throughout a range of genres. It doesn't matter if you're a fan of R&B, soul, gospel, funk, hip-hop, jazz or reggae. You'll find all of these styles and more at Essence Fest. The venue hosts hundreds of thousands of patrons and gained such international prominence that it was held in South Africa in 2016. Simultaneous performances are common as well.
StubHub is the place for all your Essence Festival ticketing needs. Thanks to stubhub.com's FanProject guarantee, you'll be able to purchase music festival tickets securely and with confidence. There is a convenient online portal at StubHub that you can use right from your desktop as well as a user-friendly mobile app that you can install on your phone.
Several artists shared the stage at Essence Festival over the years at past live events. Performers such as
Mary J. Blige
,
Pharrell Williams
,
Nas
and
Missy Elliott
have headlined at the event. The precise sounds from each performance will depend on the artist's musical style, but you can expect to find acts that include hip-hop, rap, rock and more.
Essence has hosted many well-known bands and artists over the years. The inaugural Essence Music Festival concert lineup included a stellar performance by the famous girl group Destiny's Child. Gospel singer
Yolanda Adams
was also chosen to headline some of the Essence Music Festival events.
Al Green
and
Alicia Keys
both appeared at the second version of the festival.
The Essence Music Festival typically takes place in the summer and close to the Independence Day holidays. In 2019, the festival schedule was over the Independence Day weekend. Festival management will announce the next Essence Festival dates as summer 2020 approaches. However, you will be able to book your festival tickets in advance at StubHub.
The Essence Music Festival setup features live shows across several stages simultaneously. In most cases, booths and vendors are placed throughout the area between the stages. In addition to great live music from artists and bands, patrons have the chance to enjoy other performances as well. A typical Essence Music Festival schedule will also include stand-up comedy acts or panel discussions on various issues surrounding the music industry and the world at large. Festival attendees are welcome to come to these performances and events as well.
Although many other genres are present as part of the Essence Music Festival schedule, fans of rap have had plenty of material to enjoy over the years. Past performances from some notable names in the industry include live concerts by
Tyrese
and
Estelle
.
Common
returned to his rapper roots as part of the Essence Music Festival's 2016 lineup as well.
Jidenna
appeared as part of the 2018 lineup on the
Superlounges
stage.