Was it the concerts? The free giveaways? The hour-long lines? Ask five people what the Essence Festival of Culture is, and you'll probably get five different answers. I spent three days inside the ...

NEW ORLEANS — A stretch of Conti near Bourbon Street remained closed Monday as Entergy crews worked to repair an underground electrical vault that caught fire late on the Fourth of July. Entergy and ...

After taking over New Orleans and bringing together some of the biggest names in Black Hollywood, ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2026 has come to an end. Over the weekend, panels hosted by icons from ...

The ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2026 has taken over New Orleans. As always, we’ve kept an eye on the best fashion looks from the weekend. The ESSENCE Festival of Culture 2026 (July 3-5) has been ...

We are fast approaching the quarter-millennial anniversary of the revolutionary document that announced the birth of the United States of America to the world. The Declaration of Independence ...

Will less music be more at the 2026 Essence Festival of Culture? Last year, the Essence concerts at the Caesars Superdome packed in as many as eight acts per night. That was one reason two of the ...

Tens of thousands of people are expected to flock to New Orleans this weekend to bask in the glory of Black excellence. The crowd — mostly women — will hear Michelle Obama speak and watch performances ...

The former CEO of Essence Ventures has claimed in a lawsuit that the leadership of the Essence Festival of Culture failed to properly defend her from criticism for last year's issue-ridden event, an ...

Essence Festival of Culture leaders repeated their commitment to New Orleans earlier this month as they announced another star-studded lineup and a new podcast competition for the July event. “This is ...

Michelle Obama, former First Lady, will kick off Essence Festival 2026's evening concert series. Essence Fest is expanding to include Book Fest, Film Fest, and Creator and Podcast Fest. Michelle's ...

For decades, Michelle Obama and ESSENCE have existed in conversation with one another—through magazine covers, keynote interviews, and cultural moments that stretched far beyond politics and into the ...

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Michelle Obama will open the 2026 Essence Festival of Culture’s Evening Concert Series this summer in New Orleans, organizers announced Tuesday. Obama will appear July 3 at the ...