ESSENCE Festival is bringing the heat this summer with their 31st edition across the board. There will be tons of big-ticket performers hitting the stage both in music and in pop culture. However, this particular year is a big one for the brand, especially when it comes to their long running magazine. In 2025, the publication turns 55 years old, a true testament to how successful they've been culturally speaking. As ESSENCE put it in their announcement of this year's festival, "[it] will be both a time capsule and a forward-looking celebration — honoring the legacy that began on the page and now lives boldly on the stage."
The message for this rendition is also a powerful one: "We are Made Like This." It's to show how vital Black culture is in general. As the outlet says, "It speaks to the generations of Black brilliance that have shaped the world and continue to move it forward." It's all going down in the Crescent City (New Orleans, Louisiana) and will be from July 4-6. Caesars Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center are going to be the major stages that will allow for every performer and speaker at the event to truly make their voices heard.
ESSENCE Festival 2025 Details
Speaking of which, this year's lineup is quite impressive. Per Billboard, the names that will surely draw in plenty of spectators will be GloRilla, Summer Walker, Muni Long, Master P, and more. Nas, Buju Banton, Boyz II Men, Davido, The Isley Brothers, and Jermaine Dupri are a few more. The record executive is also hosting a very special tribute for the late great Quincy Jones called "ESSENCE Flowers." It's going to "bring together artists who’ve sampled, studied or shared space with the music titan."
You can buy tickets now wherever is easiest for you, but Ticketmaster in particular is the place to go for them. For now though, it appears that no sort of admission is available at the time of writing. Hopefully, more information will arise sooner than later. We do want to congratulate ESSENCE, though. Not only is another year of the festival coming, but they have managed to maintain a strong presence within music, and the media space overall.
