Reflecting on the monumental ESSENCE Festival Concert Series of 2018, we celebrate its remarkable success and the impact it had on Black women’s engagement around community, culture, and content. This event, which became a major milestone in the festival’s history, embodied the power of cultural unification and empowerment. It set a precedent for future ESSENCE Festivals in the years to follow. Now, as we stand in 2025, we look back on the festival’s unprecedented success while eagerly anticipating the future.
ESSENCE Festival Concert Series – A Historic Sell-Out
In 2018, the ESSENCE Festival® presented by Coca-Cola® brought more than 510,000 attendees to New Orleans over the Fourth of July weekend. This marked one of the largest gatherings in the event’s 24-year history. For the first time ever, all three nights of the ESSENCE Festival concert series at the Louisiana Superdome sold out. This remarkable turnout underscored ESSENCE’s engagement of Black women around community, culture, and content.
An Extraordinary Gathering
“This extraordinary gathering of nearly half a million attendees–on the eve of the ESSENCE Festival’s 25th anniversary–speaks to the unmatched convening power of our culture,” said Michelle Ebanks, then President of Essence Communications. The annual 4-day Festival, which took place from July 5-8, combined entertainment, empowerment, and cultural experiences to create a unique content experience.
Highlights of the Event
- Over 100 performers, including Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg, graced the stages of the Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
- More than 100 influencers, leaders, creators, and celebrities participated in the Festival’s daytime experience – rebranded as ‘Conference &” target=”_blank”>; Expos’ with programming eight tracks spanning Beauty &; Style to Business &; Entrepreneurship.
- For the first time, simultaneous live streams of the daytime experience were broadcasted on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, alongside an ESSENCE Snapchat Live special.
- Expanded consumer Expos such as the ‘Beauty Carnival” and ‘Entertainment All-Access’ drew thousands each day to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
- The Festival’s traditional ‘Day of Service’ focused on the theme “Adopt-a-Neighborhood – Central City,” encompassing youth center beautification projects, as well as empowerment and entrepreneurship workshops for women &; girls.
For a full recap of all the exciting moments from the 2018 ESSENCE Festival, visit ESSENCE.com.
As we celebrate the past and look forward to the future, we can’t wait to see what the next ESSENCE Festival has in store for us.
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