NEW ORLEANS — For 30 years, the Essence Festival of Culture has brought together people from all walks of life and all over the world to connect through conversation, sharing experiences and, of course, music.
The nation’s largest annual celebration of black culture was set to conclude Sunday with musical performances by Janet Jackson and a special tribute to Frankie Beverly & Maze, the soul band that closed the event for the first 15 years of the festival. Beverly, now 77, has said he is retiring from live performances and the group has been on a farewell tour.
Others scheduled to perform included: Victoria MonetTeedra Moses, Tank and the Bangas, Dawn Richard, SWV, Jagged Edge, Bilal and Anthony Hamilton.
Barkue Tubman-Zawolo, chief of staff for talent and diaspora engagement at Essence Ventures, told The Associated Press that the festival connects the global black community.
“Historically, as black people, sometimes we don’t know where our heritage comes from,” Tubman-Zawolo said. “America is just one place. But within America, there’s a melting pot of different black cultures: African, Latin, European, Caribbean. When we understand that, our power can be even greater.”
Tubman-Zawolo said those connections were on display at this year’s film festival, held at the city’s convention center, where fans heard storytellers from Nigeria, Ghana and the Caribbean “who are spreading our stories about us, for us, globally.”
She saw similar connections on the Food and Wine stage, where the emphasis was on Caribbean and African cuisine; at Soko Market Place, where vendors from around the world showed off their craftsmanship; and on the Caesars Superdome stage, where Caribbean and African artists were spotlighted, including Trinidad’s Machel Montano and Nigeria’s Ayra Starr.
“That all happened in four days,” Tubman-Zawolo said. “But the great thing is it doesn’t stay here. (Fans) take it with them.”
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell said this year’s theme, “We Love Us,” was appropriate.
“The whole ‘We Love Us’ theme brought us together to build communities,” she said.
The festival’s impact on the city and state now exceeds $300 million, and more than 500,000 people have attended since 1994.
Essence started the festival to celebrate the magazine’s 25th anniversary.
“The locals are being incorporated in a way that we can see, touch, feel and smell. That’s been part of the evolution of Essence,” Cantrell said.
The event’s current lease expires in 2026, but Essence Ventures CEO Caroline Wanga has said the festival’s “forever home” is New Orleans.
“That’s what we believe,” Cantrell said. “We have a foundation that’s been built over 30 years. The city is always ready and prepared to host this event and more. I think staying in New Orleans is the best match and the best marriage, the best partnership.”