Chris Brown performing on the new main stage face-lift at the 2008 Essence Music Festival |
|
| Location(s) | New Orleans, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1995 - present |
| Date(s) | July |
| Genre | various |
| Website | Essence.com |
Essence Music Festival is an annual music festival celebrating contemporary African American music and culture. It is the largest event celebrating African American culture and music in the United States.[1] It has been held in New Orleans, Louisiana every year since 1995 except for 2006, where it was held in Houston, Texas due to Hurricane Katrina. Essence Music Festival, known locally as Essence Fest, is sponsored by Essence, a magazine aimed primarily towards African-American women.
The 14th Essence Music Festival, held from July 4 to July 6, 2008, featured several chart-topping artists and some Essence favorites, among them Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Chris Rock, Kanye West, Patti LaBelle, Chris Brown, LL Cool J, Grand Master Flash and Mary J. Blige.
Beyoncé Knowles headlined the 2009 Essence Music Festival, which would make her the longest-headlining female of the music festival. Knowles had over 72,000 attendees, which was Essence's first completely sold-out concert in its 15-year history. Janet Jackson made headlines when she shattered Knowles' attendance record during the 16th Essence Music Festival, held from July 2 to July 4, 2010, commanding a history-making 72,668 member audience, which completely sold out the Louisiana Superdome with a first-ever waiting list for the Festival. Seats were sold behind the stage. According to the Associated Press, "Janet Jackson enthralled the Essence Music Festival audience Friday, kept them on their feet for more than two hours and reminded fans why seeing her in concert was worth waiting two years."[2]
For the first time since its 1995 inception, the festival was not produced by the original producer team. Instead, Essence Communications, owner of the festival and the Essence magazine, contracted Rehage Entertainment Inc., to help reinvigorate the festival's presentation and marketing. A new main stage face-lift was designed by production designer Stefan Beese and instituted by the new regime at Essence Communications & Rehage Entertainment for the 2008 Essence Music Festival.
Traxx Girls Inc has partnered with Studfish productions to offset the first annual Essence Weekend for Ladies edition of Essence music festival by hosting events for the alternative lifestyle women who enjoy attending Essence Music Festival weekend but want to attend events that cater to alternative women.[3]