Hotel bookings declined during the 2025 Essence Festival, signaling potential challenges for New Orleans’ tourism economy.

As criticism continues to roll in after Essence Fest, officials responded to the feedback Wednesday by offering a commitment to improve. Why it matters: The massive New Orleans-based festival is ...

The stage became a sanctuary for truth-telling and storytelling during the “Songs in the Key of Life: Navigating Identity and Dreams in Modern Fiction” panel at the 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture in ...

I vividly remember the very first National Fried Chicken Festival opening its gates in 2016 at a tiny park in New Orleans ...

Thirty years ago, what began as a one-time celebration of Black excellence has now grown into one of the most powerful ...

ESSENCE Festival of Culture celebrated Black excellence through music, entrepreneurship, and community—while responding to calls for growth.

Free programming during the celebration in NOLA provided tools, support, and access to care for festivalgoers trying to live ...

Columnist Will Sutton answers the question he keeps getting asked since Essence Fest: "What do you think should be done?" ...

The 2025 Essence Festival of Culture brought a weekend of empowerment, entertainment, music, and more! 12 News’ Kayla ...

Grammy-winner Lauryn Hill chipped in this week when her headline set at the Essence Festival in New Orleans was almost two hours late. She was to take the stage at 12:35 a.m. but she did not start ...

Haiti’s landmark Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince, a favorite haunt of writers and artists, was burned to the ground its proprietor Richard Morse said. The attack by gangs took place Saturday, July 6, ...

The Essence Festival was given a lot of comparisons to dumpster fires this year, and there's a surprising reason why.