According to The Grio, this year’s Essence Festival is expected to break last year’s attendance record of 543,000 attendees. The festival which is celebrating the 20th anniversary on the July Fourth weekend, brings people from around the world to New Orleans to experience different levels of entertainment presented by Essence magazine.
The Essence Festival is the largest live event in the U.S., with attendance six times that of Coachella and seven times that of SXSW. This year, there are 80 artists performing on 11 stages as the four-day event features entertainment, empowerment, and cultural experiences during the day and performances each night. Entertainers scheduled include Prince, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Lionel Richie, Nas, and The Roots.
Last year’s festival was Essence’s largest and most successful ever as it hosted 543,000 attendees and brought in $231 million in revenue for the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana. The festival takes place July 3 through July 6 in New Orleans.