Just a few weeks ago, Essence announced their plans to move forward with the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture scheduled to take place July 1-5 in New Orleans. However, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, especially in New Orleans and surrounding areas, the festival has announced that they are postponing the event for the public’s safety and searching for a new date to hold the festival in the fall.
“Based on developments over the past couple of weeks, including updates from our city and health partners, we are officially announcing that we will move the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture closer to the fall,” ESSENCE says in a statement. “As we previously indicated, we were already moving forward with identifying and securing alternate dates and will be prepared to announce those shortly. We are excited to share that previously announced talent will remain in our line-up for the postponed dates, and we will honor all tickets sold for prior scheduled performances. Continue to visit www.essencefestival.com for new updates.”
“The ESSENCE Festival of Culture is a beloved and highly-anticipated time of year in the City of New Orleans,” adds New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “At the forefront of everything we do, public health and public safety are always our top priorities. With the significant spread of COVID-19, we are taking every precaution in the best interest of our residents, visitors, and all who attend and make ESSENCE the worldwide phenomenon that it is. We look forward to welcoming everyone back—from near and far—and express our deepest gratitude to all who are helping our city, state and nation get through this rapidly-evolving crisis.”
Performers for this year’s ESSENCE Festival included Janet Jackson, Bruno Mars, Summer Walker, Janelle Monae, Patti Labelle and many more.