This year’s 30th Anniversary of ESSENCE Fest was an energy-elevating extravaganza bustling with well-moisturized vibes, snazzy street fashions, Big Easy baddies, delicious NOLA nom noms, star-studded soirées, and epic experiences that we absolutely had to share with you below:
ESSENCE Of Black Men With Tank & Larry Morrow
Prime Video and Culture Rated hosted a swanky soirée ‘celebrating Black men who are living out their purpose and striving for excellence every single day.’
Special guests included Aldis Hodge (star of CROSS), Cory Hardrict (star of Divorce In The Black), Luke James (star of THEM: The Scare), LeToya Luckett, Candice Grace, and more who enjoyed good vibes, authentic NOLA eats, and fellowship at Hide/Seek.
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Disney House
The entertainment giant raised the experience bar with amazing food (the crab claws! The lobster mac & cheese!), interactive stations including a bouquet-making Bloom Bar, immersive photo booths, and more at its luxurious Disney House.
We also had a ball at Disney’s exquisite Brunch In New Orleans with special guests Toya Johnson, Tank of Tank & The Bangas, and Princess Tiana herself along with delicious food and the best gift of the weekend: beignet-scented Mickey ears:
And, finally, ESSENCE Fest guests were invited to make memories at the interactive Disney activation with big surprises, special appearances, photo ops, giveaways, and more.
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Club Quarantine Live After Dark
D-Nice and Kenny Burns had the Fillmore rockin’ with classic JAMS and performances by Raheem DeVaughn, Eric Benét, Sunshine Anderson, Ruff Endz, Mike Phillips, J. Valentine, and more.
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SheaMoisture Bonds And Bounce Welcome Dinner
Guests were treated to a live performance by NOLA legend and bounce icon Big Freedia followed by dinner and dancing at Hotel St. Vincent.
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SheaMoisture’s 5th Annual Women En Blanc Honors
Shea Moisture and Smirnoff teamed up with Insights Marketing for the 5th Annual Women En Blanc Honors Brunch which honored Tabitha Brown, Gina Woods, Keya Grant, Dr. Ni’Cola Mitchell, Flau’Jae, Gina White, Daniel Surrency Jones, Felecia Hatcher, Keanna Henson, and Dr. Jeri Godhigh.
Hosted by Simone Jordan, Head of Purpose & Brand Partnerships at Sundial Brands, the all-white affair is lauded as one of the most coveted ticketed events of July 4th weekend.
Camp Shea
The global beauty leader also turned heads with a camp-themed activation with giveaways, hair-braiding stations, and special performances.
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Other Convention Center standouts were Tones of Melanin and Mielle Organics’ MielleVerse.
Tones Of Melanin
Tones of Melanin combines collegiate streetwear and vintage fashion as one of the fastest-growing HBCU apparel brands online.
MielleVerse
The thriving haircare brand attracted seas of guests with special guest appearances, exclusive giveaways, and a mind-blowing AI-powered photo booth.
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Chief To Chief with Vice President Kamala Harris and ESSENCE Magazine President/CEO Caroline A. Wanga
Kamala Harris addressed our nation’s biggest challenges in an informative conversation with Carolina A. Wanga.