Essence’s chief executive officer said she’s been asked multiple times whether the Essence Festival of Culture is staying in New Orleans. On Thursday, Caroline Wanga made the answer to that question very clear.
Before the pandemic hiatus sparked the festival’s virtual birth, it had been held in New Orleans every year except in 2006 when it moved to Houston while the Superdome was being repaired following Hurricane Katrina. Its virtual experience has drawn more than 100 million views, organizers have said.
This year, they also noted it will be the first time they’re offering a live component and the option to connect virtually. Hulu will be the official streaming platform for the festival, providing select programming, including panel discussions and nightly musical performances. The livestream will run Friday through Sunday from 7 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. CDT.
Cantrell thanked Essence and its corporate partners for returning to the city “to invest in our communities and our neighborhoods.”Since its inception, the festival has been a huge summer economic driver for the city. In past years, it’s had a $200 million impact on city revenues and was expected to draw that or more this year, tourism officials said.
Kelly Schulz, a spokeswoman for New Orleans and Company, which tracks hotel occupancy in the French Quarter and central business district, said hotels are expected to be about 90% full Friday and Saturday and around 80% on Sunday, the festival’s closing night. The occupancy numbers mirror or are near those reported in 2019, the last time the festival held an in-person event.
“Having the festival return is hugely significant,” Schulz said. “There’s been a lot of pent up demand for this in New Orleans, but not just from our hotels. It’s coming from our restaurants, our music clubs, the shops, the artists, the tour groups.” She added, “We are ecstatic Essence is back on our calendar and excited to have them here.”
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