Missy Elliott, Pharrell, Mary J. Blige & more for Essence Festival 2019

For the past 25 years, the ESSENCE Festival has remained the country’s largest annual celebration of excellence in Black culture from every angle including music, film, fashion, television, beauty, politics, community activism and more. As we usher in a new era in entertainment and uplift the voices carrying the rich, legacy of Black music forward today, we will also take a look back in celebration of our 25th Festival and pay homage to those who have paved the way.

Hosted by comedian, talk show host and actress LONI LOVE over the fourth of July weekend in New Orleans, this year’s three-night concert series will feature a global celebration of Black music with performances from over 80 of the biggest names across multiple genres.

The 2019 line up includes: MISSY ELLIOTT, MARY J. BLIGE, H.E.R., BIG FREEDIA, CITY GIRLS, DAVIDO, GINUWINE, JACQUEES, LEDISI, MUSIQ SOULCHILD, NAS, NORMANI, PHARRELL WILLIAMS, QUEEN NAIJA, RONNIE, BOBBY, RICKY & MIKE, TEYANA TAYLOR, TIMBALAND, 702 and many more.

Essence Festival 2019 line up poster

Highlights will include special performances celebrating the 25th anniversary of Mary J. Blige’s My Life and Nas’ Illmatic, as well as a live album recording by Grammy Award-winning musician PJ MORTON featuring performances from JOJO, LUKE JAMES, THE HAMILTONES and more.

When the ESSENCE Festival was founded 25 years ago, it marked a pivotal moment of vision and reverence – a critical acknowledgement of and investment in the power of our culture. In the years since, it has set a standard that many other festivals have aspired to, and today, the ESSENCE Festival has grown to represent an annual homecoming for Black artists from across the globe. In honor of our 25th anniversary, nearly 30 artists per night over 3 epic nights will come together to mount the world’s largest and most extraordinary cultural celebration. To one and all, we say, ‘Welcome to ESSENCE. Welcome home

Michelle Ebanks, Chief Executive Officer of ESSENCE Communications