Essence has confirmed the cancellation of this year’s Essence Festival of Culture. The festival was set to begin on July 1, 2020 before being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, reports indicated that the festival would take place in October. Unfortunately, that will not happen because of the ongoing pandemic. Artists such as D Smoke, Ari Lennox, Summer Walker and others were set to perform in New Orleans this year.
“New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell bravely recommended yesterday that no large events take place in New Orleans in 2020, and ESSENCE fully supports that decision,” Essence’s Rachael Davis writes.
“After continued monitoring of the evolving developments in the COVID-19 global pandemic and remaining in close contact and collaboration with our partners in the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana, we are confirming today that we will no longer move forward with the 2020 ESSENCE Festival of Culture live experience – and look forward to returning to New Orleans in 2021,” she adds.
In place of their regularly scheduled festival in New Orleans, the media outlet plans on holding a virtual festival in July. The celebration will honor the festival’s longtime home, New Orleans, Louisiana. Essence has not yet announced who will perform in the innaugural virtual festival.
Essence Fest joins SXSW and Something In The Water as one of the few festivals to not only postpone their activities, but cancel their events altogether.
