Is Essence Fest leaving New Orleans? The 2027 festival's home is still “undecided”
The festival's multiyear deal with the city has ended. New Orleans has offered one more year, but Essence's owners want a longer partnership and have been talking to other cities.
For more than 30 years, the Fourth of July weekend has meant one thing for Black culture: Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans. Now the 2027 edition doesn't have a confirmed home.
The festival's multiyear agreement with the city ran out in September, according to Axios New Orleans and WDSU. The city has offered a one-year extension. Sundial Media Group, which owns Essence and is led by CEO Kirk McDonald, wants a longer deal where both sides invest.
Essence has also been talking to other cities. Reports name Houston and Atlanta, and NOLA.com says Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, New York and Nashville have been in the conversation too. One idea on the table is a year-round Essence presence in south-east Louisiana, which would need at least $10 million from local, state and corporate backers. Sundial says that part is optional.
- Festival
- Essence Festival of Culture
- Home since
- 1995 · New Orleans
- Status
- Multiyear deal ended Sept 2026
- City's offer
- One-year extension
- Other cities in talks
- Houston, Atlanta and more
City leaders say they're looking hard at what the festival brings back financially at a time when money is tight. Sundial says it has paid more than $11 million to Louisiana partners, and more than 90% of its Louisiana-based vendors have been paid.
Nothing has been decided yet, and both sides are still talking. For a lot of fans, though, those Superdome nights are a big part of what makes Essence feel like Essence.
Should Essence stay in New Orleans, or is it time for a new city?
