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Singer and actress Teyana Taylor, left, speaks with New Orleans mayor Helena Moreno, right, after an Essence Festival of Culture press conference at the Caesars Superdome on Friday, June 5, 2026. In between them is Coco Gilbert, co-founder of Taylor's creative collective The Aunties.Μύ

In just a few weeks, New Orleans will once again host the a major event that has called Louisiana home for more than 30 years.

Essence Fest got a last year. , going into the . Production and sound quality weren’t good. Fans expected the years-long, free-access Superlounge experiences to provide more intimate programming, but they were angry when they learned those spaces were available, with premium VIP ticketed access.

Essence has to do better. I said so last year.

They’ve been working to deliver an improved Essence Festival this year.

β€œLast year, I made a promise to Will that I would stay connected and share the progress that we make and the things that we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it and how we’re going to continue to invest here in the Essence Festival of Culture …,” Essence executive Richelieu Dennis said on May 12 when he was in the city with other Essence leaders to announce the addition of former first lady Michelle Obama to the program.

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Times-Picayune columnist Will Sutton on Thursday, September 12, 2019.

After the debacles that damaged the Essence Festival brand, despite several good high points that got overshadowed, I laid out several ideas for Essence and others to consider moving forward. I reviewed some of those with Dennis during an interview on WBOK’s Good Morning Show recently.

CONSISTENT ESSENCE LEADERSHIP. I suggested that we should know , who to listen to, who might be here six to eight times a year. Dennis said Chief Community Officer Barkue Tubman and others have been in New Orleans monthly and sometimes twice monthly, with a focus on their C3 community commerce program. He said they’ve worked to be more visible. I’ve seen Sundial Media CEO Kirk McDonald here a few times.

ESSENCE HOUSE. Open an Essence House, or something called The Essence Vibe, a year-round operation to establish a 365-day presence. β€œI think the idea is a good one,” he said. β€œWe’ve got to build up to it.” They need the right infrastructure, rebuilding relationships and establishing an ecosystem for it, he said. Maybe next year.

ESTABLISH A LOCAL COMMITTEE.Μύ with no one on the committee receiving financial remuneration. In late March, Moreno announced the creation of an . Dennis said there’s also a host committee and they’re developing subject-specific groups.

ENGAGE BLACK MEDIA.ΜύBetter connect with local Black media. β€œBlack media is under attack” with less financial and other support, threatening an important part of informing Black communities and growing Black talent. β€œWe’ve got to find ways to work together …” he said. ”We’ve got to collectively find more ways to spend with Black media.” Essence said they will make Black media buys.

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Richelieu Dennis speaks during an ESSENCE Festival of Culture media event announcing new experiences and programming for the festival at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

Meanwhile, Helena Moreno heard the 2025 concerns expressed by too many people when she was a City Council member. She’s now Mayor Helena Moreno, and she’s got questions.

In a March letter to Essence, Moreno provided a β€œformal notice of certain immediate interventions to be implemented leading up to this year’s Festival,” including:

  • A β€œmutual finalization and approval of master Essence consolidated budget” with β€œall revenue sources” and β€œexpense projections” β€” within 10 days.

  • β€œ(I)ndependent, third-party verification and certification” that last year’s vendors have been paid in full β€” within 10 days.

  • Submit β€œbiweekly financial reports” to the city or a city designee, including β€œexpenses incurred, payments made, outstanding liabilities and line- item budget variances” β€” starting March 16.

  • Submit β€œexecuted artist agreements,” including with information about deposits, terms, a venue license agreement and a marketing plan β€” by March 16.

  • Have a β€œmutually agreeable, experienced major event Executive Producer” β€” by March 27

There’s more, but I couldn’t get answers about these points.

When asked whether Essence had an official response addressing these matters, I got some answers early Friday. I understand that the city hasn’t received a written response, though there have been some insights shared, but nothing close to dealing with each item.

That’s unfortunate.

Essence has proposed a $10-$12 million financial commitment from New Orleans, the Louisiana Legislature and entities that don’t want to see the festival leave when the agreement ends a few weeks after this year’s festival. Essence wants to expand, to become Essence 365, to do some of the things I’ve suggested β€” and more.

I’m certain there are internal documents and proprietary information Essence would prefer not to hand over, but some respect has been lost and some trust has been broken. This is a part of rebuilding what’s been lost and broken.

A lot is riding on this year’s festival. It’ll be hard to move toward anything close to a $10-$12 million request without tremendous success July 3-5.

We need a fabulous festival, something that makes it easy for everyone to quickly commit to a bullet-proof, long-term agreement β€” a binding, legal promise that goes beyond Will Sutton to all of New Orleans and beyond.

24/7/365.

Email Will Sutton at wsutton@theadvocate.com.

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