For thousands of Black women, ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans is not just a weekend on the calendar. It is a reunion, a celebration, and for many, an annual rite of summer that only gets sweeter with each return trip. Kimberly Kelsely Johnson enjoyed her first ESSENCE festival this year, and the experience has clearly left an impression. “This is my first year, and I have enjoyed it,” she says, showcasing the excitement so many newcomers feel once they step into the fold.
For others, the pull back to New Orleans never fades. Wilma Freeman, who is celebrating her birthday on July 4th, has made the event an annual ritual. “This is my third trip to ESSENCE. It never fails,” she says. This time around, she made a point of sharing the tradition with new faces. “This year, we brought two people who have never been to ESSENCE before,” she added, extending the circle a little wider.
That instinct to keep the tradition alive shows up across friend groups year after year. Kristen Stewart’s crew treats the festival like an unofficial reunion. “We’ve been coming for years. I’m here with several of my line sisters, some college friends, we’re all Aggies,” she says, referring to alumni of North Carolina A&T State University. For her, the draw goes beyond any single set or panel. “We just love an opportunity to be together, and be around other like-minded Black people,” she adds. And with programming spanning music, beauty, culture, and business, she summed it up simply. “There’s something for everyone.”
For Madena Pingya, this year’s trip doubles as a birthday celebration, and she cannot picture a better place to mark it with her friends. “I love the people and community,” she says, naming what keeps drawing her back. “It’s a non-stop party,” Pingya adds. “The memories are unforgettable.”
Her friend Elizabeth Green agrees. “What better place to celebrate Black excellence, Black women, culture, plus it’s my girl’s birthday and this is the most welcoming place we could do that. She added that nothing else quite matches the feeling. “The community is unmatched compared to anywhere else.”
Green also pointed to something bigger than her friend group alone, something that spans generations and circles. “Being here with the people you love, whether it’s the guys or alumni, is what makes ESSENCE Festival such a unique event for our community and really the world,” she says.
From first-timers like Johnson to devoted veterans like Stewart, Freeman, Pingya, and Green, one thing is clear. ESSENCE Festival is the ultimate girls’ trip, one that women plan their entire summer around, and once they experience it, they rarely come just once.
