Essence Festival of Culture Tickets

I and 8 of my friends attended Essence Fest 2023 and were highly disappointed. The lineup for the shows was all wrong on all 3 nights. Lauren Hill had everyone waiting and sleeping. When she did decide to come out, the performance was horrible. The band was louder than she was. There were no super lounges, the whole experience from what I remember from before was not satisfactory and my friends were cheated of a great Essence experience.

This Essence was actually a bit of a let down..Jill Scott made it worth the price of a ticket however...everyone else seemed rushed

I love the Essence but this time I was disappointed in the sound/audio department.The sounds were terrible for most of the artists in the arena. I also think they should bring the soundstages back because forces people in the seats for 5 hours to see artists that’s possibly late is uncomfortable and brings the energy down. We can tell when they were stalling us out. Lauryn Hill was truly a disappointment to her fan base and it’s actually sad. I don’t know if I will be returning back any time soon.

If you're looking for a space of culture with an open mind that literally caters to everyone. This is your event highly recommended.

Overall, it was a good experience but I paid to see Tems on Friday and she was switched in the lineup to Sunday, two days before flying out. I didn’t appreciate the short notice

This was my first time attending Essence Fest. I’ve heard so much about the event from others, therefore I had my expectations set. However, there’s nothing like experiencing it for yourself. The days were filled with so much activities, the vibe from others was great. It felt like a big family reunion. There was something for everyone. The panelist were on point, the variation of concert performers catered to the various age groups of attendees. Overall, it was a great experience. I look forward to attending in 2024.

So much great information & activities! Was refreshing to see US doing our thing and crushing it!! Definitely will return next year, and the next....

came for night 3. Loved Eve, Muni, Tems and Wayne. After that i was ready to go. Meg was egregiously late but Wayne made up for it.

No one wants to listen to music at 2:00 in the morning - this is the only reason why I gave 3 stars. Respect my time. Don’t think just because I paid for tickets that I will sit through a million acts. I walked out when I got tired of listening. You should have had less in the lineup or open Super Lounges back up so the concerts are not too long. I enjoyed the activities at the Convention Center more than the concerts. I thought Saturday’s show was better than Friday’s and I love Hip Hop especially the older acts. Nice to see KRS 1, Ice Cube, but T.I, Ludacris, Lil Jon had great performances. Jill Scott and Missy were awesome. By the time Sunday came I gave my tickets to my daughter and her friend. I don’t think I will do a 3 day pass again. Overall we had a great time. It was our wedding anniversary ❤️

More then I expected. Real talent. You really get your money worth.

Essence have always been an experience . People have their own review and personal opinions but just know I will be back next year for all 3 days and this time floor seats

Loved the performers, my only concern is not having the super lounges. Since the concert started around 7pm, we didn't leave the superdome until 2am. Being at a concert for a whole 7 hours is A LOT and tiresome. Line up of performers came out late as well, we didn't see it until we were already in the superdome and it would have been nice to have that ahead of time. Otherwise, women's bathroom lines were long on Friday but not as much Saturday. I saw the outside portapotties but it was dark outside and would have been hard to see anything inside.

This was my 3rd time at the Essence Festival. I had a great time, but my experience wasn't as good as my previous two trips (Janet, Uncle Charlie, Prince). The acts were great, but there was too much down time between acts, sometimes at least 30 minutes. Both Friday and Saturday, the headlining act didn't start until at least 1 AM. There were many mature fans in my section and the sections around me asleep and ended up leaving during the headlining act. There was great anticipation for Lauren Hill, but the sound quality was bad - hard to hear her over the band. It sounded like garbled noise, and based on the volume of people streaming out of the stadium during her performance, by the end of her act, half the people - at least, would have left. Much better sound quality in the arena the second night. Jill Scott was amazing. Missy gave a Superbowl type performance, but again starting at 1 AM was tough. On Sunday, I watched on Hulu and really enjoyed the interviews between acts. That should have been broadcast between acts to the arena audience. I hope the Super Lounges come back because that would mitigate the down time and get the headliner on by 11 PM. I do plan on returning, but I will say this. If the direction the Essence Festival goes leans toward the music of Sunday's headliner, I will stop attending. Although there is a market for her music, and a venue for it for her fans, I found it highly disappointing that a magazine about empowerment and uplifting black women in American society, choose to close the entire festival with an act that was a lude and raunchy performance. And to be fair, I'd feel the same way if Essence closed with Too Live Crew (who's act would be tamer than hers). I was embarrassed for what was a classy Essence Magazine. A review of the earlier side stage interview with Yo Yo and the performer who's name escapes me, foreshadowed their own disgust with the upcoming headliner choice of Essence. I hope the music choices of 2024 get's back to the core values of Essence. I will definitely wait to see the line up before deciding to attend. I hope to return.

Overall, the Essence Festival was AMAZING. I have every intention on going again next year. There were a couple things that could have different, but I had a great time.

First time and I’m hook. Love it all. Attended all 3 concerts. Looking forward to next year!

Enjoyed EssenceFest to the max. Amazing artist and love the surprise elements. Dougie Fresh, Lil John, Missy, and Wayne shut it DOWN for me. The Superdome has gotten money hungry. The seat changes to pack in as many as possible is the most uncomfortable setup ever. I know it's for Saints games, but good grief. Essence didn't have super lounges this year so sitting there for 6+ hours was torcher. Even getting up and walking, concession visits, and bathroom runs....it was not exciting to climb back in that seat.

The line up was catered to a younger crowd- as always the stage is too far. It would be better to place the stage in the center. Built up high and the band can be on the floor. Additionally, the sound was horrible. The video and the sound had a 1 or 2 seconds delay.

During the concerts there should be a dj to keep energy during transition between acts and less talking by various partners. Those conversations can be addressed during daily forums or even 30 minutes before showtime.

I would love to purchase some floor seats I was sitting way to high other than that the show was awesome

This was a wonderful getaway. So much love in the room and the performers were great. The only downsides were but knowing the lineup of performers before tickets were purchased and the concerts were late.