Every July, New Orleans transforms into the epicenter of Black culture, music, and empowerment as hundreds of thousands descend upon the city for ESSENCE Festival of Culture.
While the main stage will light up this year with artists such as Babyface, Jill Scott, Maxwell and Master P, there’s an entire ecosystem of programming happening throughout the weekend that features emerging artists, thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and creators who may not have platinum plaques but definitely have something important to say. Are you a foodie? The Food and Wine Festival has you covered. Trying to break into Hollywood? Well, we’ve got Hollywood House for that. We’ve even got something for the fellas at Suede.
As an editor at ESSENCE, I constantly get asked: How do you get booked at the festival if you’re not already famous (or know someone, who knows someone that’s famous)? The truth is, getting programming at ESSENCE Fest is more accessible than most people think, but it requires a completely different approach than what most talent tries (and that does not involve sliding in my DMs or approaching me when you see me at a party!).
First and foremost, asking me this question in June, when the festival is in July is problem #1. Behind the scenes at one of the world’s largest festivals means programming decisions aren’t happening over last-minute pitch emails. They grow out of relationships we’ve built with sources, experts, and voices throughout the entire year. When we’re sitting in programming meetings months before the festival, we’re not scrolling through random Instagram DMs or cold emails. We’re thinking about the people who have consistently shown up as valuable contributors to our content.
As my colleague, Nandi Howard, VP of Content at ESSENCE, put it, “The best way to get booked at festival is to reach out to an editor beforehand. Form a relationship with the staff, work on other projects, lend yourself as a source. A lot of times, when talent is booked for festival it’s because they have fostered a relationship internally.”
This means the path to ESSENCE Fest starts with becoming someone we can count on year-round. When breaking news happens in your field, are you the person offering thoughtful analysis? When we’re working on stories about financial literacy, entrepreneurship, wellness, or relationships, do we think of you as someone who brings unique insight? That’s how festival programming actually gets built.
The festival covers an incredible range of programming from our iconic mainstage concerts to intimate panels on everything from building generational wealth to navigating modern relationships. We have beauty activations, wellness experiences, entrepreneurship workshops, and conversations about social justice. If you have expertise or a story that aligns with these themes, there’s potentially a place for your voice.
But here’s where most people get it wrong. They wait until we start promoting the festival lineup to start reaching out about July programming, not realizing that we’ve been having planning conversations since the previous fall. By the time you’re sending that perfectly crafted pitch in the spring, most of our programming framework is already set.
The timing piece is crucial, but the relationship building is everything. We work with people we trust, people who understand our audience, and people who have proven they can deliver value beyond just their own personal brand agenda. When someone has been a reliable source for stories throughout the year, contributed thoughtful commentary on cultural moments, or helped us connect with other interesting voices, they naturally become part of our festival conversation.
Your approach should be genuinely helpful rather than transactional. Instead of leading with what you want from us, think about what you can offer. Do you have insights that could strengthen our coverage? Can you connect us with other interesting people in your network? Are you creating content or doing work that aligns with ESSENCE’s mission in a way that might be valuable to our audience?
Social media engagement matters too, but not in the way most people think. Thoughtful comments on our articles, sharing our content with genuine context, and engaging in meaningful conversations about the topics we cover all help establish you as someone who gets what we’re about. When programming season comes around, you’re already on our radar as someone who understands the brand and audience.
The festival programming extends far beyond what happens at the convention center. We have beauty experiences, brand activations, intimate performances, and off-site events throughout New Orleans. Each of these requires different types of talent and expertise, creating multiple entry points for involvement depending on your particular skills and story.
Your personal narrative is incredibly important in this process. ESSENCE Festival of Culture celebrates Black excellence, but the most powerful programming often comes from authentic personal stories rather than generic expertise. What makes your journey unique? How does your experience connect to broader themes that would resonate with our audience?
Remember that festival programming is just one piece of what we do at ESSENCE. The relationships you build with our editorial team can lead to other event appearances such as Fashion House, Hollywood House or our GU Summit, not to mention written features (whether as a contributor, or the person being featured), social media collaborations, and invitations to other events throughout the year.
Think of festival involvement as part of a longer-term relationship rather than a one-off opportunity and that’ll be the key to getting up there on that stage in no time!
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® will take place July 3-6. For more information and updates on the festival, visit our website and follow us on social media @ESSENCEFest on X, Facebook, and Instagram.