The 2025 Essence Festival Lineup is one of the most star studded events in recent years. The 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® is back for another year in New Orleans from Friday July 4th to Sunday July 6th, this time with a theme: Made Like This! This year also serves as a celebration of 55 years of Essence.
The evening concerts will be hosted by Anthony Anderson and Kenny Burns. Headliners for the evening shows will be Boyz II Men, Davido, Master P and Maxwell.
Additional performers are still being revealed but already confirmed are a slew of legends in both R&B and Rap. Donelle Jones is set to take the stage, along with performances from The Isley Brothers, Summer Walker and Muni Long. Nas will also have an incredible performance, with an additional appearance from GloRilla.
Reggae superstar Buju Banton is another enticing artist on this year’s lineup.
Fans can also look forward to another one of a kind moment at this year’s event. Grammy Award-winning super producer Jermaine Dupri presents “ESSENCE Flowers”, a once-in-a-lifetime moment to celebrate the cherished legacy of Quincy Jones, bringing together artists who’ve sampled, studied, or shared space with the music titan.
To celebrate the 55th anniversary of ESSENCE Magazine, the Festival will debut new experiences while bringing back beloved staples, including: ESSENCE Food & Wine Festival™, BEAUTYCON™: @ESSENCEFEST Edition, AFROPUNK BLKTOPIA™, ESSENCE Film Festival® by ESSENCE STUDIOS™, ESSENCE Stage™, SOKO MRKT™ by ESSENCE®, ESSENCE Authors™, ESSENCE® GU® Kickback, and GBEF® HQ.
The 2024 Essence Festival lineup included Birdman and a Cash Money Reunion, with Lil Wayne. Meanwhile in 2023, the headliners included Megan Thee Stallion, Ms. Lauryn Hill and Missy Elliott.
