The 16th Annual Essence Music Festival held in New Orleans on this past July 4th long weekend turned out to be a very successful event and probably one of the best attended since its inception. Hotels were sold out, the concerts held at the Superdome were packed and thousands of people poured through the Morial Convention Centre to attend free empowerment and relationship seminars and to shop at the wide range of vendor booths.
The three night concert line-up included a top-notch list of performers including, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and Janet Jackson, whose rare concert appearances may have certainly encouraged many people to attend this year's festival.
Still rebuilding from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans was thriving with celebrities. Many were there to perform, while others pushed their products and/or books. Bell Biv DeVoe, Ginuwine, and MC Lyte were just a few of the many artists who treated convention centre attendees to free concerts. One of the busiest celebrities was Mary J. Blige, who not only performed in concert at the Superdome, but was also seen making her rounds through the convention centre where she had booths to promote her new fragrance, My Life, and her new line of Sunglasses, Melodies, due to launch this fall.
The Walmart and Ford booths were popular interview spots where celebrities such as Janet Jackson, Sherri Shepherd, Co-Host of the View, Actor Boris Kodjoe, Singers Raphael Saadiq, Monica, Trey Songz, and Melanie Fiona all spent time talking about their projects.
This year marks the 40th celebration of the Essence Magazine which caters to empowering Black Women.
Janet Jackson
Mary J Blige
Bell Biv DeVoe
Estelle
View more videos from this event on my YouTube channel under CAAllen1
No comments:
Post a Comment