Log in

Janet Jackson to play 2024 Essence Fest instead of the Smoothie King Center this summer

Posted 5/6/24

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Janet Jackson will make her fourth appearance at the 2024 Essence Festival of Culture this summer in New Orleans.

Jackson was originally scheduled to headline the Smoothie …

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue.

Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here

Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

To Our Valued Readers –

Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.

For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.

Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.

Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.

Sincerely,
Charlene Bisson, Publisher, Independent Newsmedia

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Janet Jackson to play 2024 Essence Fest instead of the Smoothie King Center this summer

Posted

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Janet Jackson will make her fourth appearance at the 2024 Essence Festival of Culture this summer in New Orleans.

Jackson was originally scheduled to headline the Smoothie King Center on July 23 as part of her Together Again Summer 2024 tour, but her plans have changed. The appearance was canceled and now she's a scheduled headliner for one of the three nights of concerts as part of the annual festival, which this year runs from July 5 through July 7 in the Superdome, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported.

Essence has not said on which date Jackson will perform.

Jackson previously performed at the event in 2010, 2018 and 2022. The last show sold out all 48,500 seats and was reportedly the highest grossing night in the festival's 30-year history.

Last week, Essence revealed that a reunion of the Cash Money Millionaires collective of rappers affiliated with the New Orleans label would take place during the festival. However, no artists have been specified beyond Cash Money co-founder Bryan “Baby” Williams, aka Birdman.

Festival producers have been rolling out the roster for the event piecemeal. Some Essence fans have taken to social media to express frustration with the late start and unusual one-at-a-time reveal, the newspaper reported.

In addition to the nightly concerts inside the Superdome, the festival will include programming on networking, finance, careers, wellness, fashion, beauty and more at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and other venues citywide.

Launched in 1995 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Essence magazine, the festival has evolved into the world’s largest celebration of Black women, culture and communities, convening more than 530,000 people annually over the July Fourth weekend in New Orleans, Essence Communications Inc. has said.