- Posted January 2, 2026
A catastrophic fire tore through a packed bar in the Swiss Alps shortly after the start of the new…
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for ESSENCE
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture is returning to New Orleans in 2022.
The festival, which was held virtually in 2020 and 2021, will be back to a live in-person experience next year under the theme “It’s the Black Joy for Me!” It will also continue to incorporate virtual programming for attendees both live and around the world.
“The reimagining of the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans as a ‘phygital’ — fully physical and fully digital — experience will be epic,” Caroline Wanga, CEO, Essence Communications, Inc., says in a statement.
She adds, “Given what we