Essence Fest 2026 Was A Flop: Comments About The Demise Of This Once Great Black Arts Festival

Reese Waters, Jul 8, 2026  #blackculture #essencefest #neworleans

The Essence Festival of Culture kicked off last weekend in New Orleans and they did everything they could to erase the debacle of Essence Fest 2025. Michelle Obama sitting down with Keke Palmer, an Aaliyah tribute, Cardi B, Teyana Taylor and more. But that didn't stop the bad press, from Vendors feeling left out to attendees feeling shut out, to Black Americans feeling ignored.

The idea that Black American women have been ignored for the wider African diaspora, as reflected in new ownership was the theme online, as commentary poured in from NOLA. In fact, there has been talk of an Essence Fest boycott since last year and it only got louder. 

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases two YouTube videos about the failure of the Essence Festival 2026,

This post also presents some comments from the discussion threads of those two videos. Most of these comments are from Foundational Black Americans.*

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to all those who produced and published these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
*Foundational Black Americans (FBA) -Americans who have at least one ancestor who was enslaved in the United States before 1865.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/07/calls-forthe-black-american-community.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "Calls For The Black American Community To Boycott The Essence Fest Because It Has Changed Its Focus From A Black American Women's Cultural Festival To A Nigerian Centered "Global" Cultural Festival"

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM SHOWCASE VIDEO #1
These comments are given in chronological order, except for replies.

Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t-D4fu3Fuo&t=1007s

July 9, 2026

1. @Xrre343k7a3s
"I'm Gen X and was here the first year Essence came into being. It was always on the coffee table, in a half-fanned circle, and was a mirror of what my mom and her generation worked to achieve.. Essence has not been Essence for more than a decade actually. I can't say when it went south, but I know it hasn't been a source of authenticity and inspiriation for many moons."

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Reply
2. @angel-delight-321
"I use to look forward to buying the Essence magazine in the 90s.

My favorite cover was the one with Tyson Beckford and Gary Dourdan, had me drooling for weeks 🤣

Gatekeeping has a purpose."

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3. @oneshoewoo
"Thanks for the background info. They transferred ownership and didn't print it in their magazine. Long-term subscriber. Done!"

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Reply
4. @RochellePorter
"Why would they print it in their magazine? The sale was well documented. Essence was sold in 2000 to Time, Inc. (a very white company) by its Black American publishers. Richelieu acquired it from Time in 2018 with the proceeds from the Unilever sale."
-snip-
Richelieu Dennis is a Black man from Liberia, West Africa.

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5. @Wonderful6950
"Ebony, Jet, Black Enterprise, and Fashion Fair are gone and the 'investors' removed any memory of these companies."

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Reply
6. @Gerberdaisy77
"Don’t forget BET."

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Reply
7. @lynneanderson4255
"And it's so sad to see. I had no idea that this was going on with the Essence Festival.  I used to go back in the 1990s when it was called the Essence Music Festival."

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8. @JP-jd8wr
"They say we don't have culture while they steal our slang, music, fashion, hairstyles, food, etc. Make it make sense."

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Reply
9. @KimAnybé,  July 12, 2026
"Your music ? It’s based on African polyrhythms brought over by Africans and carried on by their descendants. Same with clave, call & response etc.

Your hairstyle ? Are you kidding? None of the box braids, cornrows, etc., are yours—you copied them from West Africans in the 1970s. No one in the African American community in the U.S. wore braids before 1970 and the Black Power movement. In Africa, braids had existed for thousands of years.

There’s an obvious lack of cultural understanding here, which explains these delusional claims."

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Reply
10. @MsShannonashley,  July 14, 2026
"@KimAnybé And today it’s become the most globally recognized music, hair, fashion and style because of BLACK AMERICANS. Not some 500yr old alleged inspiration from Africa. You’re welcome."

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11. @fee9043
"The Essence brand has slowly gone downhill since Susan Taylor retired."

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Reply
12. @tlmurraywrites
"She was an editor, not an owner & she promoted the festival last year.  She's also first generation Caribbean, which didn't seem to be a problem during her tenure, but would likely rile the FBA's & such now.

The ridiculousness..."

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Reply
13. @starrgranby6104
"@tlmurraywrites you made absolutely no sense.. but keep embarrassing yourself.  Susan understood and respected BA Culture."

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Reply
14. @tlmurraywrites
"You completely misunderstood my comment. Taylor is AA AND 1st Gen Caribbean, which used to be non-problematic. In the current negative internet climate she'd get the same pushback as Dennis.

She's an amazing human & she absolutely supported EssenceFest last year."

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15. @bahramshafighi
"I have no problem with who owns Essence. I have a problem with the fact that Essence is turning into Pan-African culture and not focused on Black American culture. I love my African ancestry. I love African culture in and of itself. But this particular event, Essence Fest, is not about Pan-African, it is about Black American,  and it needs to stay that way."

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Reply
16. @lanoshajordan6722, July 10, 2026
"Yes, that's the issue I have with it."

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Reply
17. @michaelwilliams8118
"Really now! Nothing wrong with Pan African culture. "Black American" culture has its roots in Africa. Food, dance and music to name a few."

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Reply
18. @busimaseko4598
"@michaelwilliams8118   Yes but its not the same culture. Black Americans have had their own journey past Africa and deserve to hold that up without it being diluted by Africa!! Why is Pan-Africanism so rapey??!! always imposing upon group identities regardless of their protests? NO, Black Americans have their shared history apart and deserve respect and recognition for that for its own sake"

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19. @CandieP
"Why are black Americans keep going to this?"

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Reply
20. @bruny702
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time."

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Reply
21. @laykni
"Because they don’t know what’s going on now they only know what it used to represent and what it used to be"

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22. @chosentowin1940
"Went last year!! Complete disappoint!!! Never going back!!!"

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23. @ijgibbs
"Why are FBA'S still attending a festival that doesn't respect us at all."

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Reply
24. @Drega001
"Like the BET awards?"

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Reply
25. @lilithscar355
"Most people don't know what happened"

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26. @ThekimG313
"Co opted = Highjacked . Haven’t people been paying attention to what’s been going on for a while now?"

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27. @msprettys9216
"This was said last year, so why did ppl still go?? I’m not surprised at all.

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Reply
 28. @VictoriaWinge
"Not all of us will be on code IMO."

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Reply
29. @charlenea.davidson1199
"Maybe they were hopeful that the owner of Essence heard the feedback from last year and was gonna improve. 2nd chance."

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@maoconn7
30. "Essence Fest is no longer ours. Definitely time for FBA Fest."

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Reply
31. @bellacea6690, July 10, 2026
"Absolutely"

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Reply
32. @missmichel-a, July 12, 2026
"This would be great. It needs to stay focused solely on Black American culture"

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33. @sonene4416
"It was the same last year. It was all over the internet. I do not understand why so many people are there? This festival is not for Black Americans anymore."

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34. @tlmurraywrites
"What aspect of it "wasn't for African Americans" applies this year?"

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Reply
35. @theinvisiblewoman5709, July 10, 2026
" @tlmurraywrites well Target being there for 1 since it’s been largely boycotted by Black Americans. Also the lack of independent small business owners who are Black Americans (not African immigrants)."

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Reply
 36. @tlmurraywrites, July 10, 2026
"@theinvisiblewoman5709  This was the 3rd year of a contract that predates the boycott.

 How do you know that there we "mostly immigrant vendors?" "

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37. @zakiyahamahad7404
"The fact that Target was there during a boycott says everything. This is what happens when you don't gatekeep the culture."

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38. @heysimmone
"They charged the small biz vendors all that money only to direct the crowd to the big corporate sponsors. Who didn't see that coming?"

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39. @darylk9128
"A large problem for me is that other cultures that come to America have absolutely no respect for Black Americans or their culture ."

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Reply
40. @reesewaters
"but yet want to mimic it and commodify it so badly"

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Reply
41. @Worldcitizen92, July 10,  2026
"@reesewaters This make the argument worst.. the Liberian owner has an English name, which makes me think he belongs to the african american  that were resettled in Liberia... the nations first president was joseph jenkins roberts , an african american..african american established an elit that mirrored racial and class issues .. heavily opressing the indigeneous liberian. Check the history of liberia. he is y'all brother😂! Some ignorant africans may have this outlook on african americans but I remember africans being constantly bullied and diminished by blacks for years in the us (all the way til 2013 at least)... so when they retaliate, all of the sudden they are the devil.

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July 10, 2026

42. @herFLYness79
"My auntie always talked about how awesome EssenceFest was. Now I won't be able to enjoy it. I feel like them folk ruined it on purpose 🤦🏾‍♀️."

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43. @eboneeprice9908
"Essence fest I thought was a music festival branded for the celebration of and the uplifting of black women.  I was under the impression that there were panels and vendors to educate and encourage all facets of black women(ness)!  This year more than any year I would have thought the theme would be mental health, wealth and wellness due to financial attack that this administration has intentionally inflicted on black women.  But what do I know.  I have an issue with CBCF for the same reason it’s a party without purpose as well and black people do run this so here where are."

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44. @deniseoates7147
"I stop going when they would only sell the concerts in a package and we like the option to attend one night only, way to control expense for trip. 

There are a few hotels on Bourbon Street and that would have to be crazy to be in that hot climate without A/C and the dark.  Hope no one was in the elevators when this happened.

I hate this setup for the vendors where they were basically by looking separated to the back of convention space.  They should not have the 3 large vendors be the first booths all in the same area as you walk in because it does not promote crowd flow, people should have to walk past the other booths to get to Tide and then they have to walk past other booths to get Target.  Basically, big major booths should be in all 4 corners to keep it from being crowded at entrance."

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45. @shernette32
"I noticed in the last couple of years there have been little to no promotion and advertisement for Essence Fest."

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46. @COACHERIC365
"Essence Fest MUST return to FBA LEADERSHIP/VISION... 🇺🇲✊🏾❤️"

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47. @therealcatali
"Sounds like we need some new black festivals & magazines"

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Reply
48. @ILoveReadingbooks2026, July 12, 2026
"Agreed, I believe the Younger generation will start this. One thing that I admire about the younger generation is that they wait for NO ONE. If they want to see the change; they do it themselves. Shout out to them forreal!"

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Reply
49. @erosnectar5481, July 13, 2026
"I’m Haitian and i agree! This pissed me off… the least they can do is respect Black American culture! 😣"

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Reply
50. @bluubird7077, July 13, 2026
"@erosnectar5481 I feel the same. Honor the culture."

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July 11, 2026

51. @foodiegal9923
"The real conversation is why are you letting this happen? I keep seeing comments that say ‘they never let us have nothing…’ ‘they are culture vultures’.

Ok, well, time to have a hard conversation within Black American communities as to why you allow this to happen. I say ‘allow’ because there’s power in money but you are spending it in the wrong places and investing in nothing"

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July 12, 2026

52. @sheanelson4769
"YOU KNEW THIS LAST YEAR"

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53. @PTLV-xv3xs
"WHY DID WE GO BACK THIS YEAR!!  IT WAS BAD LAST YEAR. SMH."

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July 13,  2026

54. @enyc9
"This might be the unpopular comment but... I'm not with the idea of just saying "ok" and creating a 'new' festival. No.  'We' have always had everything taken or stolen from Us and now THIS... From who?  No.  There needs to be a 'changing of the guards' in this situation.  Its ours, and should stay Ours."

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55. @stephencooper1003
"Let's get to the meat of the problem . All that this lady was saying . Raised a question . How did black essence. A wholly owned black company. End up in the hands of Africa ??? Let's start with and answer that question.  Talking and going around the circle but not telling what NEEDS to be said. Everybody's complaining about what Africans are doing to essence fest. But again .  How did ownership end up in the hands of Africa???"

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July 14, 2026

56. @JadenKaye
"I learned about this three years ago, but thanks for informing the rest of us. I grew up with Essence magazine from the beginning as a young girl and subscribed for decades. That ended when I learned about this sellout. My Lord, they create for us and then sell out to those who weren't interested in us, hence their efforts to create Essence, Miele, etc."

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57. @forrestsmith3640
"ALL THOSE OFF CODE FBA'S!!! WE'RE NOT SUPPOSE TO BE PARTICIPATING IN THE ESSENCE FEST!!! ALL THOSE OFF CODE FBA'S STILL PARTICIPATING!!! WE ON CODE FBA'S , DON'T CARE TO HEAR YOUR COMPLAINTS!!!"

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58. @coryjackson6944
"Oh well..

It was great when Susan Taylor was editor ❤️"

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 -  Essence Festival Is FLOPPING Hard: Black Americans Walk Away Unbothered

Liam Bernard, Jul 12, 2026

WARNING- This video includes some profanity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3FTgmwmMlE

These comments are given in chronological order, except for replies.

Numbers are given for referencing purposes only.

July 13, 2026

@kevinmodkins9623
"The Essence Festival has lost its Essence.👀"

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@jenniferross3725
"Essence, Ebony. Jet magazine was everything to black ppl especially on the living room tables it was a staple and I use to order Essence magazines but those days are over"

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@T.DelGado
"Once essence was no longer Black American owned I never watched again."

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@menelikmorton8597
"Essence Magazine was founded by Edward Lewis , Clarence O. Smith, Cecil Hollingsworth and Johnathan Blount (1968) later published in 1970...for African - American's. Susan Taylor (Caribbean) was a CEO and Chief editor...of the Magazine. Yes, we should have bought it... Black American Freedmen/ women."

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@vashtic8139
"I DON'T HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MAGAZINE OR THE FESTIVAL I FELT THE DISCONNECT YEARS AGO AND DIDN'T KNOW THEY HAD A NEW OWNER THAT NOT OUR ESSENCE"

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@reynaldo7753
"Hey Blacks, Make A New Fest In Atlanta, Keep It FBA Only, Call It Atlanta Fest Get Some Positive Black Speakers & Entertainers, Bring Back The Time, SOS Band, Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle, George Clinton & Bootsy & da Funk Mob, Bring Kendrick Lamar & Other Positive Rappers Like That To Uplift The Festival, AMEN❤️"

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Reply
@trenee23000
"Definitely not Atlanta."

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Reply
@nubiannile4606
"@trenee23000

Then where?"

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@xanus34
"They said they bought it they could do what they want with it and we said OK, no problem. We don't need to talk anymore. Now y'all broke."

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@AdamsE464
"Take the festival to Africa! We don't need it. We are forming the the Foundational Black American Festival!!"

**

@AbundanceCt504
"My black ppl we are not African. So please stop saying African American.

 

We are black ppl, Israelites, Hebrew ✊🏾. The chosen ppl of YAHAWAH 💪🏾"

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@Chosen-1619
"As a delta native from Mississippi, recognize that New Orleans culture is not my immediate culture and I respect it. I understand that it is not my place as a Mississippi native to dictate New Orleans festivals like essence festival.  but for some reason our fellow FBAs who aren’t even from the south try to allow all these foreigners into our culture and look at the mess it caused! My heart goes out to my beautiful New Orleans natives because they are the real victims!"

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July 14, 2026

1. @gwendolyncaughn9214
"Create another festival!!!"

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2. @FBA_AllTHEWAY
"Too many tethers involved in traditional FBA events waters it down and it becomes WEAK! And it becomes boring, it puts me to 😴 sleep. I wish they would leave our spaces alone! WE NOT AFRIKAN! ✊🏾🇺🇸✊🏾🇺🇸"
-snip-
"Tether" is a usually at least mildly derogatory referent for a Black person living in the United States who isn't of Foundational Black American (FBA) descent.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2024/10/what-word-tether-means-to-foundational.html for the 2024 pancocojams post entitled "What The Word "Tether" Means To Foundational Black Americans (FBAs)".

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Reply
3. @TheBoogeymansCousin
"New Orleans is and always has been a huge mixture of multiple cultures. American Blacks, Europeans, Africans, Haitians, Creoles, French are all a part of the NO culture. It's literally what built the city! There is no NO independent of everyone else's culture."

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Reply
4. @Chosen-1619
"@TheBoog @TheBoogeymansCousin that to an actual NO native and see what happens. You’re literally talking about the early demographics of the city but you forget that the southern Louisiana culture which consists of cities like Baton Rouge and Lafayette have the same culture and none of the people groups you mentioned. The culture in that part is shaped by the low country elements and native black people at its base! Ever heard of Cajun country and the Bayou? This is why none of the groups you’ve mentioned have any significant connection to the culture there now."

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Reply
5. @CreoleNOLAMix
"@TheBoogeymansCousin  Baby ain't no dam Haitians or African people live here in New Orleans like that" Florida n Texas yes, but New Orleans no"" You speaking on when some migrated here back in the 1800 century, but now nope"" New Orleans is mostly a predominant black Creole city which doesn't include Africans or Haitians... There is no community here for them tbh"

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6. @saritamoorebansa4485
"I and my family/ friends, No Target and No Essence festival. Standing ten toes down!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️😅😅😅😊😊😊😊"

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