New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno says the city is moving forward with plans for a Black cultural festival — with or without Essence — as talks over the festival’s return stall.
Speaking with local news station WWL television on Thursday, Oct. 29, Moreno expressed frustration over negotiations to bring the Essence Festival of Culture back to the city.
“We have tried and tried, over and over again, to try and figure out that path [forward] and it seems like we are just going around in circles and ultimately, what I’m looking toward now is we really need to have a Black cultural festival here in the city of New Orleans in July,” Moreno told the outlet.
The mayor added that she is working with New Orleans & Company, the official sales and marketing group for the city, to “find the right partner, whether it’s Essence or someone else.”
Related: Essence Fest Attendees Urge Organizers to ‘Turn Things Around’ After Missteps
Meanwhile, Essence fest organizers say they want to stay in New Orleans but need an acceptable commitment from the city.
During a Thursday meeting with content creators and vendors, festival leaders discussed the negotiations and said they want a long-term agreement, WWL reported.
“We don’t want to go someplace else, but you’ve also heard me say, I cannot do it alone. It has to be done in partnership,” said Kirk McDonald, CEO of festival parent company Sundial Media & Technology Group.
The seven-year contract between Essence and New Orleans expired in September. According to Nola.com, negotiations have grown tense as the city demands assurances about the organization’s finances and payments to vendors. The outlet reported that one vendor said this week she was owed $500,000.
In a separate interview with independent New Orleans news outlet, Perdido Street, McDonald said Essence poured millions of dollars into the city for this year’s festival.
“Essence has paid approximately $11 million to Louisiana partners for the 2026 festival, and we are proud of the local businesses that helped build it with us,” McDonald stated.
Still, he admitted some vendors have not yet been paid, nearly five months after the festival ended. Although he said, “Every one of them will be made whole.”
Other cities have expressed interest in hosting the three-day celebration, Sundial spokesperson Glenda McKinley told Nola.com, noting Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Detroit, Baltimore, New York and Nashville are all interested.
Each July Fourth weekend, the festival brings music and entertainment lovers to the city from across the nation.
But it has faced criticism for missteps in recent years, including technical issues, lengthy performance delays and scheduling snafus, as Urban Hollywood 411 previously reported.
In 2025, Grammy winner Lauryn Hill performed in a near-empty stadium because the festival was running so far behind schedule. The festival admitted it was to blame, not Hill.
That same year, R&B singer Stephanie Mills posted an open letter to organizers on social media, saying her performance was marred by “disorganization” and “technical difficulties.”
Essence Fest has been a cultural staple in New Orleans since 1995. A recent OWN documentary looked back at the history of the event and said Essence magazine co-founder Ed Lewis and legendary editor-in-chief Susan L. Taylor launched the event to create a business opportunity, while celebrating Black music and culture.
Richelieu Dennis, a haircare mogul from Liberia, purchased the Essence Brands in 2018, bringing the festival under his Sundial Media Group.
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