Multi-Day Virtual Edition To Replace 2020 Essence Festival

In light of the coronavirus pandemic and the impact it continues have on the people and the City of New Orleans, all big 2020 events are canceled. Yesterday, as reported by local news, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that for the welfare of her residents and tourists, she has no choice but to cancel all large events for the rest of the year.

The city has seen a lot of death and is going to be dealing with the devastating effects of the COVID-19 outbreak for many years to come. In yesterday's press update, Mayor Cantrell explained her decision to cancel future events because the virus continues to pose a threat.

The Source reports there is some good news for the city of New Orleans, though. The 2020 Essence Festival of Culture will still go down July 4 weekend as planned. However, it will not be the same because it won't be live or in-person. For the first time ever, the famous multi-day music festival will be done virtually!

Mayor Cantrell said of the upcoming event,

"ESSENCE and the City of New Orleans have a partnership that thrives in good times and is made even stronger in challenging times,” she continued. “We share an uncompromised commitment to the best interest of our local community and our tourist community, and the priorities right now are providing support to those who have been affected by the disproportionate impact of the pandemic here in New Orleans and ensuring a safe and healthy environment for all. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to our great city in 2021 for the return of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture and to once again helping to create such an unmatched and magical experience.”

For official Essence details on the cancellation and the upcoming Virtual Edition, click here. This is certainly going to be interesting. I will keep you posted on exactly how they are going to pull this off, the artist line-up, showtimes, days, and of course what streaming services fans can view the festival on.