Culture, Cinema, Community, Commerce & more collide at Essence Festival 2025!
The 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® returns for another unforgettable year celebrating all things black culture. This year the festival is coinciding with the 55th anniversary of ESSENCE Magazine’s inaugural issue, this year’s Festival draws inspiration from the cultural affirmation — “Made Like This.”
If you aren’t familiar with this event, The ESSENCE Festival is an annual festival celebration that takes place in New Orleans, LA on the first weekend in July. This year the extravagant celebration of African-American culture in various forms and mediums takes place on Thursday, July 3rd to Sunday, July 6th, 2025 at the NOLA Morial convention center and Superdome.
The 2025 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® features concerts, panels, meet & greets, seminars, a shopping market, tutorials, and mixers that span across areas such as beauty, film, food, art, health & wellness, politics & much more with a primary focus on black people in these various industries.
The main event is a concert series each night of the festival that takes place at the Superdome. This musical showcase has an array of performances each night from a variety of top names and veteran music industry artists.
This years lineup across multiple sections of the festival include an abundance of notable actors, professional sports athletes, celebrity chefs, politicians, authors, content creators, directors, musicians or more!
To name a few, Jordan Chiles, Nick Cannon, CoCo Jones, Lance Gross, Leon Thomas, Keith Lee, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, The Cast of Beyond The Gates, Master P, Tyrod Taylor, The Cast of The Chi, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Patti Labelle, KeKe Palmer, Boyz II Men, Tamar Braxton, Reginae Carter, Druski, and many many more are all featured at events throughout the weekend.
On Friday July 4th, the TV & Film section of ESSENCE Festival Of Culture® had a stellar lineup.
Scenes In Color was on hand for Day 1 of the event to cover all things cinema! We started with a special screening of “The Memo”. The theater was packed with attendees who wanted to view the sharp and compelling film. This short film officially released last month on May 15, 2025. The psychological workplace centric thriller stars actress Kyla Pratt in the lead role.
The film is adapted from Minda Harts' novel of the same name. It depicts the challenging journey of a woman navigating the corporate ladder, with Pratt playing the lead role, Minda. The film, directed by Vanna James and written by Nakia Stephens.
Directed by Vanna James, and written by Nakia Stephens film follows Minda (Pratt), a rising Black professional, as she navigates the politics, systemic barriers, and emotional toll of climbing the corporate ladder. It's a compelling spotlight on what women of color contend with every day in powerful boardrooms and beyond.
After the screening, there was a panel with the creatives that discussed key topics present throughout the film such as navigating corporate America while black, workplace racism, and the importance of mental health.
Midday, there was a panel with cast members Jason Weaver, Luke James, and Lynn Whitfield from hit TV crime drama The Chi.
The Chi stars took fans behind the scenes of their current season (7) for a fireside chat. The cast also took the stage to tease and discuss their gritty and entertaining Paramount+/Showtime hit series.
You can find clips from the conversations with the cast of The Chi at Essence Fest 2025 right here.
Attendees of ESSENCE Film Festival®, hosted by ESSENCE STUDIOS™ screenings were treated to deliciously fresh bags of popcorn as they stepped into screening rooms. One of the emotionally driven and harrowing docuseries debuting this summer saw it’s the world premiere. National Geographic’s Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time docuseries screened at the Festival. The series premieres later this summer on July 27 on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
In the afternoon, acclaimed television writer and producer Mara Brock Akil sat down for a fireside chat reflecting on her career and creative philosophy. Best known for developing cultural touchstones such as Girlfriends, The Game, Being Mary Jane, and most recently, YA love story novel to screen adaption Forever (streaming now on Netflix). Akil offered personal insights into the power of storytelling, purpose, higher education and self reinvention.
Netflix was also present at the Festival to present “A Special Look at The Tyler Perry Universe.” Terri J. Vaughn, Bevy Smith, DeVon Franklin, and Tyler Lepley came together to provide a glimpse into what’s to come from Tyler Perry Studios, including a sneak peek at Madea’s Destination Wedding, which will release on July 11.
A huge announcement came when Tyler Perry's She the People officially changed its title to Miss Governor, linking the rebranded title to a narrative that examines the complex relationship between politics, family, and power.
The series follows Antoinette Dunkerson (Terri J. Vaughn), a fiery Mississippi politician unexpectedly sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, as she struggles to keep family, responsibility, and public accountability in balance.
Season 1, Part 1 is available to stream now. Part 2 of the hilarious new dramedy will be premiere on August 14, 2025 on Netflix.
There was a Smurfs Truck outside of the convention center handing out free items such a sunglasses, shirts, and blue ice pops to help keep Festival goers cool during the humid New Orleans summer heat.
Paramount Pictures Smurfs is a 2025 American animated musical film based on The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo. A reboot of The Smurfs film series, the film is directed by Chris Miller and written by Pam Brady. The film is set to release in theaters on July 18th.
Smurfs stars Rihanna as Smurfette.
Other studious and networks such as Disney, Showtime, and ESPN were also present handing out promotional items, conducting panels, and giving attendees free swag for upcoming blockbuster movies and shows.
Lastly, one of the highlights of the event came when some of the cast and creative of CBS hit daytime soap opera, Beyond The Gates presented by P&G and CBS made its Festival debut. Cast members Tamara Tunie and Karla Mosley, along with executive producer Sheila Ducksworth, were on a panel provided a unique glimpse into the world of daytime dramas.
We caught up with the trio to chat!
Stay tuned here with Scenes In Color for our interview footage as well as other key information and highlights from the ESSENCE Film Festival® section of the 2025 Essence Festival in New Orleans, LA.
For Festival information and a schedule of events on today and tomorrow please download the Essence360 app (available in the Google Play Store and iPhone App Store) where everything is designed for you, around you and by you. It is your one stop destination for everything Essence. From the iconic magazine to your tickets, schedules, and exclusive guides for the Essence Festival of Culture, everything you need is now in one place.
Follow along on social at @ESSENCEFest on X, Facebook, and Instagram — and subscribe to ESSENCE Magazine and newsletter for behind the scenes coverage.