Both soca artists will perform at the Festival for the second time.
At the first virtual edition of the Essence Festival of Culture last year, Montano performed while Kes the Band performed virtually from Trinidad.
Following our virtual experience of Essence Fest last year, we are excited to bring a taste of the Caribbean and our Trinidad and Tobago islands to New Orleans,” said Kes frontman Kees Dieffenthaller.
Due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Essence Festival pivots to a virtual experience for the first time in two years, celebrating the culture and resilience of the Black community under the theme “It’s the Black Joy for Me!”.
As a result of its strong digital performance – including a 65 percent increase in Festival content streams from 2020 (45 million) to 2021 (70+ million), the Essence Festival of Culture will leverage the global audience gained from its virtual programming to offer a comprehensive and engaging digital experience to attendees both live and remotely.
“The reimagining of the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans as a phygital – fully physical and fully digital – experience will be epic,” said Caroline Wanga, CEO, Essence Communications, Inc. “Given what we have collectively experienced over the last two years, the opportunity to convene and uplift in the spirit of culture, equity, celebration – and joy – is more of a privilege and honour than it has ever been. We look forward to our homecoming in the City of New Orleans and to strengthening our impact as a cornerstone of Black culture, entrepreneurship and economic inclusion – working always to serve Black women and communities deeply.”
For tickets, access and updates on this year’s Essence Festival of Culture, visit EssenceFestival.com. Experience the Festival on ESSENCEStudios.com and EssenceFestival.com.
