Exclusive: Essence's love letter to New Orleans on fest's 30th anniversary

The big picture: Essence has four retail covers for its July/August issue, which it shared exclusively with Axios New Orleans.

• Edward Buckles Jr., the filmmaker of "Katrina Babies," photographed the colorful Black Masking Indians and Baby Dolls for Essence.
• The magazine hits newsstands June 25.

Zoom in: Local writer and educator Stevona Elem-Rogers wrote the cover story as a love letter to the people, places and spaces of New Orleans.

• In an early version of the story shared with Axios, she details how the city has been a "blueprint for Black joy, Black resistance and Black culture worldwide."
• "The music, foodways and traditions have been hard-earned," she writes, saying Essence Fest "would not be the haven it is without the heart-posture of Black New Orleanians."
• "We must remember that the freedom felt in this city ain't free, and its Black community is owed an outstanding debt for all the ways it has stood by us."

Flashback: Last year's fest included panel discussions with Vice President Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey and surprise performances from Lil Wayne and Wyclef Jean.

• See photos.

By the numbers: About 250,000 attend in person annually, organizers say.

• Many others stream the events, pushing the live and virtual attendance near 2 million.

If you go: Essence Fest is July 4-7 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, Caesars Superdome and other venues.

• Janet Jackson, Usher and Birdman are among the headliners. More announcements are expected for daytime and nighttime VIPs, Essence tells Axios.
• The nightly shows at the Dome require a ticket, but most of the panels and workshops are free.

Go deeper

• Tickets and schedule for Essence Fest