Essence Festival has long been regarded within the Black community as a weekend for “the aunties” — a term of endearment typically used for women over 40 — but Essence Festival 2023 introduced new experiences in attempts to change that narrative.
Essence Festival 2023 took place from June 29 to July 3, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the festival’s official home base. “Who said Essence Fest is only for the aunties?” tweeted the official account of Essence’s Gen Z platform, Girls United, about a month before the festival. “From the creator to the hustler, #GUCreatorsHouse is for those with the audacity to be themselves, shake sh*t up and connect with the next generation of Essence.”
The Girls United Creator’s House was an “all-new” daytime and nighttime experience at the festival, curated specifically for Gen Z attendees. The Creator’s House had a neon-fueled, futuristic feel heavily inspired by Y2K, with fun, interactive photo booth moments and picture-perfect Instagrammable setups. The cash bar was modeled around what seemed to be a crash-landed UFO, which sat across from a free airbrushing station for custom-made tank tops and trucker hats and a free tooth jewelry station hosted by local business New Orleans Tooth Gems. With giveaways that were trendy, fresh, and celebrated the flair of flashy early aughts style, the Creator’s House was successful in creating a cool girl vibe with cool girl activities.
Yet, the Creator’s House was not located inside the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center along with every other activation native to Essence or their partnered brands — it was across the street at The Sugar Mill, a repurposed warehouse venue somewhat tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the Convention Center’s main entrances.
At times, the space seemed a bit too big for the crowd it pulled in, with many folks taking advantage of the freebies without sticking around for the activities — Hip Hop trivia, lip sync challenges, and a networking hour — or panels, an unfortunate development for the exciting lineup of speakers Girls United organized, from influencers to star college athletes to young CEOs. Regardless, the small audience that gathered provided their undivided attention, eager to absorb the lessons the panelists have learned while on their respective career journeys.
Though Essence Fest has grown far beyond its music festival roots, today also focusing on culture, beauty, and fashion, the weekend has always rested on the cornerstone of its nighttime concert series at the Caesars Superdome, featuring a rotation of the biggest names in R&B, Soul, and Hip-Hop.
However, the acts on the lineup have always skewed a bit older, with twentysomethings sparsely dotting the roster. In its inaugural year in 1995 — held as a celebration of the publication’s 25th anniversary — the youngest musicians to take the stage were Mary J. Blige and Boyz II Men, who were all in their mid twenties, and a 16-year-old Aaliyah. In 1996, there was a 21-year-old Lauryn Hill. In 1998, a 20-year-old Usher. In 2001, the only act on the lineup in their early twenties was Destiny’s Child.
Fast forward twenty years or so later, and there have been more efforts made on the Superdome main stage: the inclusion of Chloe x Halle and City Girls in 2022, Coco Jones in 2023, Tems both years, and Megan Thee Stallion serving as one of the 2023 headliners.
This year, seven minutes from the Superdome, Girls United hosted their own nighttime events series at The Sugar Mill called the GU Kickback, a ticketed “afterparty” marketed on the festival's app as an “auntie-free zone that’s packed with a lit lineup, TikTok worthy moments, and a VIP vibe you won’t get anywhere else.” Across two nights — with the Saturday date conflicting with the marquee concert series at the Superdome headlined by Missy Elliott — Girls United hosted female DJs and performances by Houston rapper KenTheMan, local rapper 504ICYGRL, New York rap star Maiya the Don, and viral sensations Flyana Boss.
There were no daytime performances at the Creator’s House. Across the street, however, in the heart of the Convention Center, in-demo musicians like Flo Milli, Rico Nasty, and BIA performed on the Coca Cola Stage, drawing massive crowds of young people. While the viral acts who performed at the Creator’s House are certainly rising stars, they don’t yet carry the same star power as those who performed inside the Convention Center or on the Superdome main stage.
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In 2017, filmmaker Will Packer’s Girls Trip starring Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish, and Jada Pinkett Smith hit theaters and brought renewed interest and attention to Essence Fest. At that time, the oldest of Gen Z were between the ages of 21 and 22, more or less able to travel to music festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, or Rolling Loud on their own. Even with all the Hollywood-assisted buzz, Gen Z’s presence at Essence Fest has been scarce.
Two years after Girls Trip, in 2019, Girls United officially launched as Essence’s content hub for Gen Z. The digital platform’s growth in the past four years has been substantial, but there’s still more space to carve offline for the new generation of Essence before the festival can trumpet an “auntie-free zone.” The aunties have consistently shown up and showed out — what will get Gen Z to New Orleans, too?
