Simply put, this year’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture felt like a family reunion with your favorite cousins, wrapped up in the warmest embrace.
The annual event took place in New Orleans from July 3- 6, with a star-studded roster of talent to complement its extensive list of daytime and nightly accompaniments. Performances from Cardi B, Latto, and Kehlani to Miss Patti LaBelle, Brandy, and Monica were jam-packed into three days of entertainment and Black joy, through and through. The festival’s commitment to curating spaces that celebrate Black women reverberated throughout the 2026 event’s ecosystem, including its partnerships.
According to The Coca-Cola Company‘s senior director of cultural marketing, Stephanie Eaddy, the beverage brand’s presence at the yearly celebration is important because it supports the very same consumers who reciprocate that brand loyalty.
“I think the reason why so many people, women, families, and girlfriends come to the ESSENCE Festival every single year is because they leave feeling very inspired,” Eaddy told UPTOWN. “They feel seen, and they’re in an environment where, for most of them during this year, they don’t feel like they can be their whole and total self. Whether it’s their hairstyle, how they dress, how they express themselves, the music that they’re listening to. And so for The Coca-Cola Company, it’s important to be here because these are people that engage with our brands across the board.”
As part of The Coca-Cola Company’s programming, festival attendees were exposed to Shine City, the brand’s activation aligned with its broader campaign Every Side Shines that is designed to showcase the full range of Black womanhood. Through a variety of live programming, music, and more, the company featured its own squadron of high-profile notables, including actress and model Eva Marcille. Marcille, who closed out the festival by presenting a donation check to Grambling State University on Shine City’s main stage, was excited to participate in this year’s festivities. Marcille feels it’s a grounding experience to interact with so many of her supporters who’ve followed her journey since its inception and who she’s inspired.
“It’s the most humbling experience to see our young Black girls, boys, no matter what you identify as,” Marcille said. “For you to be able to look in the mirror, and see yourself more beautiful, and see the true beauty that’s always been there because of the little something I did, is the whole reason why I do what I do.”
Another presence that was heavily felt this year is that of The Walt Disney Company, a longtime sponsor of the widely attended event. Early in the weekend, Disney Experiences announced that its newly minted exhibit, Tiana’s Joyful Celebration, will embark on a three-city tour in the spring of 2027. The featured cities include Los Angeles; Everett, Washington; and Columbus, Ohio, expanding the reach of the iconic fictional New Orleans native, Princess Tiana of The Princess and the Frog. According to Carmen Smith, senior vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering/Disney Consumer Products, visitors will be able to learn more about the character and the spirit of the film’s setting – New Orleans.
“All of us at Walt Disney Imagineering are deeply honored to help share another new chapter of Princess Tiana’s legacy through the opening of Tiana’s Joyful Celebration exhibition at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Bringing this vision to life, especially after the opening of the Disney Parks attraction Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, brings more of Princess Tiana’s inspirational story to the community, inside and outside of our parks,” Smith said in a press release. “As a celebration of culture, the power of coming together, and the one and only Princess Tiana, this exhibit in collaboration with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a space where families and friends can share joy, learn from one another, and feel the heartbeat of New Orleans.”
Disney’s reach was felt throughout the rest of the weekend, most notably via the appearance of Hollywood veterans and the masterminds behind The Proud Family, Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar. Following their panel discussion to promote the final season of its revival, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, the creators spoke about sustaining this crucial heirloom of Black culture over two decades.
“For us to be able to sustain these 25 years, I think it’s because we are really leaning into the identity,” Smith said to UPTOWN. “We didn’t stray far from the identity that we had set up, which I think is key. There’s a certain level of loyalty and trust with us telling these stories with these characters. We didn’t change a whole lot; we simply adapted to the atmosphere.”
Farquhar felt joy when witnessing the new generation of Black girls relating to Penny Proud in the same way previous generations did throughout its run.
“It was great seeing the little youngsters today relate to the material and get excited about Penny Proud walking around,” he shared. “It’s like you have several generations of women loving this character.”
Another aspect of this year’s festival that had attendees buzzing was the 2026 Beautycon stage. Draped in a luscious pink, the activation featured a wide array of Black vendors and beauty professionals, as well as appearances by Black notables in the beauty realm. Celebrity hairstylist and entrepreneur Cliff Vmir was a prominent tastemaker at this year’s event and presented his budding empire, FEMMÉ, which includes hair care products and a recently opened all-male salon. The mogul says he didn’t know what to expect because it was his first time at the festival, but he was inspired by witnessing all the Black excellence.
“This is my first time being at the ESSENCE Festival, and when I walked in here the first time with my team, I saw so many Black brands, so much Black excellence,” Vmir said to UPTOWN. “So to see all of these brands and the big booths they have, I was so inspired. More than anything, it makes me feel like I want to come back next year bigger and harder.”
