2014 ESSENCE Festival Reveals Its Highly Anticipated Night-By-Night Headliners!

NEW YORK, March 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual ESSENCE Festival, now among the largest consumer live events in the country serving a community of 543,000, is excited to announce the all-star night-by-night line-up of performers for its 20^th anniversary celebration in New Orleans, LA, from July 3-6. 

The A-list nighttime concerts will take place across 5 stages in the Superdome throughout the weekend-- on the Festival's legendary Mainstage and within the intimate Superlounges.

This year, ESSENCE plans to kick off the festivities on its Mainstage with an electrifying performance by renowned musician and international superstar PRINCE along with special guest performers (Friday, July 4^th); followed by celebrated artists MARY J. BLIGE, JILL SCOTT, THE ROOTS Presents Hip Hop, LEDISI and TANK (Saturday, July 5^th); and will close the celebration with a special performance by music icon LIONEL RICHIE, who will share the stage with powerhouse performer CHARLIE WILSON, and fan favorites ERYKAH BADU and TAMAR BRAXTON (Sunday, July 6^th). NEPHEW TOMMY from The Steve Harvey Morning Show, will return as the Mainstage host.    

Festival attendees are guaranteed an unforgettable 4-day weekend experience as ESSENCE celebrates such an important milestone.

The 2014 ESSENCE Festival night-by-night musical line-up is as follows:

• Friday, July 4^th - Mainstage: Prince along with special guest performers Superlounges: Eve, King, Stephanie Mills, Leela James, Naughty By Nature, Kevin Ross, Estelle and Greta Prince.
• Saturday, July 5^th- Mainstage: Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, The Roots, Ledisi, Tank. Superlounges: 112, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Michelle Williams, Tevin Campbell, Liv Warfield, Marsha Ambrosius, PJ Morton, Doug E. Fresh and Kourtney Heart.
• Sunday, July 6^th - Mainstage: Lionel Richie, Charlie Wilson, Erykah Badu, Tamar Braxton Superlounges: Robert Glasper, Amel Larrieux, K. Michelle, Sebastian Mikael, Raheem DaVaughn, Sevyn Streeter, Elle Varner, August Alsina and The Original Pinettes.
• More acts to be announced soon. 

Single day tickets go on sale today for the 20^th Anniversary ESSENCE FESTIVAL and are priced starting at $58 per person per night.   For information about ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the ESSENCE FESTIVAL, visit ESSENCE Festival www.essencefestival.com, join the Festival community: follow us on Twitter @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2014 ESSENCE Festival on Facebook.

Sponsors of the 20^th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors Ford, McDonald's, My Black Is Beautiful, StateFarm, Verizon and Walmart.  Superlounge sponsors include:  Coca-Cola, Ford and Verizon.

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:

Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online.  The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 43 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of 12.1 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women's lives.  Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

About Time Inc.:

Time Inc., a division of Time Warner, is one of the largest branded media companies in the world reaching more than 130 million Americans each month across multiple platforms. With influential brands such as TIME, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, InStyle, REAL SIMPLE, Wallpaper, Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine, Time Inc. is home to celebrated events and franchises including the FORTUNE 500, TIME 100, PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S Sportsman of the Year, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the ESSENCE Festival.

SOURCE Essence Communications Inc.