After taking a hiatus through the pandemic, this 12 months’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture was larger and higher. And in case you’re a foodie, you bought a likelihood to ascertain out the first-ever ESSENCE Eats Food & Wine Festival.

The Food
With over 20 food vendors, hungry festival-goers had access to not only the perfect of the perfect in Latest Orleans cuisine, but a plethora of popular eats from across the globe.  (Special shout out to Republic Bar & Grill from Ghana). Whether your taste buds were within the mood for NOLA classics like beignets or a shrimp po-boy, or itching to try something latest from somewhere you’ve never been, there was truly something for each palette with inexpensive options to get you thru the vacation weekend.

The Vibe
For ESSENCE Fest faithfuls, the Sugar Mill was a change of scenery from the everyday ESSENCE Eats location within the Convention Center — and latest stomping grounds were a success. There was at all times a DJ spinning in between panels to maintain up the momentum, plus amazing photo activations for attendees to share their favorite memories on social media. For individuals who preferred to eat outdoors, loads of seating together with just a few fun games on the Mississippi Heritage Park offered a welcome break from the convention center for a lot of with loads of ice cold Coca-Cola on deck to maintain you refreshed at their outdoor activation.

The Panels
From celebrity foodies, to top chefs, the ESSENCE Eats panel conversations were just as fulfilling because the delicious food offerings. Panel highlights from the weekend included a conversation with ESSENCE Magazine cover girl Pinky Cole; a hearth chat with restauranteur Marcus Samuelson, a Breakfast segment with the one and only Patti LaBelle.

The experience also featured celebrity appearances by ‘P-Valley’ star Brandee Evans, ‘Harlem’ star Jerri Jones, film producer and director Sidra Smith and more.

The ESSENCE Eats Food & Wine Festival was sponsored by Coca-Cola, Ford and Goal.