Movies of War

Mar 9, 2026 9:00am PT Cardi B, Patti LaBelle, Brandy & Monica to Headline Essence Festival of Culture 2026 By Steven J. Horowitz Plus Icon Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer speriod Latest Jill Scott Announces ‘To Whom This May Concern’ World Tour Dates 2 hours ago Bruno Mars’ ‘The Romantic’ Becomes His First to Debut at No. 1 on Albums Chart 20 hours ago Harry Styles Performs Stunts on Set in ‘American Girls’ Music Video 3 days ago See All Getty Images for MRC Cardi B, Patti LaBelle and Brandy & Monica have been tapped as headliners for Essence’s Festival of Culture 2026, taking place from July 3-5 at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome. In addition to the aforementioned headliners, Latto and Kehlani are scheduled to perform as part of the first wave of artists announced for the event. Cardi B and Latto will be making their Essence Festival of Culture debuts, while LaBelle will return after previously gracing during several iterations including the inaugural festival in 1995. Related Stories Daniel Radcliffe Spoke to Emma Watson and Rupert Grint About HBO's 'Harry Potter' and 'How Surreal It Is' to Watch a New Cast 'Starting Off on That Journey' Daniel Radcliffe Tells Press Not to Always Ask HBO's 'Harry Potter' Cast About the Original Movie Actors: 'Just Let Them Get On... It's Going to Be Different' Those performers will be featured during Essence Festival’s evening concert series. By day, programming at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will highlight filmmakers debuting new work, authors engaging with audiences and entrepreneurs discussing their vision. Daytime programming will include Essence Food and Wine Festival, Afropunk Blktopia, Essence Authors, Beautycon: @EssenceFest Edition and more. Popular on Variety Tickets for Essence Festival of Culture are on sale now. Last year, the festival made news after Lauryn Hill arrived to perform around 2:30 a.m. for a nearly empty stadium. Organizers took responsibility for the late start after the festival faced delays for the entirety of the day. In a statement defending her post-midnight performance, Essence Festival wrote, “Family is family and around here we protect our own no matter what the people have to say…. Let’s be very clear— We don’t play about Ms. Lauryn Hill. Not for clicks. Not for headlines.” They wrote that Hill “arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can.” “The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched.” Jump to Comments Rise and Shine Acquires Documentary ‘In Cod We Trust’ Ahead of Thessaloniki World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE) Laura Poitras to Be Special Guest at Opening of Visions du Réel’s Industry Program, ‘Cover-Up’ to Screen at Documentary Festival ‘Nuisance Bear’ Directors on Why Their ‘Super-Scrappy,’ A24-Backed Sundance Winner Isn’t a ‘Traditional Nature Documentary’ Thessaloniki Intl. Documentary Festival Unveils International Competition Lineup (EXCLUSIVE) Alex Gibney on Salman Rushdie Sundance Doc ‘Knife’: It’s Really a Doc About Recovery’ ‘Sons of Detroit,’ ‘Natchez,’ and ‘Creede U.S.A.’ Among 2026 Sedona Intl. Film Fest Doc Winners (EXCLUSIVE) JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...