Over 500,000 attendees came out to celebrate the annual three day Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, a record turnout. On the heels of the success of the movie “Girls Trip”, which was filmed during the 2016 Essence Festival, many movie goers used this year’s festival to plan girlfriend trips and reunions.
The musical acts did not fail to produce either with headliners such as Janet Jackson, Mary J Blige, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. TV performers was not in short supply either with many of them using this huge event as a platform to promote their shows.
Here are a sample of the shows to look out for….
The Trayvon Martin Story on BET and Paramount
Produced by Jay-Z and premiering July 30th on both the Paramount Network
and BET, this 6 part docu-series takes a look at the tragic events of the death of Trayvon Martin, the trial of George Zimmerman and the aftermath including the rise
of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
TNT Network Claws
Starring from left to right Niecy Nash and Jenn Lyon, Claws has been a surprise hit now in it’s second season. Claws details the lives of five diverse hardworking manicurists in Central Florida under the thumb of a shady crime boss.
NBC Network Nightly News with Lester Holt
Seasoned journalist Lester Holt was a great surprise at the Essence Festival
as he talked to attendees about the importance of fair news reporting. Holt, in his
third season as the main news anchor of the “Nightly News”, is also known for his moderation of the past Presidential debate of 2016 and holding the candidates
accountable for any false statements.
words and pictures by Carl Agard
#essencemusicfestival2018 #niecynash #lesterholt #restinpowertrayvonmartin
