Here’s how to plan a successful girls’ trip to the 2024 ESSENCE Cultural Festival

The ESSENCE Cultural Festival could be considered a pilgrimage for Black women to the mecca of the South, New Orleans, every summer, and for good reason. This 12 months marks the festival’s thirtieth anniversary and is anticipated to boast hot acts, an enticing program including insightful panels, and delicious, mouth-watering food and spirits. However, the opportunity to connect, bond, and strengthen relationships along with your best friends excites groups of ladies across the United States. Like Will Packer’s 2017 film, ESSENCE Cultural Festival is a hotbed of fun-filled adventures, mischievous shenanigans outside the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans (after all), and once-in-a-lifetime loving memories shared along with your closest confidantes, your girlfriends.

Below we have included some suggestions to assist you prepare to your upcoming girls’ trip. See you in NOLA!

Budget: While ESSENCE Fest programming is free, flights, hotels, live shows, food and beverages aren’t! Connect along with your best friends to develop a financial wellness plan that can reduce stress and any future trauma. You should all take part in budgeting and planning.

Close nice hotel: While New Orleans has loads of fun, attractive, and exciting boutique hotels to stay at like Ace Hotel and The Pontchartrain, we have now access to equally great hotels now that our 2024 FESTIVAL block is open! Check out our list of really helpful hotels Here. Contact your hotel of selection to reap the benefits of our exclusive festival weekend rate.

Make a list of NOLA attractions: While we have now the whole lot you might think or dream of at ESSENCE Fest, NOLA is stuffed with beautiful places to visit and fun activities like steamboat tours, Bourbon Street bar crawls, City Park walks, and distillery and cocktail tours. Talk to your girls to see what is going to pique your group’s interest and create a tour plan.

Download the EFOC app to select your itinerary: An incredible way to enhance your ESSENCE Fest experience is to download our EFOC app upfront! The app allows you to plan every day of the festival, starting with panels, performances and free giveaways. You can share your itinerary with friends to see in the event that they want to take part in programs with you. Find out about the official EFOC app here.

Determine the purpose of your trip: A really successful girls’ trip at all times starts with a positive intention to guide you throughout your time with the girls. Brainstorm along with your girls how you desire to to feel at the festival after which make it occur!

Be flexible in your plans: Even though a few of us love to plan, have a budget and a travel itinerary, sometimes things just don’t work out or can go in a different direction and that is okay! Try to stay flexible while the girls are traveling. Even in case your plans fall through, keep in mind that you might be there to rejoice along with your girls!

Schedule a while for yourself: I really like a good day at the spa, a solo brunch, or a solo date at a museum on girls’ tours. It is essential to energize yourself for the right day and even a few hours.