Because I have so much to talk about with my experience of the 3-day event and my 5 days spent in New Orleans during the trip, I have decided to create three separate parts to share these experiences. This, being the first, I thought it would be a great idea to share my tips for anyone considering going to the Essence Festival next year or in the future.
I know that the recent release of the film, Girls Trip, (which is excellent by the way) has a lot of people interested in making the trip to NOLA to go to Essence. Hopefully this list will help you get your plans together.
The Pre-Planning
- The Earlier You Start Planning, the Better!
As time wore on and I still had not booked my hotel, I constantly saw hotels charge higher prices, as well as become all booked up. The hotel prices can seriously change by the day, which happened to be what happened to my cousin and I when we finally booked our hotel and flight package at the end of March.
- Don't Wait Til April to Book your Hotel
Sure, there'll be hotels available in March, April, and later, but the prices will keep increasing and availability will continuously diminish. In the end, because of our budget and the availability of accommodations, we ended up staying at the Ramada Airport Metairie.
This hotel was about 15 minutes away from the Airport and about 19 minutes away from the French Quarter and Business District. While this hotel wasn't the worst option ever, but I'd like to see how staying closer to the action, in a nicer hotel will be the next time I go to Essence.
- Consider Doing Uber/Lyft/Cabs Instead of a Rental Car
New Orleans is a walking city, especially in the French Quarter. The traffic during Essence was insane, especially at night for the concerts at the Superdome.
We opted for going without a rental car, and used Uber, which the cost was about $14 each ride between the French Quarter, Convention Center, and Superdome. Just budget that into your vacation costs.
Also consider the cost of parking at the Convention Center and the Superdome. The total price and aggravation that you'll spend doing the rental car may come out being way more than doing ride sharing or cabs.
- Early-bird 3-Day Essence Concert Passes are a Good Value
Because I liked so many of the artists on the lineup for all three days of the concerts, we bought 3-day Concert Passes in advance. it came out to being much cheaper than buying individual tickets.
I will say though that the fees for buying from Ticketmaster (which is the only way you can buy the tickets in advance if you're not in New Orleans) are OUTRAGEOUS! It was seriously like $40 in fees! Consider yourself warned.
- Research After-Parties, Boat Parties, etc Before Your Trip!
I didn't think about looking up after-parties, celebrity parties, and boat excursions for the trip until about two weeks in advance. By that time there were a few high-profile boat parties that were sold out. However, fortunately we still were able to purchase advance RSVP passes to some of the hottest celebrity parties in town that weekend.
While we paid around $15 by RSVPing in advance, one of the parties we attended was charging over $50 at the door!
Packing for the Trip
- Forget Your Heels! Bring Flats!!!!!
Leading up to the trip, different people consistently told me to not wear heels when going to the French Quarter. Once I arrived in NOLA, every Uber driver we encountered on the first couple days while we were there, told us "don't wear heels!" They even went a step further telling us not to wear heels to the concerts either.
Well, I brought two pairs of heels with me for the trip. NEITHER PAIR WERE EVER PULLED OUT OF MY SUITCASE! I wore flats, chucks, and flat sandals the entire trip! Everyone everywhere there was wearing flats and tennis shoes. Seriously! The entire weekend you'll do a ton of walking. Walking at the Convention Center. Walking at the concerts at the Superdome. And everywhere in between.
Forget being cute ladies. No one was wearing heels during Essence. Not at the concerts. Not at the Convention Center. Not on Bourbon Street. Nowhere!
- Bring Big Luggage and Plan to Check a Bag
Aside from the conveniences and peace of mind of checking your luggage on the airplane, keep in mind that you're going to a convention. What happens at conventions? FREEBIES!!!!! And man, oh man, will you get freebies at Essence! There's also many vendors where you can purchase goods, that of course have to make it back home with you.
By the end of the trip, we each had about 4 huge bags full of things that we had collected during the weekend. Each of us struggled, and I mean STRUGGLED to fit everything in our suitcases and carry-ons. Make sure you have some room for everything that you'll get while there.
- Download the Essence Festival App
This year, prior to Fourth of July Weekend, people were encouraged to download the Essence Festival App. The app is free and gives you a map (which could have been a bit better), and full schedule of all the events, activities, panelists, speakers, and concerts being held during the entire weekend! It was a great tool and was very necessary in keeping us all informed about all the happenings throughout the weekend.
Also, when you download the app, you are automatically given a unique QR bar code which when scanned at the Convention Center entered you into drawings for free things throughout the weekend. No, I won nothing, FYI....
When You Arrive
- Review the Schedule and Make a Plan!!!!!
There's so much to do at the Convention Center, especially on Saturday, which is when all the high-profile speakers and panels are held. You really need to have a plan on what/who is most important to you and the time of each activity that you'd like to participate in.
Although it's hard to do everything that you'll want to do because certain events overlap on the schedule, it definitely doesn't hurt to plan out your day to make the most of the Festival!
- Get to the Convention Center Early on Friday In Order to get all the Freebies Out of the Way!
Big brands like AT&T, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Ford, etc all have HUUUUUUUGE, interactive spaces inside the Convention Center, with super long lines of people waiting to get their hands on freebies. And I was one of 'em! And you will be too!
There's tons of freebies and activities to be had at the Convention Center each day of the festival, but the lines can be a bit much. For example, for two straight days (Saturday and Sunday), we stood in line for over 45 minutes each day waiting to get a personalized Coke can. Sadly, the line was so slow and long that we gave up both days! Now, had we just gotten all of our freebie scouting out of the way on the first day, Friday, we would have gotten that Coke can and other vendors.
The lightest attendance at the Convention Center was on Friday, when compared to that of the rest of the weekend. So do yourself a big favor and get there early on Friday to get all the freebies you can while the lines aren't as long. Trust me, those lines the rest of the weekend are nothing to play with.
- Have Lunch at the Convention Center
In case you didn't know, I'm a major Foodie and also an avid Yelper, so scouting excellent restaurants is one of my favorite past times. Of course being in NOLA, how could I not want to try all of the excellent local fare that there is to enjoy while in the city. That being said, there's a lot of local restaurants that have booths with large meals available for purchase at the Convention Center.
As much as I loved leaving the Convention Center to go try different restaurants that I had put on my list to try, sometimes grabbing a snack or full meal at the Convention Center was a major time saver! And the food was really good as well!
- Use Your Free Time to Enjoy the City and Get as Much Rest as You Can!
New Orleans is known for many great things, from its food, its architecture, its music, its culture, and its nightlife! While you're in town for Essence Festival, make sure that you take the time to take in all that the city as to offer!
Keep in mind though that the bars there don't close. Every Uber driver and server we met while in town, informed us that the bars don't close in N'Awlins. With that much freedom for pleasure, make sure you enjoy yourself while in town and check out the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, and Frenchmen Street for a great night of fun! Be careful of your surroundings and enjoy!
I hope that these tips help you in your Essence Festival planning. Stay tuned to my next two posts with more info about my experience at Essence and NOLA! Ciao and laissez bon temps roule!
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