Experience Front Row At The 20th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival

NEW YORK, July 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- This Fourth of July weekend, the ESSENCE Festival's digital platforms – including Essence.com and Essence's YouTube and Google+ channels – will offer for the first time full live-stream coverage of the event's entertainment and empowerment experiences. Marking the Festival's 20^th anniversary, July 3-6, in New Orleans, LA, many of the world's top performers and speakers can be streamed online and enjoyed around the world.

At-home viewers will have front-row access to ESSENCE Festival performances and keynote speakers, including Nas, Robin Roberts, Marsha Ambrosius, Alice Smith, Sevyn Streeter, and an all-star gospel tribute to Yolanda Adams hosted by Donnie McClurkin.  (See the full schedule below).

Plus, Essence is introducing the YouTube All-Stars panel, "Empowering Your Voice Through YouTube" presented by Google Accelerate to inform and inspire budding entrepreneurs.  The conversation will include Jessica Lewis of MahoganyCurls®, Maya Washington of "Shameless Maya", comedian Franchesca Leigh Ramsey and professional fitness coach, trainer and instructor Tiffany Rothe.

20^th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival Live Stream Schedule:

Thursday, July 3^rd
Nas – Now Playing Concert
Time: 10:50pm-12am

Friday, July 4^th
Robin Roberts and Sally Ann Roberts – Sisters in the Name of Love
Time: 12:10pm-1pm

YouTube All-Stars Panel w/ Soledad O'Brien
Time: 2:30pm-3:30pm

Alice Smith – Ford Superlounge
Time: 8:20pm-9:05pm

Marsha Ambrosius – Ford Superlounge
Time: 8:30pm-9:30pm

Sunday, July 6th
Gospel Tribute to Yolanda Adams featuring Donnie McClurkin (host), Cheryl Wills (co-host), Kim Burrell, Erica Campbell and more
Time: 2pm-6pm

Sevyn Streeter – Ford Superlounge
Time: 7:30pm-8:15pm

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in New Orleans this Fourth of July weekend (July 3-6), the ESSENCE Festival is now the country's largest live event.  The annual Festival hosts more than 543,000 attendees over 4 days for entertainment, empowerment, and cultural experiences during the day and the world's best performers each night.   

Daytime offerings this year will include the ESSENCE Empowerment Experience, featuring 150 world-renowned speakers and influencers such as: Steve Harvey, Robin Roberts, Alicia Keys, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Iyanla Vanzant and others; interactive sponsor activities; the Arts & Culture Marketplace showcasing original designs and handcrafted arts in the nation's largest marketplace; ESSENCE Eats, featuring food vendors hailing from New Orleans' finest restaurants; screening rooms for the hottest movies and T.V. episodes; and pro-social community offerings. Each year, top global brands participate in rich cultural experiences such as makeovers, vehicle test drives, celebrity meet-and-greets and more. Headliners such as Prince, Lionel Richie, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Charlie Wilson and many more are among the more than 80 artists announced for the evening performances in the Louisiana Superdome and throughout Festival weekend.

For information about accommodations and the latest news about the ESSENCE FESTIVAL, visit www.essencefestival.com. Join the Festival community: follow us on Twitter @essencefest #EssenceFest and become a fan of 2014 ESSENCE Festival on Facebook.

Sponsors of the 20th Anniversary ESSENCE Festival include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors Ford, McDonald's, My Black Is Beautiful, StateFarm, Verizon and Walmart. Superlounge sponsors include: Coca-Cola, Ford and Verizon.

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media company dedicated to African-American women, with a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online. The  company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Festival, ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood and Black Women in Music, Window on Our Women and Smart Beauty consumer insights series, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD). For 43 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of 12.1 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information and specific solutions relating to every area of African-American women's lives. Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at www.essence.com.

ABOUT TIME INC.:
Time Inc., a division of Time Warner, is one of the largest branded media companies in the world reaching more than 130 million Americans each month across multiple platforms. With influential brands such as TIME, PEOPLE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, InStyle, REAL SIMPLE, Wallpaper, Travel + Leisure and Food & Wine, Time Inc. is home to celebrated events and franchises including the FORTUNE 500, TIME 100, PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S Sportsman of the Year, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and the ESSENCE Festival.

SOURCE ESSENCE magazine