NEW YORK, February 11, 2012 – On the heels of Beyonce’s triumphant Super Bowl halftime performance, ESSENCE, the preeminent brand for African-American women, today announced that her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour is adding a special performance at the 19th annual ESSENCE Festival, where the international superstar will return to the Superdome to headline one of three stellar nights of concerts taking place July 4-7 in New Orleans, LA.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Beyonce back to the 2013 ESSENCE Festival line-up. She is truly the ultimate ESSENCE woman,” said Essence Communications President, Michelle Ebanks. “If you missed her tour de force in New Orleans, please join us this Fourth of July weekend so that you can experience it live for yourself at the ESSENCE Festival. The ESSENCE Festival features the best in music, culture, arts and entertainment—all of which Beyoncé captures through her extraordinary gifts.”

As the definitive destination for entertainment, empowerment, inspiration and culture, the ESSENCE Festival last hosted Beyonce in 2009, and once previously in 2005 as a member of Destiny’s Child.

Beyonce joins an incredible 2013 ESSENCE Festival musical line-up, including: Jill Scott, Maxwell, New Edition, Charlie Wilson, Keyshia Cole, LL Cool J and Brandy, and more, with additional performers to be announced soon.

To purchase tickets, get more exciting news, talent and program updates go to essencefestival.com. Join the Festival community: follow us on Twitter @essencefest #essencefest and become a fan of ESSENCE Festival on Facebook.

Sponsors of the 2013 ESSENCE Festival include presenting sponsor Coca-Cola and major sponsors Verizon and Walmart. Official sponsors are Coors Light and Visa Prepaid.

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 42 years, ESSENCE, which has a brand reach of over 8 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 essencefestival.com.

Contacts:

Dana Baxter 212.522.1634 dbaxter@essence.com
Sheila Harris, 212.522.1089 sharris@essence.com
Chloe Williams, 212.522.1777 cwilliams@essence.com