Sunday, February 8, 2026

Vice President Kamala Harris Will Take The Stage At Essence Festival in New Orleans This Week

Vice President Kamala Harris will take the stage at the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans on Friday afternoon to address important issues ranging from reproductive rights to inflation.

Vice President Harris, along with other senior members of the Biden-Harris Administration, will join a moderated panel discussion at the Global Black Economic Forum Headquarters Stage in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center during the festival on Friday, June 30.

Vice President Kamala Harris Will Take The Stage At The Essence
Photo Credit: Amy Harris/The Travel Addict

“We are thrilled to welcome Vice President Harris, Secretary Yellen, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, and Administrator Regan, and many others to the Global Black Economic Forum’s stages at the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture,” said Alphonso David, president and CEO of the Global Black Economic Forum. “This will be a unique opportunity for festival attendees and those viewing at home to hear from and interact with leaders whose daily decisions impact their lives and the global economy. The Global Black Economic Forum was established to be the essential convener for the ideas and solutions that will create a more just and equal economy for all.”

Vice President Harris last took the Essence stage in 2019 when the festival was celebrating 25 years. She spoke at the convention center along with most of the other Democratic candidates for President leading up to the primaries for the 2020 election.

Photo Credit: Amy Harris/The Travel Addict

Around 500,000 people are expected to attend Essence Festival this year at the convention center and Caesar’s Superdome throughout the course of the weekend for both daytime activities and nightly concerts.

All of the daytime events at Essence Festival are completely free to attend, including a range of pop-ups, installations, panels and more.

Partnering with Target, Coca-Cola, L’Oréal, Disney and AT&T, this year’s festival will include a food and wine festival, a marketplace, the New Voices Village, a community corner and a Global Black Economic Forum and Village.

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Amy Harris
Amy Harris is a writer and photographer who has been traveling for 20 years and flown over 2 million miles to visit over 80 countries on 6 continents. She is a freelance photographer for Invision by Associated Press, AP Images and Rex/Shutterstock. Her work can be seen in various publications and websites including: Rolling Stone, AP Images, National Geographic Books, Fodor’s Travel Guides, Forbes.com, Lonely Planet Travel Guides, JetStar magazine, and Delta Sky Magazine.

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