ATLANTA, USA – This Fourth of July weekend, Coca-Cola will celebrate the brand’s 30-year commitment to partnering with Essence for the annual ESSENCE Festival of Culture, the largest African American music and empowerment event in the country. ESSENCE Festival of Culture is the vibrant homecoming and cultural pilgrimage designed to bring together the most iconic and influential voices from the culture to celebrate the richness of Black community, creativity, culture and commerce throughout the holiday weekend in the vibrant city of New Orleans.
For 30 years, Coca-Cola has been “Shining Together” with ESSENCE as the official presenting sponsor of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture – highlighting Coca-Cola’s long-standing tradition of giving back to the brand’s communities.
Since 1995, Coca-Cola has helped power the ESSENCE Festival of Culture as the presenting sponsor with immersive panels, engagements, and performances as a way to authentically connect with reflect, uplift and highlight the community. In the past three years, the Essence Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola has generated nearly $1 billion in economic impact for the city of New Orleans.
In 2024 alone, The ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola infused more than $346.3 million into the local economy creating 2,642 jobs and generating $113.7 million in income for local workers.
For 2025, Coca-Cola will continue to make an impact with the brand’s theme of “Shining Together”, upholding the brand’s rituals of togetherness & uplifting by honoring 30 years of partnership with ESSENCE through three dynamic activations from Coca-Cola, smartwater, and Simply – each honoring sisterhood, joy, and shared cultural pride.
The immersive activations will come to life through star-studded performances, panel discussions, and refreshments from the Total Beverage Company – Coca-Cola. This includes mainstage moments from some of music’s biggest stars including Lay Banks, Mariah the Scientist, and Lloyd.
Inside the booth on the convention center floor, Coca-Cola presents the Summer of Uplift Block Party, an intergenerational celebration inspired by classic neighborhood gatherings hosted by Charles Kuykendoll and Jamila Mustafa with DJ sets by Sky Jetta and DJ Mars all weekend long. Some of the activations will include:
- Open Streets daily programming will bring the fun and refreshing vibes of a summer block party to every moment, with bold visuals and on-the-ground entertainment from Jump DC Superstars and GameOva Skip that spark connection, celebration, and nonstop fun with her and her girlfriends.
- If Not For My Girls is the annual ESSENCE and Coca-Cola® platform dedicated to celebrating the persistent love, stories, and unbreakable bonds between Black women. For year seven of the hit digital series, the cast features: Zonnique Pullins, Reginae Carter, Bahja Rodriguez, and Breaunna Womack.
- Who’s On The Block? is an evolution of the traditional panel – an uplifting, on-stage experience spotlighting the people, programs, and products shaping culture today. The series features meaningful conversations with partners The Walt Disney Company and McDonald’s Corporation. It will also highlight student creators from Historically Black Colleges and Universities like Southern University and A&M College through Coca-Cola’s The World Is My Yard™ platform, and showcase Black-owned businesses from SOKO Market – including Undefined Beauty and Butter’d – through storytelling moments, product giveaways, and community engagement.
smartwater® alkaline with antioxidant will invite guests to its extension “under the shade” – just steps away from the Coca-Cola experience – to recharge and hydrate without missing a beat of the summer vibe. It’s where wellness meets the rhythm of the festival, under the glow of the NOLA sun.
Simply brings flavor and fun with a vibrant game-show-meets-day-party experience in partnership with Urban Trivia. Hosted by Brandon Romas and Kita Renee, and soundtracked by DJ Almost Famous and DJ She Real, the activation invites guests to sip, play, and celebrate with Simply’s signature lemonades, premium giveaways, and lively challenges rooted in joy and community.
Together, these experiences honor three decades of Black excellence, celebration, and sisterhood — raising a glass to the legacy of ESSENCE and the vibrant future ahead.
