Cardi B, Latto, Kehlani, Patti LaBelle, Brandy & Monica Coming To 2026 Essence Festival
Written by Tariq on March 10, 2026
In celebration of March’s Women’s History Month observance, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture has unveiled its first wave of artists for the 2026 Evening Concert Series at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, July 3-5. The names are titans in R&B as well as hip-hop, pushing the sound and the culture forward: Cardi B, Patti LaBelle, Kehlani, Latto, and our Fall/Winter 2025 cover stars, Brandy and Monica. They’re giving “Ladies first” new meaning. Cardi B, who is currently on her wildy popular Little Miss Drama Tour, will make her ESSENCE Festival of Culture debut to perform her chart-topping, Grammy-winning hits.
Also making their debut is Grammy-nominated hitmaker Latto. The “Big Mama” rapper, who has redefined the Southern rap sound with her confident, infectious lyrics, is sure to is shake things up on the Superdome stage. Kehlani is also new to the EFoC experience, but her catalog isn’t new to R&B fans. Her song, “Folded,” a top 10 hit on the Hot 100, recently nabbed her the Grammy for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song at the 68th annual Grammy Awards. Fans will certainly be singing along come the July 4th weekend.
Source: Essence
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