Buy Tickets Now for the 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL Taking Place July 2, 3 and 4 in New Orleans!

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to buy your tickets for the only place to be July 4th weekend! Tickets go on sale today for the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, which returns to New Orleans July 2, 3 and 4, 2010. This year, the ultimate destination for entertainment, empowerment, culture and community celebrated its 15th anniversary with a record-breaking 428,000 attendees. Next year, in honor of the 40th anniversary of ESSENCE Magazine, the annual weekend of entertainment and inspiration promises to be better than ever, and will feature special weekend ticket packages ranging from $159-$3000 to commemorate the magazine's milestone year. The packages are as follows:

PLATINUM VIP FESTIVAL WEEKEND PACKAGE:

• Party with Festival performers and celebrities
  • Center stage seating in first 10 rows on the Louisiana Superdome floor
  • All-Access Pass to the Platinum VIP Club (next to the ESSENCE Main Stage) featuring full buffet and complimentary bar service
  • VIP parking pass at the Louisiana Superdome
  • VIP seating at the Empowerment Seminars in the Convention Center
  • Complimentary commemorative 2010 Festival T-shirt
  • Complimentary one-year subscription to ESSENCE magazine
  • Automatic Festival updates with the Festival newsletter and mobile text alerts
    

GOLD PLUS WEEKEND PACKAGE:

• Get great center stage floor seats
  • Complimentary commemorative 2010 Festival T-shirt
  • Complimentary one-year subscription to ESSENCE magazine
  • Automatic Festival updates with the Festival newsletter and mobile text alerts and more
    

GET $40 OFF WEEKEND TICKETS:

• In celebration of ESSENCE magazine's 40th anniversary, ESSENCE is offering $40 off weekend package tickets purchased in the next 40 days (through December 18th) at the Plaza and Loge levels.
  

"The success of this year's ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL has been overwhelming, with 428,000 attendees this past Fourth of July weekend," said Michelle Ebanks, president, Essence Communications Inc. "We are so grateful to our loyal audience for their support in making this happen. That is why, in honor of the 40th anniversary of ESSENCE magazine, we are offering our special weekend ticket packages for our most valued patrons. It is our way of saying thank you for their years of unwavering dedication to the ESSENCE brand."

Ticket packages are available for a limited time, so order now! For additional information about ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, visit www.essence.com.

With some of the biggest names in entertainment and the nation's most influential speakers, artists, authors and leaders, the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL is the nation's largest annual gathering of African-American music and culture. What began in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine has now grown into one of the country's "Top 10 Leading Brand Events" by Advertising Age.

In its 15-year history, the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL has featured an array of performers including Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Destiny's Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Kanye West, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige, The O'Jays, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams.

The 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL is executive produced by Essence Festivals LLC and produced by Rehage Entertainment. Essence Festivals LLC is a division of Essence Communications Inc. (ECI).

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media and communications company dedicated to African-American women. With a multi-platform presence in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black Women Come First". The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I, II & III) and Smart Beauty I, II & III consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures in digital media (mobile, television and VOD) via Essence Studios. For 39 years, ESSENCE magazine, which has a readership of 8.5 million, has been the leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of African-American women's lives.

Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at essence.com.