Essence 2025 will happen from July 3 to July 6. Today is April 10, and there is still no lineup for Essence Festival 2025. The fans are waiting for the lineup, and we are as well. In the meantime, we reminded ourselves of some of the most performing artists on the Essence Festival of culture and cross-checked whether they could be part of the lineup this year. So, we tried to predict who might be part of the Essence Fest lineup 2025.
Some of the factors that we believe are influencing the 2025 lineup are the following:
- Anniversary Focus
The 30th anniversary may prioritize legacy acts (e.g., Janet Jackson, Charlie Wilson). - Tour Schedules
Conflicts with major tours (e.g., Beyoncé) will likely exclude some artists. - Emerging Talent
Essence Fest often balances legends with rising stars, which could impact slots for veterans like Jill Scott or Doug E. Fresh.
Final lineup announcements are typically made mid-spring, so updates may refine these predictions. Keep following our article dedicated to the Essence Fest lineup to get the complete list of performers.
Highly Likely to Perform
- Charlie Wilson
Performed 10 times since 2006. As part of the Charlie Wilson’s tour in 2024, he was a headliner on the Essence Fest 2024 lineup, with a strong fan base. No conflicts cited. (source: 2024 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture Performer: Charlie Wilson) He remains an Essence Fest staple, and we would expect to see him in the Essence Festival 2025 lineup.
Likely to Perform
- Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson at Essence Fest 2024 was a headliner with record-breaking sales. Also, she has a history of recurring appearances (6 times in the past 30 festival editions). The one reason that could prevent Janet from being part of the Essence 2025 lineup could be if her tour “Together Again” resumes post-2024 in July 2025. While writing this article (April 10, 2025), we can’t see Janet Jackson’s schedule overlapping with Essence Festival 2025 dates.
Possible to Perform
- Mary J. Blige
She is a frequent performer (15+ times) at the Essence Festival of Culture. Her 2025 tour ends at some point in April, leaving July open to be part of the line up for Essence 2025. - Usher
He was a headliner in the Essence Festival 2024 lineup. He performed for the first time in 1998 and has had five performances between 2015 and 2024. - Jill Scott
Past frequent performer (10+ times). Less frequent recent appearances. Focusing on newer acts may reduce priority. - Doug E. Fresh
The artist performed 12 times at the Essence Festival (a frequent 2000s–2010s performer).
Unlikely to Perform
- Maze featuring Frankie Beverly
After performing yearly at the festival, they officially concluded their Essence Fest run in 2024. - Beyoncé
She announced the Cowboy Carter tour for July 2025. Tour dates overlap with Essence Fest (July 4 – 7, 2025). Beyonce will be in Landover on July 4 and 7, performing at the Northwest Stadium. - The Roots
They are regular performers at the festival, but this year they have a schedule in Europe. They have a fair schedule during the upcoming summer. They will attend several festivals, including the Roots Picnic 2025 festival. They are already booked for performances overlapping the Essence Fest dates. In the Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2025 in Lewes, United Kingdom (Jul 5), and Gent Jazz 2025 in Gent, Belgium (Jul 6).
