It is estimated that people who visit Essence spend $ 200-300 million in the city each year.

NEW ORLEANS – The Morial Convention Center is kind of a ghost town these days.

COVID-19 cases have put events on hold.

This means that Essence Fest attendees won’t overcrowd either the convention center or the Superdome for the coming months.

Instead, this year the festival will be virtual again on the last weekend in June and the first weekend in July. From a financial perspective, that’s not good news.

It is estimated that people who visit Essence spend $ 200-300 million in the city each year.

But Mark Romig of New Orleans and Company, the city’s convention and visitor bureau, says going virtual again is the right step right now.

“We look forward to 2022 when we can have the full essence again here, as we expect,” he said.

LaVerne Toombs, head of the New Orleans regional chamber of commerce, said another year with no essence – and the lack of the Bayou Classic in town – will have a direct impact on black-owned businesses in particular.

“I’m not saying that all black companies rely on the hospitality industry, but a large number of them,” Toombs said. “And when you have a large entity like an essence, a bayou classic, or a carnival, it affects them in different ways.”

With COVID cases still high across the country, there are strict crowd restrictions in the city: no more than 10 inside, no more than 25 outside.

Hardly the way to organize a festival.

Keith Spera, who covers the music scene for The Times-Picayune and New Orleans Advocate, said Essence’s plans to go virtual this year are a smart way to move forward.

“They wanted to be there early and let the fans know they shouldn’t make their New Orleans travel plans because now, at the beginning of the year, people would think about it,” he said.

The festival will record some events for digital broadcast. Some lucky locals are invited to be in the crowd. And that means at least some expense at a time when otherwise there might not be any.

“It’s going to be a cool event for people to see online. Some people – some invited guests – will see them in person. It’s a nice way of dividing the difference between a fully virtual festival and a personal festival, ”he said.

Now that COVID cases seem to be trending down, the hope is that the second half of the year will get better and celebrations like the Jazzfest can take place.

“We’ll only get there if we do the right things now. I think the choices we make now will ensure that we can have a robust economy for everyone in the future, ”said Romig.

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