The ESSENCE Music Festival is an off-the-hook celebration. A four-day event, there are unforgettable concerts, seminars and events that will leave you wanting more. Everyone from a group of girlfriends to solo travelers flood the New Orleans area to experience the music festival each year which means crowds and cost.

Depending on the type of tickets you purchase, you will spend a pretty penny or two to experience the festival. This of course does not include other costs like airfare, transportation and accommodations. Should you be interested in attending an ESSENCE Music Festival, here are some money saving tips to consider for your trip while in New Orleans. Hopefully you will be able to save a little while enjoying a fabulous time.

We filled you in a couple days ago on the fact that Essence has a MAJOR lineup in order for this summer’s annual music festival. From Beyoncé and Jill Scott to Maxwell and Brandy, the hitmakers are headed to NOLA this July. And did we mention that their recent cover boy, LL Cool J, is also performing as well? Here’s to hoping his performance will be a bit more entertaining than what he did at the Grammys….Anyhow, we now can add Bey’s sister Solange and R&B stud Trey Songz into the mix, as Essence just revealed that they have been added to the lineup. They’ve also tapped the very underrated Tamia and Faith Evans to perform as well. While Solange and Trey will probably hit a main stage, Tamia, Evans, as well as the additions of Mali Music and singer Rachelle Ferrell, will perform in the festival’s superlounges.

And if you’re hoping to take part in changing that body from within instead of just shaking it down to the ground, the festival will of course have opportunities to speak with and learn from life coaches, fitness experts, members of the clergy and more through something called the Essence Empowerment Experience. There you can get fed with the help of the brilliant Iyanla Vanzant, as well as Steve Harvey, and I don’t know, maybe get some business advice or something from Kenya Moore (?) of Real Housewives of Atlanta. They’re also bringing in other big names to help, including John Lewis, Denise Warren, Karen Peterson, Kim Burrell, Kurt Carr and many others.

Once again, if you’re trying to be a part of all this fun, the Essence Music Festival is from July 4-7, and weekend packages are already for sale online. Get moving!

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

If you were looking for a reason to head to New Orleans in July for the 19th annual Essence Music Festival this year, this new lineup of theirs is sure to have you thirsty to get to NOLA. Recently announced to headline this year’s festival is the ultimate diva, Beyoncé. Adding another date to her already jam packed Mrs. Carter tour schedule, Bey will take the Superdome stage one mo’ ‘gin for fans, and everyone seems excited, including Essence Communication President, Michelle Ebanks, who says, “We are incredibly excited to welcome Beyoncé back to the 2013 ESSENCE Festival line-up. She is truly the ultimate ESSENCE woman.” Homegirl will of course headline one of three concert nights that is happening July 4-7, but her specific show date has not been pegged yet. In any case, keep those four days open in your schedule.

Ironically, Bey is a headliner, as is Keyshia Cole, who has had a lot to say as of late about homegirl’s former Destiny’s Child bandmate, Michelle Williams. Jill Scott is also a big headliner for the festival, as is my husband Maxwell, Brandy, Charlie Wilson and many more talented folks (including the very slept on Les Nubians, who are an amazing group!). Check out the many acts who have so far been slated to perform during the 19th annual Essence Music Festival come summer, and get more info on another sure-to-knock-the-lights-out-performance by Beyoncé at Essence.com.

Will you be there July 4-7, and who would you be excited to see?

The line between friendship and cut buddy can get blurry sometimes. And several people have ended up in the sheets with someone who was once just a friend. We took to the streets of New Orleans to see if some of these people had done just that. See what they had to say about the subject in the video above. If you’ve been there and done that, be sure to let us know how things worked out for you and your “friend” in the comments section below.

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There was plenty to see and do in the city of New Orleans last week during the Essence Music Festival. And when there’s a lot to see and do, there’s bound to be someone who’s doing it all wrong. We headed over to Bourbon Street to find out what was the craziest…or most ratchet thing people had seen during the festival. Check out the answers. Some of them are a hot mess.

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We came to know Dr. Sherry Blake from her appearances on the “Braxton Family Values,” working Trina and her husband Gabe. Even though Trina and Gabe are dissolving their marriage, we saw that Dr. Sherry offered sound advice. We caught up with Dr. Sherry at the Essence Music Festival to chat about the ways black women go wrong in relationships and how we can make it better.

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Essence Music Festival was truly a star-studded event but aside from the concerts and celebrity sightings there was a one booth at the convention center that was extremely popular among patrons. It was the “My Black is Beautiful” booth. We caught up with media maven and fashion expert Bevy Smith to explain why the booth attracted so many women and why the “My Black is Beautiful” movement is so important.

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Madame Noire caught up with some of the strongest voices in the game recently at the Essence Music Festival. Nicci Gilbert-Daniels, formerly of the group Brownstone, Syleena Johnson, Faith Evans, KeKe Wyatt, and Monifah are now known as the R&B Divas. And they plan to star in a new reality show bearing the same name. We spoke with the ladies about reservations of being in reality tv, being real life friends and who’s the crazy one in the group.

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We’ve been watching Tempestt Bledsoe since her days on the legendary “Cosby Show.” But now, as a grown woman she’s onto a new project, a new show depicting a positive black family. We had the opportunity to speak with Tempestt about her new show “Guys with Kids,” her thoughts on men who make less than their women and that luscious mane of hers.

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Tamia hasn’t aged one bit since hitting the scene, marrying Grant Hill, and birthing two kids, has she? Madame Noire had the luck of catching up with the singer at this past weekend’s Essence Music Festival, where she gave us the lowdown on the misconceptions of NBA wives, her new album and her very supportive fans. Check it out.

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