Hulu Returns As The Official Streaming Destination Of The 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture!

By Okla Jones ·Updated June 15, 2023

Following the success of last year’s collaboration with the ESSENCE Festival of Culture, Hulu will return again this year to deliver ESSENCE Fest Primetime to all its subscribers.

“It is great to be reteaming with our incredible partners at ESSENCE,” said Adia Matthews, Hulu’s VP Brand Partnerships & Synergy. “We are thrilled to join them in celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop throughout the festival weekend by bringing this iconic event back into the homes of our viewers, once again.”

The stream will feature performances from all three of the festival’s evening concert headliners – Ms. Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, and Megan Thee Stallion – along with additional artists including Doug E. Fresh, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Eve, Salt-N-Pepa, T.I. Ice Cube, Ice-T, Remy Ma, Trina, Gucci Mane, Big Boi, Lil Jon, Monica, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, and Jagged Edge.

In 2022, Hulu served as the official stream site of the ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola, marking the first time the festival made programming from its groundbreaking event available on a streaming platform.

Sponsored by Target, this year’s ESSENCE Fest Primetime is a nightly five-hour star-studded live show, available to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Celebrity hosts such as Rocsi, Ed Lover, Big Tigger, Pretty Vee, and more will share highlights from the daytime experiences and exclusive virtual-only content, before viewers are taken inside the Superdome for the epic live music performances.

“The partnership between ESSENCE and Hulu is a perfect example of the media industry moving toward a ‘phygital’ future,” said Pauline Malcolm-Thornton, Chief Revenue Officer at Essence Ventures. “We’re thrilled that Hulu’s viewers will get to experience a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, produced as only ESSENCE can.”

ESSENCE Fest Primetime will livestream on Hulu Friday, June 30 – Sunday, July 2 from 7:00pm – 11:59pm CT.