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Essence Music Festival on a Budget
It’s that time again! Essence Music Festival weekend is where artist, stylist and beauty enthusiast come together to create a fabulous 4th of July weekend in NOLA. We have all enjoyed several EMFs and at the last minute this year decided we didn’t want to miss out. We love New Orleans dearly and any chance we get to visit we take it. Looking to do EMF on a budget? Read on to see how we are doing EMF for $504!
Transportation:
Depending on where you are traveling from you can easily get flight deals RT under $100 to the Big Easy. If you are within driving distance, get 1-2 of your closest friends (or family members) and turn it into a road trip! With the national average of gas prices at $2.300 per gallon, gas would not be a costly burden. Divide the gas up between the road trip participants. For JSD Joy and Vanessa and their friend, we calculated about $80 per person to cover the trip down to New Orleans and the drive back to Arkansas.
Lodging:
New Orleans is an easily accessible city—meaning if you stay Downtown (Canal, Poydras St) or in the French Quarters, Warehouse District (South Peters, Julia Streets) you can get most places by foot or by streetcar. No need to waste money on gas! For EMF, most of the festivities will take place at the Convention Center & Superdome. Food and souvenir vendors will be lined on Poydras Street, which houses the Superdome and intersects with Convention Center Blvd. So staying anywhere on Poydras and within the Warehouse District is a good idea.
For this last minute trip we had a target budget in mind- no more than $200 per person. Being that it was 4 days before the festival we were worried this wasn’t going to happen! We checked all over and finally JSD Tiffanie checked Hotwire and found a boutique hotel in the Warehouse District for $133 a night! Not bad for last minute planning. By staying in the Warehouse District, we are able to save on gas and by using Hotwire we were able to book a nice hotel (ended up being a Hilton) at the last minute. Whew!
Activities:
Concert Tickets
If you want to do EMF on a budget pick one night! This year we are looking forward to seeing Puff Daddy and the Family & Kendrick Lamar. Groupon was advertising $49 single night tickets—located in the terrace. The seats are pretty high up, but in the Superdome (which is HUUGEE) it is hard to see from the floor unless you are in the first few rows (trust us we had floor seats in 2013). Watching from the terrace won’t be bad because:
There are huge screens displaying the stage
The seats are cheap so you won’t have buyer’s remorse
You’ll be with your friends!
Pop-Up Shops
Throughout EMF weekend there will be several pop-up shops. Usually these are about all things beauty, fashion and haircare. Music, food and networking are incorporated into these pop-up shops and they can be found throughout the city- from downtown to uptown. Be mindful when selecting your popup shops. If you don’t have transportation or are trying to stay in budget, look for Pop-Up shops within walking distance of the Convention Center. JSD Joy found a pop-up shop that was half-off ($17 Reg.$35). The Natural Hair Care Expo which is a big hit has tickets for $25. Sometimes, if you plan ahead of time you can score free tix (like the one we have for Zuvaa) or (tix for $10) to certain events. Search eventbrite as well for local events (like boat parties, night parties etc) that may not be advertised where you are.
Day Parties
EMF is a weekend full of a lot of activities including parties. Sometimes it’s hard to make it to everything, because there’s so much to do in one day! You don’t want to be worn out before the concert! One of the cool things about it is the Day Parties. The Official Essence Music Festival Day parties happen daily throughout the duration of the festival. If you visit their site, you can find GA tix for $25. We went one year and had a blast. Doug E. Fresh was the host and the special guest performance was Wale. There was even an appearance by Brandy. So if you if have time plan for day party. We have incorporated it in our budget, but it’s still up in the air.
Convention Center Fun
Did we mention how much free stuff takes place at the convention center??! From talk shows, to celebrity sightings, performances, demonstrations you can actually have a lot of free fun at the Convention Center. A Marketplace for purchasing food, drinks and even buying items from vendors can be found here. This is where the cheap lunches and souvenirs come in. There is a section in the convention center where food vendors are located. You may get a plate of chicken, red beans and rice and greens all for $10 or $12. Plan to go here and have a good lunch. It’s also a good way to try local food without having to leave downtown. If you sign up for the expos like the Beauty Expo (or download the Essence App) you can get free entrance to those as well. They will have talks this year from people like Tyra Banks to Misty Copeland. We love free celebrity entertainment!
Other Items
New Orleans is a city that loves to party-this means that alcoholic beverages are usually in abundance and are not expensive! Want to save money? Stop by a convenience store and purchase a bottle of liquor and a cold drink (yes cold drink! Lol) like Coke or Sprite to last you throughout the weekend. Walking around with open beverages is okay here-so make a drink to go before leaving your room or pack a flask.
For breakfast and dinner-try to stay at a hotel that offers free breakfast. Splurge on a nice southern breakfast at least one day of your trip. For dinner, there are plenty of places to get a good meal for $25 or under. Just head to the French Quarters! For example, The Gumbo Shop has dinner options for under $20 and you won’t be disappointed. Avoid tourist traps and you will save, save, save!
We will give an updated post to show what we actually spent!
Essence Music Festival can be done on a budget—it is held in one of the most budget friendly places in the states! Also, make sure to sign up for essence.com newsletters in advance; they send out email alerts with exclusive deals about expos, screenings, parties and seminars.
Have questions? Just shoot us an email! Make sure to follow us on Twitter @jetset_divas and Instagram @jet_setdivas for live updates this 2016 EMF!
*Essence Festival Official Photo courtesy of essence.com