The Cheap Way to Attend Essence Festival
You can go to Essence Festival without spending a lot of money
Essence Festival is a big event for the City of New Orleans. The revenue brings millions of dollars into the city and the event is a big deal. The show brings in huge musical acts and tv personalities and it can be hard to get a great deal unless your an insider. Here are a few tips that I have found to help me enjoy Essence festival on a budget.
Plan early-If you decide that you are going to attend Essence fest make sure to plan early. Hotel rooms go really quickly and the longer you wait the greater the chance you won't find a room and the greater the price will be
Venture Out from French Quarter- All the hotel rooms near the super dome(where the essence festival concerts are held) and the french quarter will be expensive. Try to find a hotel room on the Westbank(terrytown,westwego) or metairie or kenner you wont have to travel too far (about 15 minutes)from the essence festival events are you are guaranteed a cheaper room. If you want to find a really great price go to the city of Laplace which is about 30 minutes outside of New Orleans.
Don't Pay for Parking- If you plan on driving during Essence festival parking can get really expensive, one insider secret is park in the Harrah's Casino parking lot it is free! The parking lot is located in the heart of the french quarter next to the Convention Center where all of Essence day events are held. Harrah's does require that you sign up for their free Player's Card and play at least 30 minutes on the slot machines. You can play three dollars in the penny slots and still qualify for free parking.
Don't Buy An essence Festival Ticket- I know this tip seems crazy but hey those essence festival tickets can be expensive but you don't have to have ticket to have a good time. There are tons of free essence festival events held in the convention center. I have been there and saw Billy Cosby, Steve Harvey, Eldris Elba, T.I. and many more at this convention center and it did not cost me anything. I also got tons of free goodies and samples.
Essence festival is a great opportunity to strengthen the community, explore the city, learn about your heritage and learn from the success of others. Attending this event does not have to break your wallet, as long as you plan ahead of time, you can have fun on a dime.
