NEW ORLEANS — For the fourth year in a row, Whitney Plantation will host a booth at Essence Festival, the largest celebration of African American music, beauty, health, entrepreneurship and more.

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the festival, and attendance is expected to surpass last year’s crowd of 510,000 visitors.

Whitney Plantation is already feeling the impact with most of its tours booked, according to Dr. Joy Banner, director of communications. Beyond the visitation numbers, Banner believes it is important to be a part of the festival because of its significance to African American history.

“It’s important for us to be a part of an event that salutes and recognizes African American culture and contributions,” Banner said. “Plantations were built with the enslaved labor from highly-skilled African Americans. The least we can do is to be here and celebrate African American excellence.”

With 103 million social media posts and 4 billion impressions, Essence Festival is one of the most important avenues for River Parishes tourism attractions to access a global market with very little expense, according to Banner. She said Essence Fest is affordable compared to most tourism shows, and the close location to New Orleans drastically reduces travel expenses.

Banner sees a positive regional impact with Whitney Plantation’s participation.

“Visitors who stop by our booth are interested in hearing about St. John Parish, not just Whitney Plantation,” Banner said. “They don’t realize that we have so much tourism in less than an hour’s drive. I have people that book a tour at Whitney every year since stopping by our booth. They come back with their family and friends for every Essence Fest. They also ask me about other sites they can visit in our area.”

Banner hopes more businesses, especially tourism attractions, can create more of a presence for the River Parishes at future Essence Festivals.

Whitney Plantation’s booth is in the Community Corner Marketplace inside the Morial Convention Center, and admission is free with registration. Essence Festival takes place Friday through Sunday. Visit essence.com for more information.

Located at 5099 Highway 18 in Wallace, Whitney Plantation is open for tours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Tuesday. Due to high demand during Essence Fest, tours are extremely limited. Visit whitneyplantation.com for more information.

For more information, call 225-265-3300 or visit whitneyplantation.com.