Essence Acknowledges Festival Delays That Led to Lauryn Hill’s Early Morning Set
There’s been a lot of discourse in regards to the 2025 Essence Festival Of Culture, and one of the biggest pushbacks has been the set times.
The festival’s lineup had run hours behind schedule. Lauryn Hill didn’t hit the stage until 2:30am and then wrapped at 3:37am this past weekend.
NolaNews captured a video of the Grammy-award winner performing to a nearly empty stadium.
“It was nearly 4 a.m. Saturday morning when Lauryn Hill, who was quietly added to an already overstuffed opening night lineup just two days prior, finished her show,” the outlet captioned on their video posted to Instagram.
“The Superdome was nearly empty by that point in one of the latest Essence Fest nights of all time.”
One fan defends Hill, who is notoriously known for her tardiness, expressing her hitting the stage late was out of her control.
“Let’s provide the facts. The entire festival was pushed back,” the fan tweeted.
“This was literally not her fault.”
Essence also defended the veteran, confirming she arrived on time and taking accountability for her arriving on the stage late.
“She arrived on schedule, stepped on that stage, and delivered the kind of performance only a legend can,” they captioned on their Instagram.
“The delay? Not hers. We will take that. The moment? One for the books. The legacy? Still unmatched. Put some respect on her name. Keep the takes, but keep her out of them. All love and deep profound admiration for Ms. Lauryn Hill.”
