By Tephanie Delaney
NEW ORLEANS — The 2025 Essence Festival of Culture opened its weekend with both excitement and frustration Friday night as Lauryn Hill’s highly anticipated performance was delayed nearly two hours, leaving many fans exhausted or gone by the time she took the stage.
Scheduled to begin around 12:35 a.m. at the Caesars Superdome, Hill did not start performing until approximately 2:30 a.m., performing for a significantly diminished crowd well into the early hours of Saturday morning. While Hill has faced criticism in the past for tardiness, multiple reports and attendees pointed to the festival’s own bloated schedule and production delays as the primary cause of the late start.
Friday night’s lineup was packed with major acts including Maxwell, Babyface, the Isley Brothers, GloRilla, Lucky Daye, Coco Jones, and Psyrin. Each set reportedly ran long, pushing the entire evening behind schedule. By the time Hill was ready to perform, much of the audience had already left, with social media videos capturing an arena that was at best half-full.
Fans took to TikTok and other platforms to share their disappointment, with many questioning why organizers did not manage set times more tightly. One viral video simply asked: “Where is Lauryn?” as the clock neared 2 a.m.
Despite the delay, Hill delivered a powerful set that included “To Zion,” joined onstage by her sons Zion and Joshua “YG” Marley. She also performed fan favorites like “Killing Me Softly,” “Doo Wop (That Thing),” and closed with “Fu-Gee-La,” thanking the remaining crowd before exiting the stage near 3:45 a.m.
Criticism was swift online, but many fans and commentators noted the issue was largely out of Hill’s control. Attendees reported her band and crew were ready to go earlier in the night, but transition times between acts and a packed schedule left no room to recover lost minutes.
For Essence Festival, now in its 31st year, the incident raises questions about balancing star-studded lineups with realistic scheduling. Organizers have not issued a formal apology or statement addressing the delays as of press time.
Essence Festival of Culture continues through Sunday, promising more high-profile performances and discussions centered on Black culture, music, and entrepreneurship. But Friday’s challenges stand as a reminder that even veteran events can struggle with logistics—and that fans’ patience has limits, even for legends like Lauryn Hill.
