Thousands of party people hit New Orleans for fourth of July weekend to witness the magic that is the Essence Music Festival.

But this year was special. It was the 15th anniversary of the festival and drew fans from all over the US giving the Big Easy an economic boost.

An estimated 250,000 people visited New Orleans over the weekend and Friday's opening night saw a sold-out crowd, the first time in Essence history.

So what was the big fuss you ask? The Royal Gazette's Mikaela Pearman was there to find out.

A city rich with culture, celebrities walking around with ordinary people, alcohol that comes in giant styrofome cups, concerts so amazing that you couldn't come up with a better line-up and the list goes on.

My travelling buddy Aimee and I arrived in New Orleans on Thursday afternoon after a day of shopping in Manhattan, a delayed flight to Dallas and an hour drive from Baton Rouge.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon.

After trying to find where to pick up press passes for hours, we finally sorted out our ticket situation and managed to get upgraded to floor seats and all-access passes.

And then came the show.

Friday night saw Salt N Pepa, Ne-Yo, John Legend and Beyonce on the main stage.

Because I was running late, I missed Salt N Pepa and Ne-Yo. But I definitely did not miss John Legend.

People who know me well know that I absolutely adore this man and because I had missed him in concert twice before, I had to see him this time.

So the question is, was he worth the wait? The answer — absolutely!

Mr. Legend started his set with 'Used to Love You' and sang song after song from all his albums including 'Get Lifted', 'I Can Change', 'Save Room For Love', 'Green Light', 'Good Morning' and his reggae inspired song 'No Other Love' featuring Estelle who he brought on stage.

Then Estelle performed her hit 'American Boy'.

Beyonce finished the opening night with her very entertaining set which was almost identical to her 'I Am' tour.

I was interested to see if Miss Knowles would perform as well as she did when she came to Bermuda and I have to say I wasn't very impressed.

From the over the top costumes to the circus on stage, it all seemed a bit too much.

But I will say, Beyonce was entertaining and sang her songs with her amazing powerhouse voice including, 'Freakum Dress', 'Get Me Bodied', 'Single Ladies', 'If I Were a Boy', 'Halo', 'Diva' and the new addition to her tour 'Ave Maria'.

I also saw Keri Hilson perform in one of the superlounges which was so intimate.

She came across as authentic and fun and gave a really good performance.

Saturday night was probably the best night for me because instead of watching the concert from the floor, I was back in the all-access lounge networking, partying and meeting celebrities.

The all-access lounge was buzzing with celebrities including Brian McNight, Bishop TD Jakes, Dwayne Wade, Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan, Alonzo Mourning with his wife, LisaRaye McCoy, Holly Robinson Peete and more.

Putting the celebs aside, performers included the very talented Jazmine Sullivan, Robin Thicke, Anita Baker and Maxwell.

Because they put Jazmine on so early, I didn't get to see her but I did catch Robin Thicke.

And let me tell you Bermuda, you will not be disappointed when he performs in August.

That man can sing! He has amazing stage presence, soul and definitely swagger.

Mr. Thicke sang 'Sweetest Love', 'Shooter', 'Magic', my favourite 'Lost Without You' and Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature'.

Charlie Wilson had the crowd jumping with his sparkles everywhere, dark glasses at night and his overall 'I'm A Gangsta' presence.

Anita Baker followed with her amazing voice singing hit after hit including 'Sweet Love' and even called out a few celebrities including Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth who she told to move to the VIP section.

As much as I love Maxwell and all his fineness, I was not impressed at how long he took to grace the stage.

After Ms Baker finished her set close to 1 a.m., Maxwell didn't come on until 1.45 a.m. upsetting so many people. By the time he got into his performance, a good portion of the crowd had left and fans on the floor rushed the stage.

But he did perform well singing 'A Woman's Work', 'Pretty Wings', and 'Whenever Wherever Whatever'.

Sunday night saw a much older line-up with the likes of Teena Marie, Al Green, Lionel Richie and Frankie Beverly and Maze.

Al Green had the crowd standing during his whole set performing hit after hit. When he sang my favourite, 'Let's Stay Together', the smile stayed on my face for ages like so many other people there.

But the best performer on the final night would have to be the timeless, classic, Lionel Richie.

The man does not go out of style. He sang 'Hello', 'Easy Like Sunday Morning', and many more ballads.

But he brought the house down when the music to 'All Night Long' started. He then effortlessly merged in to 'Brickhouse' and back to 'All Night Long'.

I have to say I was disappointed that he didn't perform his new song, 'Forever and A Day'.

But overall, my first experience at the Essence Music Festival was amazing to say the least. In addition to watching amazing performances, I was able to network with influential people and meet cool celebrities including LisaRaye who promised she's coming back to Bermuda.

It was the ultimate party weekend.