Like all of New Orleans’ great music festivals, Essence is what you make of it. More than a music event with big-name headliners, it’s a multi-tiered symposium that transforms the city over the course of a weekend. Essence Festival 2013 is billed as “the leading African-American destination for music, culture, community, empowerment and inspiration”—and lofty as that sounds, it reflects Essence’s mission to make this a cultural event.

One new addition this ...