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NEW ORLEANS — Essence Fest 2018 organizers are celebrating one of the largest turnouts in the festival’s 24-year history.

According to Essence Fest organizers, 510,000 people turned out for this year’s four-day music and empowerment event.

For the first time ever, all three nights of Essence concerts sold out. The killer lineup included Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Snoop Dogg, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Miguel and more.

“This extraordinary gathering of nearly half a million attendees — on the eve of the Essence Festival’s 25th anniversary — speaks to the unmatched convening power of our culture,” said Michelle Ebanks, president of Essence Communications.  “As one of the country’s largest curated live experiences, the Essence Festival engages Black women globally—through a truly unique celebration of culture, connection to community and access to content that inspires and empowers.”

Organizers predicted a highly successful event this year. After all, it had some help from the hit movie “Girls Trip,” which was filmed in New Orleans and centered around a girls trip to Essence Fest. The movie stars Queen Latifah, Tiffany Haddish and Jada Pinkett Smith.