NEW ORLEANS - The 24th annual Essence Festival returns to New Orleans next year after the official 4th of July holiday.

  

Organizers on Wednesday said the dates for the 2018 event are July 5-8.

  

The 2017 festival drew more than 470,000 attendees to its nightly concert series inside the Superdome and the free workshops and entertainment at New Orleans' convention center. It featured first-time performances by Diana Ross and Chance The Rapper, plus keynote conversations with acclaimed director Ava Duvernay and many others.

  

The 2018 event is presented by Coca-Cola. The lineup hasn't been released, but is expected to feature a diverse roster of musicians and speakers for the concerts and daily empowerment programming. Limited advance tickets for the nightly concert series will be available starting Aug. 10 at 10 a.m. EDT.