Essence Festival with Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion to stream on Hulu

June 15 (UPI) -- The 2023 Essence Festival of Culture will stream on Hulu for a second year.

Hulu announced in a press release Thursday that the Essence Fest official livestream will be available for free to its subscribers.

This year's event will stream June 30-July 2 at 8 p.m. EDT. Each broadcast will consist of a five-hour star-studded live show hosted by Rocsi, Ed Lover, Big Tigger, Pretty Vee and others.

Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott and Megan Thee Stallion will headline the festival, with Doug E. Fresh, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Eve, Salt-N-Pepa, T.I., Ice Cube, Ice-T, Remy Ma, Trina, Gucci Mane, Big Boi, Lil Jon, Monica, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Jagged Edge and other artists to perform.

Hulu previously streamed the festival in 2022, marking the first time the event was available on a streaming platform.

"It's great to be reteaming with our incredible partners at Essence," Hulu VP of brand partnerships and synergy Adia Matthews said. "We are thrilled to join them in celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop throughout the festival weekend by bringing this iconic event back into the homes of our viewers, once again."

"The partnership between Essence and Hulu is a perfect example of the media industry moving toward a 'phygital' future. We're thrilled that Hulu's viewers will get to experience a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, produced as only Essence can," Essence Ventures chief revenue officer Pauline Malcolm-Thornton added.

Additional details about the Essence Fest lineup and livestream schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.