NEW ORLEANS -- It's a music extravaganza that brings tens of thousands of people to the city each summer.
Friday, Essence Fest 2010 kicked off with a star-studded lineup. Some fans we talked with say they never miss it.
"I come every year, and I'm looking forward to seeing Janet Jackson and Alicia Keys tomorrow night," said Cynthia Slaughter, a Chesapeake, Virginia resident. The festival is the centerpiece of a busy weekend in New Orleans.
Essence events take place in the Superdome and at the Convention Center, where another group, the National Education Association, is also holding its yearly conference -- with an estimated attendance of 15,000.
In the French Quarter Friday afternoon, the crowds were out and about. It's a welcome sight for many businesses, as concerns grow over a possible hit to tourism because of the oil spill.
An executive at this Bourbon Street restaurant says it's important to remind folks that things aren't as bad as they may seem.
"The tourism industry is a perception industry, and so the tourism and hospitality industry have jumped on that quickly and rapidly and effectively so far, and I would see that that would continue to happen to stress to people -- the seafood is safe," said Glen Armantrout, director of operations at Cajun Cabin.
And folks we talked with seem to have gotten the message.
"Never worried about not getting seafood. My perception of it is just, people are gonna do what they gonna do regardless of what's going on," said Robert Bowens, a Greenville, South Carolina resident. "So, we all coming down here to have fun. Seafood is here, as you can tell. So, we gonna eat and just be merry."
"I went to a couple of restaurants today and they had plenty of oysters, so I think things are still pretty good and there's a lot of tourists here," said Mark Robinson, an Arlington, Texas resident.
Tourists who say they're very aware of the challenges ahead for the gulf coast, but are happy to help.
"I'm gonna do my part. We got a crisis going on, but when we come together, we come together to help each other, and that's what we gonna do," Bowens said.
They're here to enjoy the city and its culture, and for some, that signature cuisine.
"Just had a shrimp and oyster poboy," Slaughter said.
