Mary J. Blige Celebrates, Amplifies Women With 'Strength Of A Woman Festival And Summit' In Atlanta

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Mary J. Blige celebrates Mother’s Day weekend by bringing the inaugural “Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit” devoted to music, comedy and community building to Atlanta May 6-8, in partnership with Live Nation Urban.

Taking place at various venues across the city, including City Winery, The Tabernacle, and Buckhead Theater, the festivities include a Saturday night concert at State Farm Arena that will feature Mary J. Blige & Friends, Chaka Khan, City Girls, Ella Mai, Xscape, Queen Naija, Baby Tate, and Omerettá the Great

Kicking off the weekend is the concert at the Tabernacle, curated to highlight youth culture and emerging hip-hop and R&B superstars such as Kiana Lede´, Emotional Oranges, Inayah, MK XYZ, Omerettá the Great, and more. Rounding out the night is a comedy show at Buckhead Theater hosted by Atlanta radio personality Wanda featuring Ms. Pat and more.

The festivities for Saturday, May 7 start off at The Gathering Spot ATL with the Strength of a Woman Summ t – the ultimate destination bringing the festival’s mission and purpose of empowerment, elevation, and education to life via engaging workshops and panel discussions.

The culminating event is the Mother’s Day Gospel Brunch on Sunday, May 8. Hosted at City Winery, the ticketed brunch service will feature gospel music’s hottest artists including Kierra Sheard, Le’Andria Johnson, and more.

Presale tickets go live Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 10 a.m. ET, while general onsale begins on Thursday, March 10, also at 10 a.m. ET. All tickets can be purchased at the event website.

“Intentionally held over Mother’s Day weekend, the festival is unapologetically curated for and by women in the hotbed for creativity and culture, Atlanta, GA,” according to the announcement.

This multi-touchpoint festival, which focuses on music, wellness, tech, beauty, and financial literacy is the evolution of Blige’s mission and purpose, and follows her historic appearance with Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre and Eminem as a Super Bowl halftime show headliner in February.

“The idea for the festival came to us after early listening sessions of my latest album with my family and friends and women in the industry,” Blige said in a statement. “Each time, the people in the room would share a story, oftentimes of heartbreak or pain, but they always ended with joy and love and how their girlfriends or mom or sister helped them find their voice and strength.

Keith Birmingham / MediaNews Group / Pasadena Star-News / Getty Images – Mary J. Blige
performs during Super Bowl LVI ‘s halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Feb. 13, 2022.

“We felt like after two years of being inside and having to endure so much, that this was the type of experience that people, especially women, deserved” stated Blige. “I’m so grateful to all of the performers, vendors, and participants for committing themselves to our inaugural event and I am so excited to do this in a city that has been rocking with me since the very beginning of my career. I am proud to create this with my sisters and I look forward to an undeniably beautiful and special experience.”

Every aspect of Strength of a Woman Weekend is led by a team of women, from production to communications, an effort that echoes the purpose and vision of the festival.

With support from Mari Davies, VP of Booking and Talent at Live Nation Urban, the festival is the first of its kind to have women not only as the performing acts, but as the decision-makers behind the scenes.

– Mary J. Blige

“I’m thrilled to present a powerful lineup of all-female talent headlined by, and in partnership with, Mary J Blige for the Inaugural Strength of a Woman Weekend in Atlanta. Mary’s story and career are so inspirational, relatable, and triumphant. The weekend will showcase and celebrate strong talented women across generations and I’m proud to be a part of such a special weekend! This is for us and by us,” stated Davies.

“Blige and partners chose Atlanta as the backdrop for this inaugural event given its reputation as the mecca for young Black creatives and entrepreneurs,” according to a statement. “The festival is proud to partner with dozens of local, minority, and female-owned businesses and vendors to help cultivate the best experience for attendees. The love for Atlanta is reflected not only in the festival’s investment into the local entrepreneurial community but also in the performers and hosts for the various events over the weekend.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens stated, “For generations, the foundation of Atlanta’s resilience has been built and fortified by women. “The ‘Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit’ lifts up our local minority and women-owned local businesses and amplifies the voices of the women in our lives who continuously make our communities better through their lens of courage combined with compassion. Thank you to Mary J. Blige – one of our nation’s most iconic artists and no stranger to Atlanta – and her partners for choosing Atlanta for this inaugural event. Atlanta continues to influence everything.”

LINEUP:

Friday, May 6th

COMEDY SHOW at Buckhead Theater

Ms. Pat, Wanda, Just Nesh, Erica Duchess

FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT (Night 1) at Tabernacle Atlanta

Kiana Ledè, Emotional Oranges, Rubi Rose, Inayah, MK XYZ, Omerettá the Great

Saturday, May 7th

SUMMIT at The Gathering Spot ATL

SATURDAY NIGHT CONCERT (Night 2) at State Farm Arena

Mary J. Blige & Friends, Chaka Khan, City Girls, Special Guest Ella Mai, Special Guests Xscape, Queen Naija, Baby Tate, Omerettá the Great

Sunday, May 8th

Mother’s Day Brunch at City Winery

Kierra Sheard, Le’Andria Johnson

**Lineup subject to change