Juneteenth is a time to celebrate Black liberation and make a joyful noise with family, friends, and extended community.
Also known as Emancipation Day and Jubilee Day, the federal holiday is celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the effective end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth was first recognized by African American communities in Texas and marks the date in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people were freed. This occurred two years after President Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation.
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If you’re traveling during the Juneteenth holiday weekend, here’s a sampling of festive events scheduled in six cities around the country (check local listings for more programs and community celebrations in other cities).
Cleveland, Ohio
MetroHealth Cleveland Juneteenth Freedom Fest (June 16–17; https://juneteenthcle.com/)
The newly expanded, third annual Cleveland Juneteenth Freedom Fest will spotlight the history and spirit of the city’s African American community. The free celebration kicks off Friday, June 16, with fireworks over downtown Cleveland at sundown, and continues on Saturday, June 17, with live music, interactive art demonstrations, health screenings, free roller skating, and a vendor village and soul food row spotlighting Black businesses and entrepreneurs.
Mx. Juneteenth: A Black & Queer Liberation Celebration (June 17; http://mxjuneteenth.org/index.html)
Show your pride at the Mx. Juneteenth celebration, featuring live music, drag performances, local vendors, and educational workshops. The event honors the spirit of the Juneteenth holiday by providing a liberatory and safe space and environment for and by Black queer folx.
Juneteenth African Dance & Drum Fest (June 17-18; https://djapo.com/)
Presented by the nonprofit Djapo Cultural Arts Institute, this weekend-long event celebrates Juneteenth through art, music, dance, history, and culture. At the Pivot Center for Art, Dance, & Expression, guest instructors will teach a variety of traditional African dance styles, including capoeira, Haitian dance, and Malian song and dance. On July 17, the inaugural “Juneteenth Night of Unity” will offer an evening of reflection, remembrance, and celebration. Register online (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/14th-annual-juneteenth-african-dance-drum-fest-tickets-635476285677).
Alexandria, Virginia
Led by history buff and Alexandria native John Taylor Chapman, Manumission Tour Company offers an information-packed Juneteenth African American History Bus Tour (June 17; https://www.manumissiontours.com/booking-calendar/alexandria-black-history-bus-tour) that will make stops at historic sites that tell the story of African Americans in early Alexandria, including several historic African American churches in the city.
Also on June 17, the historic Carlyle House is hosting its free annual Juneteenth celebration (https://visitalexandria.com/events/carlyle-house-historic-park-annual-juneteenth-celebration/) in collaboration with the regional arts organization the Athenaeum and award-winning poet C. Alexandria-Bernard Thomas. Discover the history of Juneteenth through hands-on activities, art, history, and poetry readings.
Charleston, South Carolina
While we wait for the highly anticipated International African American Museum (https://iaamuseum.org/) to officially open its doors at the end of June, the museum is offering a handful of pre-opening events and activities, including a Zoom webinar (June 17; https://us02web.zoom.us/…/reg…/WN_E1yZMbpXStSLY6rKrNEB_A) that will introduce the Wikitree U.S. Black Heritage Project.
Additional Juneteenth celebrations throughout the city include the third annual Juneteenth Family Fest (June 17; https://www.jffcharleston.com/) at Riverfront Park, featuring live music and dance performances, Black art displays, kids’ games, and food trucks.
Houston, Texas
Houston celebrates the home state holiday with BLCK Market’s 4th Annual Juneteenth Celebration (June 17; https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blck-markets-4th-annual-juneteenth-celebration-tickets-504122412707) in the heart of the city’s downtown district. J.O. Malone launched the entrepreneurial marketplace with seven vendors in Sawyer Yards’ hallway as a way to support Black-owned businesses and creators. Since then, BLCK Market has expanded and opened its first brick-and-mortar retail location in September 2021, creating a space for more than 50 Black-owned businesses to showcase and sell their products.
Baltimore, Maryland
The longstanding, free community festival AFRAM (June 17–18; https://aframbaltimore.com/afram-headliners) is back in Baltimore City’s Druid Hill Park with a host of family-friendly activities; vendors; food trucks; and music performances by Tamar Braxton, Kid Capri, Ty Dolla $ign, and the Isley Brothers.
While you’re in Charm City, check out “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” exhibition (June 18; https://artbma.org/event/free-admission-to-the-culture-2/)
at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Admission is free to the public on Father’s Day.
Columbia, South CarolinaIn honor of Juneteenth, the Columbia Museum of Art (June 19; https://www.columbiamuseum.org/events/juneteenth-cma-0) offers free admission on the actual holiday. Visitors can enjoy current exhibitions highlighting art of the Catawba Nation, the Southern tradition of quilting, a veterans artist anthology, and more.