A Short Guide to Celebrating Juneteenth 2024
Some Recommendations from the CUNY SPS Community
This Wednesday, June 19, CUNY SPS joins the rest of the nation in celebrating Juneteenth, which commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free.
Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, and Cel-Liberation Day, Juneteenth had been informally celebrated by many Black communities around the United States since at least 1866 with a variety of outdoor events, including parades, barbecues, street fairs, public readings, traditional songs, and other activities.
Since President Biden designated Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021, those once small and informal celebrations have expanded to include larger-scale events and activities hosted by arts and cultural nonprofits, local businesses, parks, and many other organizations to observe this important day.
Here at CUNY SPS, we know it can be hard to choose how to celebrate because there’s so much going on! To help plan out your calendar, we are pleased to offer a short (but sweet) curated guide to free Juneteenth activities around New York City:
15th Annual Juneteenth Event Free Festival and Concert in Bklyn
- Saturday, June 15
- 8:30 AM–6 PM
- Linden Park / Gershwin Park (Linden Blvd and Vermont Street, Brooklyn 11207)
This annual Juneteenth Family Fun Day Festival gathers 20,000+ attendees local to the NYC community to enjoy a vibrant day of rich culture through music, dance, poetry, skits, history, vendors, and family activities for single-family homes, married with children, and extended family.
Visit here for more information and to register for free tickets
We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth (Vol. 2)
- Saturday, June 15
- 2 PM–8 PM
- The Plaza at 300 Ashland Place (Brooklyn 11217)
The nonprofits 651 ARTS and The Soapbox Presents are hosting We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth, Vol II. This exciting day of culture and community will feature live musical performances, dance workshops, spoken word, and other special activities throughout the day.
Tickets are free, but participants are urged to register here.
3rd Annual Juneteenth Food Festival
- Saturday, June 15
- 11 AM–8 PM
- Weeksville Heritage Center (158 Buffalo Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213)
Weeksville Heritage Center, in partnership with Jummy’s Picks by Black-Owned Brooklyn, will host their third annual Juneteenth Food Festival! On Saturday, June 15, this vibrant celebration of Black food and culture will feature 40+ food vendors and artisans, along with a marketplace of specialty items from local Black artisans, music, performances, art-making, and more,
RSVP (not required to attend)
Juneteenth Day Virtual Summit
- Wednesday, June 19
- 9 AM–6 PM
- Online
Featuring all day talks, workshops and guided activities from leaders from the Black-owned businesses, churches and political organizations.
Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth 2024
- Wednesday, June 19
- 11 AM–12:30 PM
- Times Square
The fourth annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert features more than 35 performers from 17 Broadway shows.
Some Sing: A Juneteenth Celebration
- Wednesday, June 15
- 6 PM–8 PM
- Lincoln Center (Hearst Plaza)
Historian, artist, and curator Carl Hancock Rux hosts Lincoln Center’s 2024 Juneteenth Celebration, a campus-wide jubilee of Black sound in all its vernacular and complex manifestations. At different performance spaces across campus, visitors will hear performances by influential free jazz experimentalist Cooper-Moore, Brooklyn singer-songwriter Tamar-kali, Bronx-born soul musician Stephanie McKay, and many more, culminating in a concert set with Herb Alpert award-winning composer Toshi Reagon (Parable of the Sower) and her full band.
Want to learn more about Juneteenth history and the Black experience in the United States? In addition to the events above, we invite you to check out these resources from the CUNY SPS Committee on Institutional Equity and Diversity (CIED).
