This story was originally published in 2023 and was updated by Lydia Price on June 15, 2026, to include current information. Chloe Arrojado, Raven McMillan, and Sara Button contributed to reporting.
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Major General Gordon Granger marched into Galveston, Texas, with Union troops. They arrived at the far western reaches of the former Confederacy to announce the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery.
Juneteenth, named for the original month and date of the announcement, commemorates the day the last enslaved people in the United States were informed they were legally free. In 1980, Texas became the first U.S. state to formally recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday. In 2021, Juneteenth finally became a holiday recognized by the federal government—meaning banks are closed and there is no mail service—when President Joe Biden signed it into legislation.
The current administration has been less supportive of the holiday. Since the first day of his second presidential term, Trump has made the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs a priority, dismantling diversity efforts in the federal government with a series of executive orders. Cities and states across the country scaled back plans for 2025 Juneteenth celebrations, including Indianapolis; Denver; and Bend, Oregon, where event representatives cited growing racial tensions and a decrease in funding from state and corporate sponsors.
In 2026, President Trump ordered the removal of Juneteenth and Martin Luther King Jr. Day from the list of federal holidays that offer free admission to national parks. The decision came as part of the administration’s broader effort to remove DEI elements from the government. Previously, President Trump had ordered national parks to take down materials that “inappropriately disparage Americans,” such as those related to slavery and Native American history.
Still, people have been unofficially celebrating Juneteenth for more than 150 years, and despite today’s challenges, festivities commemorating emancipation will continue across the country in 2026.
Why do people celebrate Juneteenth?
With assistance from the Freedman’s Bureau (a temporary federal agency established to assist newly freed African Americans), the first Juneteenth festivities took place in Galveston in 1866, and it became an annual tradition in Texas. As Black Americans left Texas and made their lives elsewhere, they took their Juneteenth traditions with them, and the holiday became more widespread. Juneteenth celebrations bring together families and friends for music, games, speeches, reflection, prayer, and food. Barbecue, tea cakes, and strawberry soda are among the traditional foods associated with the holiday.
Celebrating liberation on Juneteenth was never easy, even though emancipation had become the law of the land. “When whites forbade Blacks from using their public spaces,” writes historian Henry Louis Gates Jr., “Black people gathered near rivers and lakes and eventually raised enough money to buy their own celebration sites, among them Emancipation Park in Houston and Booker T. Washington Park in Mexia, Texas.”
How to celebrate Juneteenth
As with any holiday, traditions evolve and vary based on the community in which they are celebrated. In a typical year, cities across the country hold Juneteenth parades, pageants, music performances, and even book fairs. Reflection, education, and political activism continue to be integral in Juneteenth programming.
Here’s where to celebrate Juneteenth around the country this year.
Baltimore’s Afram Festival is one of the nation’s largest Juneteenth celebrations, drawing thousands to Druid Hill Park each year for music, food, cultural programming, and community gatherings that honor the legacy of emancipation.
Photo by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
1. Baltimore’s Afram Festival
- When: June 19–21, 2026
- Where: Baltimore, Maryland
- Cost: Free
- Learn More: Afram Baltimore
Now in its 50th year, Charm City’s annual Juneteenth bash brings the city together to commemorate emancipation. More than 150,000 visitors are expected to celebrate at the 745-acre Druid Hill Park in northwest Baltimore. The family-friendly festival includes children’s attractions along with local food stalls, artisan vendors, and a wide range of musical performers, from Charlie Wilson and SWV to Normani, Chlöe Bailey, and Mario.
Also on June 19, an August Wilson celebration will take place as part of the Juneteenth programming at Towson University Center for the Arts.
2. Chicago’s Obama Presidential Center Opening Weekend
- When: June 19–21, 2026
- Where: Chicago, Illinois
- Cost: Free
- Learn More: The Obama Presidential Center
Juneteenth 2026 is a particularly exciting one for the Windy City, where the Obama Presidential Center will officially open to the public on the holiday. While tickets to the museum are sold out for the month, the greater Presidential Center campus is hosting extensive programming—free and unticketed—over the weekend. Live performances, cultural storytelling, culinary experiences, and children’s activities will fill the 19-acre complex in Hyde Park.
There are plenty of other events in Chicago to check out for the holiday, including a festival at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center.
Galveston is widely recognized as the birthplace of Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Texas and announced that enslaved people were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Photo by Cire notrevo/Shutterstock
3. Galveston’s Juneteenth Celebrations
- When: June 19–30, 2026
- Where: Galveston, Texas
- Cost: Free
- Learn More: Galveston’s Juneteenth Celebrations
What better place to celebrate Juneteenth than where it all began? In 1866, the one-year anniversary of the arrival of Union troops became the island city’s first organized celebration of the event, and it has continued to be a part of the area’s cultural tradition since.
In 2026, Galveston’s Juneteenth events span throughout the month, including on the holiday itself. The Juneteenth Parade will immediately be followed by a picnic at Wright Cuney Park. Galveston’s lively Juneteenth music festival, in Menard Park by the seawall, also takes place on the 19th. That same day, the city’s Reedy Chapel—established in 1848 as a church for enslaved people—is also paying homage to its history with a celebration that includes reenactments of the first Juneteenth festivities.
4. San Francisco’s Annual Juneteenth Parade
- When: June 20, 2026
- Where: San Francisco, California
- Cost: Free; $10
- Learn More: San Francisco’s Juneteenth Parade
Market Street comes alive June 20 for San Francisco’s fourth annual Juneteenth parade. The procession includes elaborate floats from a variety of organizations, corporate sponsors, and schools. At the post-parade festival at Embarcadero and Harry Bridges Plaza, music and dance performances will entertain attendees alongside a classic car showcase.
Revelers will also gather in the East Bay at the Oakland Museum of California Garden for a full-day Juneteenth celebration. Along with cuisine from Bay Area chefs and Black-owned restaurants, there will be live DJ sets, a spades tournament, an art installation, lawn games, and even a wine tasting. In San Francisco, the Juneteenth Bayview Father Day Festival on June 21 caps off the weekend with music, vendors, and amusement park rides.
Tulsa’s Juneteenth Festival takes place in the historic Greenwood District, once known as Black Wall Street, where celebrations of liberation and resilience honor the community’s achievements and enduring legacy following the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
Photo by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock
5. Tulsa Juneteenth Festival
- When: June 19–21
- Where: Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Cost: Free; VIP tickets $12.51
- Reserve a Spot: 2026 Tulsa Juneteenth Festival
Tulsa’s historic Greenwood District is welcoming visitors for a multiday Juneteenth celebration. Known as the home of Black Wall Street, the Greenwood District was the site of the 1921 Race Massacre during which a white mob killed hundreds of Black residents, and 35 city blocks of Black-owned businesses and properties were burned to the ground.
Since 2013, the city has honored the legacy of Black Wall Street with a free festival celebrating resilience and liberation, drawing tens of thousands of visitors. Hundreds of Black-owned businesses will fill an open-air market as cultural programming and educational panels pay tribute to the area’s history. On June 20, funk band Lakeside will headline a Juneteenth concert with electrifying sounds.
While the festival itself is free, VIP tickets—which include preferred seating near the June 20 concert stage and access to an air-conditioned tent—can be purchased starting at $12.51.
Other ways to celebrate Juneteenth
Of course, these aren’t the only Juneteenth celebrations taking place in the United States in 2026. To find one near you, consult your city’s tourism website for local events. Should you choose to celebrate at home, several cities and towns are offering virtual programming, or you can show support with your dollars by shopping Black-owned brands.
