With talks, basketball clinics, food festivals and even free Broadway performances, New York city has a breathtaking lineup of weekend events to celebrate Juneteenth.
The celebration honors June 19, 1865, when federal troops brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth was finally recognized as a federal holiday in 2021.
Here’s a rundown of Juneteenth 2022 events in the New York area:
FRIDAY, JUNE 17
13th Annual Juneteenth NY 2022 Festival, Brooklyn
To kick off one of the longest-standing Juneteenth events in the city, East New York community leader Athenia Rodney continues her aim to bring communities together. A free virtual summit, “The Black Family — Equipping the Black Family For Changes in Stages” will feature a series of panel discussions on building up health and wealth within the Black community. (www.juneteenthny.com, free)
SATURDAY, JUNE 18
13th Annual Juneteenth NY 2022 Festival, Brooklyn
A community day at Linden Park/Gershwin Park in East New York will feature a diverse selection of Black-owned restaurants and food trucks, an expanded kid’s corner with free marionette puppet shows, basketball clinics hosted by The Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty, and a hockey clinic hosted by the New York Rangers. This year, Uber will provide discounted rides to the festival. (Free, Linden Park at Linden Blvd. and Vermont St., www.juneteenthny.com,)
Juneteenth Food Festival at Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn
The historic Crown Heights neighborhood will kick off its two-day celebration with a food festival featuring 21 Black-owned Brooklyn vendors, a cultural marketplace, family-friendly cultural performances, cooking demonstrations and DJ sets curated by the Brooklyn-based collectives Papi Juice and Soul Summit. (Free, noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, 158 Buffalo Ave.)
SUNDAY, JUNE 19
Juneteenth Festival at Roy Wilkins Park, Queens
The festival returns to celebrate community, legacy and tradition with over 40 local vendors, giveaways, wellness stations, a special Father’s Day interactive space and live performances. Ralph McDaniels, the creator of New York City public access show “Video Music Box,” will appear, alongside hip-hop veteran Mr. Cheeks, ’90s R&B crooner Jeff Redd, rapper Cash Sinatra and guitarist Marcus Machado. There will be performances by Devore Dance Center and Black Spectrum Theater. (Free, noon-7 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens)
Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth in Times Square, Manhattan
For the second year, the Broadway League’s Black to Broadway initiative will host the free outdoor event centered around Black artistry and community. Hosted by Tony Award-winning “Aladdin” star James Monroe Iglehart and featuring performances by cast members of Broadway shows including “Paradise Square,” “Tina” and “Funny Girl,” the event will also honor Broadway and TV stars Leslie Uggams and Ben Vereen with the first Juneteenth Legacy Awards. (Free, noon, Duffy Square in Times Square)
Joe’s Pub Juneteenth Celebration in Astor Plaza, Manhattan
For its second annual Juneteenth celebration, the popular NoHo nightclub tapped cultural anthropologist Niama Safia Sandy to curate outdoor concerts by Black classically trained musicians Juneteenth Legacy Project, neo-soul diva Carmen Rodgers and vibraphonist Nikara Warren. (Free, 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Astor Place and Lafayette St.)
“I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me: A Juneteenth Celebration” at Lincoln Center, Manhattan
Obie Award-winning poet, author and performing artist Carl Hancock Rux are presiding over an evening of events at Lincoln Center, including a musical introduction by rock & soul star Nona Hendryx with Étienne Lashley and The Collective. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” actress Patrice Johnson Chevannes will sing a deconstructed National Anthem, remixing the storied works of Francis Scott Key and James Weldon Johnson. (Free, 7 p.m. Hearst Plaza; 65th St. between Amsterdam Ave. and Broadway)
Juneteenth Unityfest 2022, Brooklyn
Four-time Grammy Award nominee Robert Randolph will host the official Unityfest Concert as part of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! featuring Deborah Cox, Tye Tribbett, Israel Houghton and Mali Music taking place at the Lena Horne Bandshell at Prospect Park. (Free, 7:30 p.m. Prospect Park)
“The Function: A Juneteenth Concert Celebration,” Manhattan
Broadway performers such as Alex Newell (“Once on this Island”), Khalifa White (“Caroline, Or Change”) and Asmeret Ghebremichael (“The Book of Mormon”) will perform at a queer-centered concert celebration of Juneteenth, live from the cabaret club Feinstein’s/54 Below. (54below.com, 9:45 p.m. $15)
