Juneteenth at NYPL
Citywide
All month
The New York Public Library’s special programming spans free all-ages events throughout the month, a list of Juneteenth books for every level as well as a separate list for kids, a helpful archival research companion and e-resource roundup, an educator’s guide, librarian-curated Black culture information and cookbooks and an interactive writing activity video.
Courtesy, Juneteenth NY
Juneteenth NY Celebration
Various locations, Brooklyn
June 13–19
For 15 years, the East New York and Brownsville communities have gathered to observe Juneteenth—the days-long celebration includes a Black Kings award ceremony for distinguished local men, a restaurant crawl and parade and a festival and concert.
Commemorating Juneteenth
BAM Fisher Fishman Space, 321 Ashland Pl., Fort Greene, Brooklyn
June 14
One of Brooklyn Academy of Music's newest theaters hosts Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet for a performance of Remembering, a moving dance piece inspired by the Middle Passage, when enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas.
Family Day at Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery Historic Chapel, 500 25th St., Sunset Park, Brooklyn
June 15
Green-Wood is home to graves of notable social justice figures, including NAACP leader and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” lyricist James Weldon Johnson and mathematician Charles S. Reason, a close confidant of Frederick Douglass; you can get a map to find these sites. Mid-month, the 478-acre cemetery opens up for a family-oriented celebration that includes kids’ art activities and self-guided tours.
Louis Armstrong House Juneteenth Concert
34-56 107th St., Corona, Queens
June 15
The home-turned-museum of jazz trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong will play host to a garden concert featuring musician Wycliffe Gordon, who is a veteran of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and a Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra member.
Courtesy, Juneteenth Celebration in Harlem
Juneteenth Celebration in Harlem
116th Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue, Harlem, Manhattan
June 15
Enjoy a float- and music-filled parade followed by a daylong street fair featuring local vendors at this annual event, which started more than three decades ago. Rap and R&B artists will perform late in the day.
Courtesy, Juneteenth Bar Crawl—Harlem Edition
Juneteenth Bar Crawl—Harlem Edition
Various locations, Harlem, Manhattan
June 15
Sip your way through Upper Manhattan alongside other celebrants on this boozy tour. Stops include bars across the neighborhood for revelers to enjoy live music and themed cocktails.
Juneteenth Food Festival
Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Ave., Crown Heights, Brooklyn
June 15
Head to this festival co-hosted by Black-Owned Brooklyn and the Weeksville Heritage Center, which preserves the history of one of the largest pre–Civil War free Black communities. Sample everything from vegan soul food to Caribbean ice cream while listening to the Soul Summit DJ crew and checking out vendors like BklynBarSoap and The Culture Ref. Stick around for performances from local double dutch team the Jazzy Jumpers and a food-prep demo from the authors of The Juneteenth Cookbook.
Historic Richmond Town Juneteenth Celebration
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave., Richmond Town, Staten Island
June 16
This daylong event at Staten Island’s living history village includes cooking and artisan demonstrations, a theatrical reenactment of the 1865 Texas enforcement order, group discussions and craft activities.
Courtesy, Juneteenth in Queens
Juneteenth in Queens
Roy Wilkins Park, Merrick Boulevard, St. Albans, Queens
June 19
Both an educational programming and festival event, this liberation celebration includes youth activities, goods from Black-owned business vendors, workshops and bites from local restaurants.
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance Juneteenth Celebration
Van Cortlandt Park, 6036 Broadway, Kingsbridge, Bronx
June 19
Music and spoken word presentations on the Van Cortlandt House Museum lawn kick off this observance, followed by a drum march to—and ceremony at—the nearby park’s Enslaved African Burial Ground. Special guests will include actress Ashley Hart Adams, poet David Mills and drummer Baba Don Babatunde.
Juneteenth Celebration at Carnegie Hall. Photo: Fadi Kheir
Juneteenth Celebration at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Ave., Midtown West, Manhattan
June 19
James A. Forbes Jr., senior minister emeritus of Riverside Church, and Broadway performer Norm Lewis will host a celebration of Black culture at one of the City’s most famous concert venues. The lineup includes performances by Grammy-winning singer Gregory Porter, composer Damien Sneed and vocal group Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble. Diplomat and activist Andrew Young—the first African American appointed as US Ambassador to the United Nations—will receive a special honor, as will Forbes and his wife, Bettye Franks Forbes.
Juneteenth: Brooklyn and the Abolitionist Movement
Brooklyn Bridge Park, Corner of Furman and Old Fulton Streets, Pier 1, Dumbo, Brooklyn
June 19
The NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers will lead a walk around Brooklyn Bridge Park while detailing the borough’s abolitionist history within the context of various national social justice movements.
Celebrate Juneteenth with Masego and Jordan Ward
Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, Manhattan
June 19
SummerStage—the wildly popular outdoor concert series held in parks across the City, with Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield as home base—is known for its must-attend shows. This year, their popular Juneteenth celebration features Grammy-nominated singer Masego, with R&B artist Jordan Ward as the opener. This is one of the handful of SummerStage shows that is ticketed.
Juneteenth at Museum of the Moving Image. Photo: Christos Katsiaouni
Celebrate Juneteenth 2024 at Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, Queens
June 19
The museum’s core offerings are a special tour that focuses on Black cinema and TV, along with a double-feature presentation of groundbreaking Black films Juke Joint and The Blood of Jesus. But the offerings expand beyond film to include an Afrobeats set by DJ Planet Mo, a performance by Edge School of the Arts and an R&B dance party courtesy of DJ collective Uptown Vinyl Supreme.
Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth. Photo: Kay Hickman
Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth
Times Square, Midtown, Manhattan
June 19
This outdoor concert honors—and features—Black artists and allies. Hosted by stage actor Michael James Scott, the show will include songs by cast members from Aladdin, & Juliet, Chicago, The Lion King, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and many more hit Broadway productions. Two-time Tony Award–winning actress Phylicia Rashad will receive this year’s Legacy Award for her humanitarian, theater and screen contributions.
Some Sing: A Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Center. Collage by Trevor Davis
Some Sing: A Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Center
Hearst Plaza, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side, Manhattan
Damrosch Park, Amsterdam Ave & W. 62nd St., Upper West Side, Manhattan
June 19
See multiple concerts on the Lincoln Center campus; curated to emphasize the complex influences and uniting forces of Black sound, the event features artists performing at spaces throughout the area. Enjoy improvisational jazz from Cooper-Moore, rock vocals from Tamar-kali and soul music from Stephanie McKay, with the evening culminating in a set by gospel, funk, blues and folk composer Toshi Reagon, backed by a full band.
Courtesy, Caveat
Reparations! A Juneteenth Celebration of Black Improv Comedy
Caveat, 21A Clinton St., Lower East Side, Manhattan
June 19
This “silly liberation” showcase of some of the City’s top Black comedians and sketch teams is hosted by actor and UCB Theatre writer Sydney Duncan. Get your tickets fast, because the event sold out last year.
Juneteenth Freedom Festival
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Randall Manor, Staten Island
June 22
This day-long community event takes place over Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden’s sprawling 83-acre grounds and includes a candle-lighting ceremony, drum circle, fashion show, live music, step and dance performances, spoken word, food and merchandise vendors and activities for participants of every age.