Juneteenth — a holiday that commemorates the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved people at the close of the Civil War — is on June 19, and nowhere celebrates Juneteenth quite like Brooklyn.
Brooklynites will be paying tribute to the day and celebrating African American culture and heritage through block parties, dance parties, food festivals, exhibits, makers markets and talks for the next two weeks.
Also known as "Freedom Day" or "Emancipation Day for African Americans," Juneteenth has been an official state holiday in New York since 2020.
Whether you want to get down with friends or give your kid an educational, hands-on experience, read below for BK Reader's comprehensive list of favorite events.
Sunday, June 14
The LayOut Presents Juneteenth 2026: The Joy of Play
Fort Greene Park, 10:00am to 6:00pm (Rain Date is June 19)
Picnics, music, DJs, dancing and a Black market place all returns to Fort Greene Park.
Thursday, June 18
Brooklyn Public Library: Tales of Black Heritage from Around the World
Brower Park Shirley Chisholm Circle, 12:00pm
A fantastic literary journey of stories from the African Diaspora, storyteller Tammy Hall will lead you to many lands in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas with wit and wisdom.
Alfreda’s Black Earth Juneteenth Commemoration
Prospect Park Boathouse, Free, 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Alfreda’s Black Earth for the second annual Juneteenth gathering honoring Black life, land and liberation through film and sound. The celebration begins with a set by DJ Tara from 4:00pm – 8:00pm, setting the tone for an outdoor celebration grounded in community and reflection.
Join filmmaker Arielle Knight for a pre-show Q&A. At 8:30pm, the event transitions into a film program session exploring Black relationships to nature, care and self-determination. Featuring The Boys and the Bees (2025), a tender portrait of a family tending both land and lineage in rural Georgia, and The Learning Tree (1969), Gordon Parks’s landmark coming-of-age film and the first feature directed by a Black American for a major Hollywood studio. Together, these works invite us to consider how Black communities have long cultivated connections—to land, to memory and to one another—as acts of resilience and freedom.
House of Yes: Juneteenth Dance Party Presented By Beyond The Black Box
2 Wyckoff Ave., 10:00pm to late late
Community Mural, Ancestor Room, Tarot, Tooth Gems, Games, and so much more. This is the party where the dancers are actually dancing, and where the DJs don’t miss. Where you come to be seen… and then forget about all that. No private sections. No weird vibes. Sounds by @ahighlysensitiveblackwoman; @spinelli.nyc; @LIL2HOOD; and @iamjayvic.
Friday, June 19
Juneteenth Food Festival at Weeksville Heritage Center
158 Buffalo Ave. 12:00pm to 8:00pm
This year’s event brings together 31 Black food vendors for a gathering rooted in the food traditions that have been central to Juneteenth since its earliest observances.
In addition to food from the American South and across the Black diaspora, the festival will include DJ sets by Saint James Joy, DJ Tara, Donwill, and DJ Monday Blue; line dancing led by choreographer Kendra J. Ross; performances by champion double-dutch team The Jazzy Jumpers and the Brooklyn United drumline; and a selection of Black food literature from BEM | books & more.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Juneteenth: Infinity Song + Annie and the Caldwells + Victory Boyd + DJ Duane
Prospect Park Bandshell, Doors at 3:00pm, Show at 4:00pm
Infinity Song and Victory Boyd are siblings, sharing a stage and a sound rooted in the same household. Annie and the Caldwells, a Mississippi family band led by matriarch Annie Caldwell, completes a bill where family is not just a theme. It is the lineup.
Brooklyn Children's Museum: Juneteenth in Brower Park
Free; 10:00 am – 5:00 pm for general admission
Move to live music, create art together, and celebrate at this free event that’s open to all. Presented with Council Member Chi Ossé, Friends of Brower Park, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and Brooklyn Public Library.
Ogemdi Ude: MAJOR: Juneteenth Performance
Prospect Park Boathouse, Free, 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Prospect Park Alliance and Danspace Project present MAJOR: Ogemdi Ude’s dance project exploring the physicality, history, and interiority of majorette dance. These Black femme teams accompanied by marching bands created a movement style that requires master showmanship with allegiance to count, undulation, groove and sensual yet strong performativity. This celebratory Juneteenth performance is a co-presentation between Danspace Project’s Platform 2026: Secret Gardens and Prospect Park Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts initiative.
The Cookout Party, Juneteenth in Prospect Park
11:00am to 6:00pm
Spreading love the Brooklyn way. Bring your people. Bring your energy. Bring your appetite. Amazing music from some of the city’s best DJs, alongside the hottest food vendors and great drinks.
Saturday, June 20
We Outside!
300 Aashland Place, 2:00pm to 8:00pm
The annual event returns to Downtown Brooklyn for an all-day Juneteenth celebration rooted in Black joy, expression, and togetherness.
Presented by 651 ARTS and The Soapbox Presents, We Outside! transforms The Plaza at 300 Ashland into Downtown Brooklyn’s biggest stoop - a vibrant public gathering where music, movement, storytelling, food, artistry, and community collide. From live performances and a community cypher to Black-owned vendors and freedom songs, We Outside honors Juneteenth not only as remembrance, but as living expression: loud, joyful, visible, and unapologetically Black.
17th Annual Juneteenth NYC Festival & Parade
871 Vermont St.; Parade lineup at 8:00am, festival from 10:00am to 6:00pm
This is a massive free community celebration: a vibrant street parade, live performances, a fashion show, a vendor marketplace, and a dedicated Kids’ Corner.
BLIS Collective: Reclamation Day
25 Kent St.: Festival 12:00pm to 7:00pm, free; Concert starts at 7:00pm (separate tickets required)
Reclamation Day is an immersive cultural gathering and community exhibition that brings people together to reclaim history, repair relationships, and rehearse a liberated future ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary. Across three zones, Reclaim, Repair, and Reimagine, you will be placed inside the tensions, contradictions, joy, and love that make up this country, and be invited to reflect, feel, question, connect, and illustrate what the next 250 years of this country must look like. At 7:00pm, the family-friendly event ends and Mato Wayuhi and Joey Bada$$ will perform.
Just for Kids: Juneteenth Book Event
Dr. John's Playground, Avenue X and Gerritsen Avenue, 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Learn all about the celebration of Juneteenth and the importance of commemorating this milestone with Gerritsen Beach Public Library, plus summer reading supplies & free books courtesy of the BPL summer reading program.
