Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans that the Civil War had ended and they were free. A century and a half later, people across the U.S. continue to celebrate the day, which was declared a federal holiday in 2021. umerous celebratory events and concerts will take place across metro New Orleans.
The third annual Nola Juneteenth Festival will be held on Sunday, June 19, from 3-7 p.m. at Congo Square, 701 N. Rampart Street. Featured acts will include Sunni Patterson, Casmé, N’kafu West African Dance, Deuce the Poet, Claude Bryant, B Blunt the Poet, T.L.O.C, Dominique McClellan and Nairobi Productions. The event will include a panel discussion, A Blueprint to Freedom, featuring Tamah Yisrael, Dr. Ashonta Wyatt, Maryam Uloho, and Brother Lumumba.
The New Orleans African American Museum will celebrate Juneteenth on Saturday, June 18, from 1-4 p.m. with vendors and activities led by mixed-media artist JESSCX and quilter Cecilia “Cely” Tapplette-Pedescleaux. For more information, visit here.
Dance A Lot will present Mizizi Juneteenth Dance Weekender!, three nights of dance music from Friday, June 17, to Sunday, June 29, at Dance Quarter, 1719 Toledano Street. Mizizi is the Swahili word for roots. The lineup of acts and dance styles will include:
• Salsa: Miriam Watkins (Tallahassee, Florida)
• Bachata: Cris Moreno (New York/Dominican Republic)
• Kizomba: Tonino Fogo Cidade (Phoenix, Arizona/Cape Verde)
• Brazilian Zouk: Jeramie & Ayane (Atlanta, Georgia/Brazil)
• Afrobeats: Benga DaBeatz (Ohio/Nigeria)
• Afro-Cuban: Andrea Peoples (New Orleans)
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit here.
Jesse McBride will lead A Tribute to Harold Battiste Jr. at Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen Street, on Sunday, June 19, in commemoration of Juneteenth with shows at 8 and 10 p.m. Raised on LaSalle Street surrounded by the rhythms of the legendary Dew Drop Inn, Battiste (1931–2015) was a revered American musician, composer, arranger, performer, teacher, mentor and community leader from New Orleans. He is perhaps best known for his work as arranger for records by Sam Cooke, Joe Jones, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, Ike and Tina Turner, and Sonny and Cher. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit here.
The Hangout NOLA, 9954 Lake Forest Boulevard, will host its first annual Juneteenth Celebration on Sunday, June 19, beginning at 6 p.m. For more information, visit here.
Rejoice Incorporated will host a Juneteenth Celebration in Kenner’s Rivertown neighborhood, 400 block of Williams Boulevard, on Sunday, June 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Headliners will include Charmaine Neville with Amasa Miller], Gina Brown, Zena Moses, Linda Wright, Rechelle Cook, Kim Phillips and Friends, Kayla Jasmine, and Chiara Nicole, among many others. For more information, visit here.
Enjoy a mix of Afrobeats, R&B, Afrotrap, trap music, hip hop, soca, dancehall, reggae, reggaeton, and other favorites for an Afro-Caribbean Day Party at Culture Park, 3000 Franklin Avenue. Visitors may also enjoy some of the best New Orleans and African specialities catered by food vendors in New Orleans. For more information and tickets, visit here.
To add Juneteenth events to OffBeat’s listings, please email [email protected].
