Juneteenth Events
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas learned that they were free—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. To celebrate this day, local community events are scheduled all around Minneapolis, making it a day to also honor Black culture in the United States. Check out the events happening throughout the city to celebrate Juneteenth.
Last Update: 6/14/24
June 14, 2024
8:00pm
Orchestra Hall
In celebration and remembrance in honor of Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, the Minnesota Orchestra, alongside guests and members of the Twin Cities community, will perform a program featuring music by African American composers.
June 14, 2024
1:00pm-6:00pm
Shiloh Temple International Ministries
Hosted by the hilarious Pierre Douglas of Cool P Comedy, enjoy live performances by Kennadi Hurst, Known MPLS, & Sis N Lil Bro. Don’t miss a special guest appearance by Minneapolis Safety Commissioner Todd Barnett and inspiring words from our main speakers, Spike Moss, Senator Bobby Joe Champion, and community violence intervention & prevention specialists.
Groove to the sounds of DJ KMOJ, engage in youth games, win prizes, and indulge in lots of free fun activities for families! Free food, game trucks on-site, and essential community resources including free gun locks and Narcan training.
June 15, 2024
11am-5pm
U of M Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center
The University of Minnesota will hold its third annual Juneteenth Celebration block party and commemorative march in North Minneapolis. Centering on the theme of We are the Noise: The Echoes of Our Ancestors, this free event will feature Black vendors, speakers, workshops, fashion show, storytellers, drumline, dancers, musicians, performers, DJs, live screen printing, roller skating, books, free food, free haircuts, art-making, a bouncy house, petting zoo, and more.
The event will begin with a commemorative march, starting at 11 am and leaving from the University’s Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC). The march concludes with an outdoor black party (noon-5 pm) on Plymouth Avenue at UROC. This event, led by Professor Terresa Moses, is presented by the Office for Equity and Diversity and the College of Design.
June 15, 2024
9am-11:00am
The Trailhead
Join us for the first-ever Juneteenth Fun Run! All are welcome to participate in the 5K or half mile run that honors beloved North Minneapolis figures Bill and Beverly Cottman.
June 15, 2024
Noon – 6:00 p.m.
Bethune Park
Join the Minneapolis community at the Juneteenth Celebrating Freedom Day Event.
Juneteenth at Graze in the North Loop
June 19, 2024
5pm - 9pm
Graze | Provisions & Libations
Summer is in full swing at the Graze Food Hall. Celebrate in the yard and outdoor patio on Juneteenth for a cookout with Two Mixed Up and music by DJ Miss Brit. Indulge in Prime Rib sandwiches by Two Mixed up in the yard or dive into the heart of soul food at Soul Bowl MN with their Caribe flavor fest bowls.
June 21, 2024
11:00am-1:00pm
Northrop
Rose McGee wrote Kumbayah the Juneteenth Story. It is a 90-minute fictitious, two-act play that addresses a factual and traumatic time in our history. A time when the news that Black people were no longer to be kept as slaves in this country was deliberately withheld. Storytelling and music weave together mesmerizing scenes. Although tragedy is depicted, this play within a play is tremendously uplifting.
June 19, 2024
10am-4pm
Historic Fort Snelling
Join us to celebrate Juneteenth with a tour focusing on African American history at the fort. This tour will be a special topic add-on offered all day June 19.
Learn about the early Black communities, free and enslaved, in what would become the state of Minnesota, and about the African Americans newly arriving during the Civil War. Famously, Dred and Harriet Scott lived at Fort Snelling as enslaved
people before suing for freedom. After the Civil War, Black regulars of the 25th US Infantry—“Buffalo Soldiers”—were stationed at the fort prior to departing on their nearly 2000-mile bicycle experiment, and many went on to make the Twin Cities home after their service in the Army.
June 21, 2024
7pm - 10pm
LUSH Lounge & Theater
Just like gospel, jazz, and blues, burlesque is BLACK! The Juneteenth Jubilee is an epic love letter to our communities, a celebration of liberation and freedom for black and brown bodies and identities in burlesque. Featuring some of the industry's most prolific artists from across the United States, the entire Twin Cities is welcome to witness this event flaunting the facets of Black Performance Artists taking up space at the LUSH Lounge & Theater. Come enjoy the beauty that is black burlesque!
June 22, 2024
12:00pm-4:00pm
Minnesota State Capitol
Live performances, music, food, kids pavilion, wealth-building pavilion, health & wellness resources and more!
