{"id":190834,"date":"2026-02-24T02:02:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T02:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/190834\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T02:02:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T02:02:15","slug":"long-beachs-waterfront-juneteenth-celebration-canceled-for-foreseeable-future-organizer-says-press-telegram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/190834\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Beach\u2019s waterfront Juneteenth celebration canceled for foreseeable future, organizer says \u2013 Press Telegram"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long Beach\u2019s waterfront Juneteenth celebration, which has drawn thousands to celebrate Black culture and heritage for the past five years, has been canceled for the foreseeable future, according to the event\u2019s organizers.<\/p>\n

Juneteenth commemorates the date \u2014 June 19, 1865 \u2014 when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to the last enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.<\/p>\n

Black Americans have celebrated Juneteenth for generations, but it became a federal holiday in 2021 after then-President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.<\/p>\n

Long Beach\u2019s Juneteenth celebration, founded and organized by resident Carl Kemp, began that same year.<\/p>\n

Though the inaugural event started relatively small, with a little more\u00a0 than 3,000 people attending that first year along Pine Avenue in downtown, the Juneteenth celebration continued to grow in popularity. It also shifted locations to Rainbow Lagoon Park, and more than 20,000 came out to the 2025 event<\/a>, which featured Grammy Award-winning singer Lalah Hathaway<\/a> as the headlining performer.<\/p>\n

\"Carl<\/p>\n

Carl Kemp speaks during Long Beach\u2019s annual Juneteenth Celebration at Rainbow Lagoon Park on Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Dorsey High School Drum-line and Drill Team perform during Long Beach\u2019s annual Juneteenth Celebration at Rainbow Lagoon Park on Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Jacqueline<\/p>\n

Jacqueline Brent of Los Angeles moves to the music at the 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Large<\/p>\n

Large crowds attend the the 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, 2023, featuring musical performances, vendor booths and food trucks at Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Dembrebrah Drum and Dance Ensemble performs during Long Beach\u2019s annual Juneteenth Celebration at Rainbow Lagoon Park on Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Greater L.A. Cathedral Choir performs at the 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Attendees<\/p>\n

Attendees dance to the music at the 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Severina<\/p>\n

Severina Britto, left, and Muriel Clark sway to the music at the 3rd annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach. (Photo by Howard Freshman, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Antioch Church of Long Beach\u2019s Mass Choir performs during the annual Juneteenth Celebration at Rainbow Lagoon Park in Long Beach on Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

\"Faith<\/p>\n

Faith Harris of North Hollywood dances during Long Beach\u2019s 4th annual Juneteenth celebration at Shoreline Aquatic Park on Saturday, June 15, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 10<\/p>\n

Carl Kemp speaks during Long Beach\u2019s annual Juneteenth Celebration at Rainbow Lagoon Park on Saturday, June 18, 2022. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Kemp, who also serves as Long Beach City College\u2019s associate vice president of public affairs and marketing, had been thinking about planning a large-scale Juneteenth event for several years before it became a reality.<\/p>\n

Kemp had never celebrated Juneteenth prior to being in jail for a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, that journey began in prison. I never celebrated Juneteenth until I was in prison, which is ironic, because it\u2019s a celebration of Black freedom,\u201d Kemp said in a Monday, Feb. 23, interview. \u201cThat was born in me when I was Black and not free.\u201d<\/p>\n

After returning home, consulting elders of Long Beach\u2019s Black community and pooling support from community groups and volunteers<\/a>, Kemp was able to secure sponsorships, funding and support from both the Long Beach City Council and the city\u2019s Convention & Visitors Bureau for the 2021 event.<\/p>\n

It was a success \u2014 one of this first large-scale events in Long Beach after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic \u2014 and had continued to get bigger each year since.<\/p>\n

Thousands have come out annually to celebrate and honor Black history, culture and joy with live music and dance performances, Black-owned restaurants and artisans, community gathering, and more<\/a>. Past Juneteenth events have also featured performances from major acts such as Anderson .Paak<\/a>, Marsha Ambrosius, Kelly Price and Eric Ben\u00e9t.<\/p>\n

The heart of Long Beach\u2019s Juneteenth celebration, Kemp said in a Monday social media post, was always about creating \u201cspace for Black vendors, Black entertainers, Black nonprofits, and organizations doing the work to uplift and support our community. A space where dignity, unity, culture, and joy could be felt in the air and seen on every smiling face,\u201d he said in a Monday post to social media.<\/p>\n

But this year, Kemp said Monday, the waterfront Juneteenth event has been canceled because of scheduling conflicts with the city \u2014 and likely won\u2019t return to Long Beach for the foreseeable future. He initially announced the event\u2019s cancelation in a video posted to social media<\/a> on Monday morning.<\/p>\n

The location, Kemp said, was an important feature of the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this event near the water and the sea breezes and grassy knolls and family-friendly picnic environment that Rainbow Lagoon offered, or any other seaside options that you know have been available for big events in the past \u2014 that\u2019s always been a priority, to have that aspect of Long Beach\u2019s beauty available to the guests of the Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cAnd none of those options were made available.\u201d<\/p>\n

And since there isn\u2019t a venue that can accommodate the vision for Long Beach\u2019s Juneteenth celebration, Kemp said, it likely won\u2019t return in future years.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the standard requires venue options that don\u2019t currently exist,\u201d Kemp said, noting that the event is off \u201cif and until, you know, venue options that match the standard become available.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city, meanwhile, said it only learned of the Juneteenth event\u2019s cancellation through the Monday morning social media post.<\/p>\n

Long Beach\u2019s special events and filming office, according to a Monday statement from city spokesperson Kevin Lee, told the organizers of the Juneteenth event about availability for the location back in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that time, the first weekend of June 2026 was still available along the waterfront and the event organizer never formally or informally indicated they would like to conduct their event during that time, and that weekend was soon after requested by an event organizer for a different event,\u201d Lee said, adding that the city offered an alternative location and was willing to explore other locations for the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe event organizer never responded and ultimately, chose to cancel their event in Long Beach,\u201d Lee added. \u201cThe city learned of this cancellation through the organizer\u2019s Instagram video. It is unclear to the city why they chose not to explore further the options made available to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long Beach, the statement said, understands that Juneteenth is an important holiday across the nation and locally.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City remains committed to supporting community-led events,\u201d Lee said, \u201cand continues to be available to work with the organizer should they wish to consider the options provided to them before they canceled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Producing the Juneteenth celebration has been a massive labor of love, Kemp said, adding that he\u2019s grateful for all the attendees, community members, partners, sponsors and other supporters who made it possible \u2014 and so successful.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a really hard thing to do with a really rich reward. And I love Black people, I love Black culture and I love Long Beach, and love is irrational \u2014 so it makes no sense to have worked as hard as we did,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cI haven\u2019t made any money on it, but it\u2019s so much love. We don\u2019t make any money on our children. It\u2019s just so much love that went into this event, and it\u2019s only made me love this city more. This event is a product of people of all kinds from all kinds of places making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so grateful for the people who volunteered their time and believed in an idea and what the idea was about. That\u2019s really where it all came from, people who believed in an idea and worked really hard every year to make it happen,\u201d Kemp added. \u201cI hope that the video left a taste of gratitude in the minds of people who watched it. Really, that\u2019s what I\u2019m left feeling more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as for celebrating Juneteenth, Kemp said, there are many other events planned throughout Southern California \u2014 and he hopes the community will show up for those as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cJuneteenth is always going to be, and as I said in the video, there (are) lots of options to celebrate Juneteenth all over the Southland and beyond,\u201d Kemp said. \u201cIt\u2019s not the end of Juneteenth; it\u2019s the end of the Carl Kemp Production\u2019s Juneteenth Celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n

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