<\/p>\n
A scene from the Juneteenth celebration and parade in San Francisco in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Tayfun Coskun\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s Emancipation Proclamation took effect, declaring enslaved people in Confederate states to be free. But emancipation did not happen all at once, and slavery was not abolished nationwide until the 13th Amendment was ratified later that year.<\/p>\n
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the proclamation was issued, Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, informing enslaved people there that they were free.\u00a0That date became the basis for Juneteenth, now a federal holiday known as Juneteenth National Independence Day since President Joe Biden signed it into law in 2021.<\/p>\n
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A woman is seen celebrating during the 2025 Juneteenth celebration at the Oakland Museum of California. This year\u2019s event is scheduled to take place on June 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Christine Cueto\/OMCA<\/p>\n
But events commemorating the occasion\u00a0\u2014 which falls on a Friday this year\u00a0\u2014 continue beyond just the one day, providing plenty of options to celebrate freedom, Black joy and culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n
Check out the Chronicle\u2019s guide to\u00a0Juneteenth events happening around the Bay Area in 2026.<\/p>\n
East Bay Regional Parks Juneteenth Hikes and Celebration\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Park District will celebrate with free naturalist-led programs, including hikes at Coyote Hills<\/a> Regional Park and nature walks at Thurgood Marshall Regional Park.<\/a> Tilden Park will host a family-friendly Juneteenth open house in its Brazilian Room.<\/a><\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n 4-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 16. Free. At Tilden Park, Wildcat Canyon Road at Shasta Road, Berkeley. \u2022 10 a.m. Friday, June 19. Free. At Coyote Hills Regional Park, 8000 Patterson Ranch Road, Fremont. \u2022 10 a.m. Friday, June 19. Free. At Thurgood Marshall Regional Park, south of Bailey Road, Concord. 888-327-2757. www.ebparks.org<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Lisha Bell shows off her earrings during festivities at the Oakland Museum to celebrate Juneteenth in Oakland in 2025.<\/p>\n Gabrielle Lurie\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n AAACC Black Family Reunion: \u2018Rooted in Community\u2019<\/p>\n Embrace Black joy and love in the community with three days of Black-owned vendors, food trucks, live music and entertainment, a farmers and flea market, film screenings and more.<\/p>\n 5-8 p.m. Thursday, June 18; 12:30-7 p.m. Friday, June 19; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, June 20. See website for schedule details. African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St., S.F. 415-426-1100. www.aaacc.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Black Film Festival<\/p>\n Celebrate African American cinema with a weekend of film screenings representing the diverse nature of the African cultural diaspora. An opening-night party featuring filmmaker meet and greets, drinks, hors d\u2019oeuvres, dancing and more is scheduled on Thursday evening and a Sunday afternoon programming is scheduled at the San Francisco Library main branch.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Opening night: 5-10 p.m. Thursday, June 18; Comedy Night: 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 19; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 20; 12:30-3p.m. Sunday, June 21. Free-$28.52. African American Art & Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St., S.F. Sunday program at the S.F. Public Library, 100 Larkin St., S.F. www.sfbff.org<\/a><\/p>\n Dr. Kim Hyde dances during the 37th Annual Berkeley Juneteenth festival\u00a0in 2024.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Amaya Edwards<\/p>\n MOAD in the Mix: Juneteenth Edition\u00a0\u2014 The Freedom Function<\/p>\n An after hours event at the museum will include live sets from DJ Kream and Tayleur Crenshaw of Gold Beams.<\/a> There will be table games and Black trivia competitions. Attendees can share poems, stories and songs with a people\u2019s open mic. Enjoy soul food, wine, cocktails and wear red as a visual tribute to resilience, remembrance and celebration.\u200d<\/p>\n The museum\u2019s current exhibitions include \u201cUnbound: Art, Blackness and the Universe\u201d<\/a> and \u201cDemetri Broxton: Ancestral Echoes.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 6-9 p.m. Thursday, June 18. $5 suggested donation. Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission St., S.F. www.moadsf.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n A Juneteenth button is worn during the Juneteenth Freedom Celebration in the Fillmore District in San Francisco in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yalonda M. James\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Willie Jones III Quartet with Jeremy Pelt<\/p>\n Check out a performance featuring longtime member of late great trumpeter Roy Hargrove\u2019s band, drummer Willie Jones III has also performed and toured with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis, and has shared the stage with legends including Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Hank Jones.<\/p>\n 7 and 9:15 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 18-20. $20-$60. Black Cat, 400 Eddy St., S.F. 415-358-1999. www.blackcatsf.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Chief Adjuah<\/p>\n Enjoy a live jazz performance from the award-winning trumpeter (formerly Christian Scott) and his all-star ensemble.<\/p>\n 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, June 18-19; 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 19. $36-$84. Yoshi\u2019s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. 510-238-9200. www.yoshis.com<\/a><\/p>\n Juneteenth Community Celebration<\/p>\n Explore African art and culture at a family-focused event that\u2019s set to include a West African drumming workshop with Pope Flyne, a percussion instrument-making activity and more.<\/p>\n 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday, June 19. Included with museum admission. Children\u2019s Discovery Museum, 180 Woz Way, San Jose. www.cdm.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Chelle and Friends will perform on June 19 as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival 2026.<\/p>\n Yerba Buena Gardens Festial<\/p>\n Fairyland Juneteenth Celebration<\/p>\n Pack a picnic for a day of cultural activities, double dutch jump roping, arts and crafts, live performances, an appearance from Daisy the Clown and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, June 19. Included with park admission. Children\u2019s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 510-452-2259. www.fairyland.org<\/a><\/p>\n Chelle & Friends<\/p>\n New Orleans-native Michelle Jacques is set to perform a family-friendly show including a little Mardi Gras parade with vocalists Rhonda Crane and Bryan Dyer, saxophonist Donna Viscuso, guitarist Eric Swinderman, bassist Kevin Scott and percussionist Michaelle Goerlitz.<\/p>\n 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday, June 19. Free. Great Lawn, Yerba Buena Gardens, 799 Howard St., S.F. 415-543-1718. www.ybgfestival.org<\/a><\/p>\n Hella Juneteenth Festival<\/p>\n The afternoon event will feature live entertainment, a Black-owned vending marketplace, lawn games, a curated selection of Black-owned chefs and food vendors, a lounge area, lawn games, children\u2019s programming and more.<\/p>\n Noon-5 p.m. Thursday, June 19. $10-$133.67. Prescott Market, 1620 18th St., Oakland. 510-894-9191. www.hellajuneteenth.com<\/a><\/p>\n People dance during the 2025 Juneteenth celebration at the Oakland Museum of California. This year\u2019s event is scheduled to take place on June 19.\u00a0<\/p>\n Christine Cueto\/OMCA<\/p>\n Juneteenth at the Oakland Museum of California<\/p>\n OMCA and the Black Freedom Fund<\/a> present a full-day celebration of Black culture, creativity and community. The afternoon event will feature live performances and DJ sets, a Black-owned marketplace, offerings from standout Bay Area Black chefs and food vendors, soul line dancing, Juneteenth fan-making, community art projects and family-friendly activities.<\/p>\n The celebration also features OMCA\u2019s latest special exhibition, \u201cMildred Howard: Poetics of Memory,\u201d<\/a> and special in-gallery programming and activations.<\/p>\n Noon-5 p.m. Friday, June 19. $20-$95. Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. 510-318-8400. www.museumca.org<\/a><\/p>\n Juneteenth at Books Inc.<\/p>\n Hang out in the community and celebrate Juneteenth with music, snacks and live poetry.<\/p>\n 2:30 p.m. Friday, June 19. Free. Books Inc., 1344 Park St., Alameda. www.booksinc.com<\/a><\/p>\n Music on the Square: Patton Leatha<\/p>\n Enjoy a live outdoor performance of funk and R&B jams from Duane Patton and his band.<\/p>\n 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 19. Free. Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. www.redwoodcity.org<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018Hotter Than July: \u2019 Official Hella Juneteenth After Party<\/p>\n Toasted Life presents a Juneteenth weekend celebration with a live performance and DJ dance sets.<\/p>\n 9 p.m. Friday, June 19. Free-$106.78. Crybaby, 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.crybaby.live<\/a><\/p>\n The performers of Reparations, an all-black drag show, raise their firsts at the end of performing during opening night of the Frameline LGBTQ+ Film Festival in the Castro District in San Francisco in 2024.<\/p>\n Loren Elliott\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n \u2018Reparations\u2019: 6 Year Anniversary with Sapphira Cristal<\/p>\n Celebrate Black excellence and Juneteenth as \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u201d season 16 runner-up, Sapphira Cristal hosts an all black drag show featuring a high octane cast of drag performers and live DJ sets to dance the night away. VIP meet and greet ticket options available.\u00a0<\/p>\n 10 p.m. Friday, June 19. $29.55-$44.95; 21 and older. August Hall, 420 Mason St., S.F. 415-693-0777. www.augusthallsf.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n City of Richmond Juneteenth Parade and Festival<\/p>\n A 10 a.m. parade heads right to the community celebration, featuring a marketplace, live music and dance, cultural displays, family-friendly activities, food vendors and more.<\/p>\n 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Free. Nicholl Park, 3230 Macdonald Ave., Richmond. www.ci.richmond.ca<\/a><\/p>\n A driving cable car passes at a Juneteenth parade in San Francisco in 2024.<\/p>\n Benjamin Fanjoy\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n San Francisco Juneteenth Parade: \u2018Freedom Then, Freedom Now\u2019<\/p>\n A parade and celebration in the heart of the city is meant to inspire and highlight unified Black joy and vibrancy. There will be parade-adjacent block parties and a street party at Embarcadero Plaza with family-friendly activities, live entertainment, food trucks, merchandise vendors and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n 11 a.m. Saturday, June 20. Free. Begins at Market and Second streets, proceeds on Market Street to Embarcadero Plaza, S.F. 415-344-0489. www.juneteenthsfc.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Martin Luther McCoy performs during a Juneteenth festival at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco in 2024.<\/p>\n Benjamin Fanjoy\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Rebel Soul Fest 2026<\/p>\n An outdoor afternoon soul music festival is scheduled to include live performances from Martin Luther McCoy, Veotis, Otis McDonald, Ian Kelly, and Frak, David Boyce, Kai Azana and The World-Famous Show.<\/p>\n 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Free. Spreckels Temple of Music Bandshell, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park, S.F. www.illuminate.org<\/a><\/p>\n Vallejo Juneteenth Celebration: \u2018It Takes a Village\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n The festive afternoon event is set to include live music, spoken word and dance on multiple stages, along with food and merchandise vendors. A downtown parade precedes the festival at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Free. Waterfront Green, 301 Mare Island Way, Vallejo. www.vallejojuneteenth.com<\/a><\/p>\n Illuminate\u2019s \u201cLift Every Voice\u201d installation above the\u00a0Spreckels Temple of Music at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The work is in honor of the song \u201cLift\u00a0Ev\u2019ry Voice and Sing,\u201d written by civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yalonda M. James\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Justice Vanguard Juneteenth Festival<\/p>\n Celebrate the holiday at a community festival set to include an auction, poetry readings, live music, a marketplace, barbecue and drinks.\u00a0<\/p>\n 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 20. Free. Hillview Park, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. www.justicevanguard.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Berkeley Juneteenth Festival: \u2018Color Me Free\u2019<\/p>\n Held along five blocks in the South Berkeley Alcatraz-Adeline corridor, the annual celebration is set to feature family-friendly entertainment, including live music, African drumming, spoken word, fashion and community performers on multiple stages. There will be a local exhibitors marketplace, a children\u2019s area, food vendors and more. Performers scheduled include Rhonda Benin, Tiffany Austin, Oaktown Jazz, Soul Mechanix and others.<\/p>\n 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, June 21. Free. Adeline St. and Alcatraz Ave., Berkeley. 510-524-8804. www.berkeleyjuneteenth.org<\/a><\/p>\n Juneteenth Bayview Father\u2019s Day Festival<\/p>\n Celebrate Father\u2019s Day and Juneteenth with live music and entertainment, food vendors and marketplace, carnival rides, a car show and family-friendly activities.<\/p>\n Noon-6 p.m. Sunday, June 21. Free. Gilman Park, 903 Gilman Ave., S.F. 415-851-1752. www.sf-juneteenth.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Yvonne\u00a0Cobbs, Robin Hodge-Williams and Mary Williams vocal trio will join the Golden Gate Park Band on June 21 for a musical Juneteenth program at the park Bandshell.\u00a0<\/p>\n LHT\/GOlden Gate Park Band<\/p>\n Golden Gate Park Band: Juneteenth and Father\u2019s Day<\/p>\n Celebrate a joyful afternoon of live music honoring both Juneteenth and Father\u2019s Day with a program highlighting the richness and resilience of Black music. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre\u2019s Sistas vocal trio will join the band, performing Gospel, R&B, and songs from the Great American Songbook.<\/p>\n 1-2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21. Free. Spreckels Temple of Music Bandshell, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., S.F. www.goldengateparkband.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Ruthie Foster at the Freight<\/p>\n Join the Grammy Award-winning blues singer-songwriter for a night of live original blues, folk, gospel and soul.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n 8 p.m. Friday, June 26. $15-$44. Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison St., Berkeley. 510-644-2020. www.thefreight.org<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n Ruthie Foster is scheduled to perform\u00a0 on June 26 at the Freight and Salvage.<\/p>\n Astrida Valigorsky\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Oakland\u00a0Juneteenth Festival: \u2018Remembering Where We Come From to Rise Above the Odds\u2019<\/p>\n The family-friendly afternoon celebration offers live music and DJ sets on multiple stages, a movie screening, food and merchandise vendors, a quilting exhibition, youth activities, and more.<\/p>\n 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, June 27. Free. St. Mary\u2019s Center, Brockhurst Street between Market Street and San Pablo Avenue, Oakland. 510-290-0811. www.bhbrilliantminds.org<\/a><\/p>\n Concord Juneteenth: \u2018Liberation Through Learning\u2019<\/p>\n Celebrate with community exhibitors, crafts activities, food, live music, entertainment and vendors.<\/p>\n 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 27. Free. Todos Santos Plaza, 2175 Willow Pass Road, Concord. 925-948-1300. www.thefreedomlegacycollective.org<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0The Curtis Family C-Notes will perform as part of the S.F. MoAD\u2019s Juneteenth celebration.<\/p>\n MoAD<\/p>\n A Juneteenth Celebration: \u2018Let the Music Play\u2019<\/p>\n The Museum of the African Diaspora and FivePoint<\/a> celebrates with a day of in-person programming at Candlestick. It\u2019s set to include live music from the Curtis Family, food trucks, and live performers and MoAD-led hands-on beadwork activities.<\/p>\n Noon-4 p.m. Saturday, June 27. Free. 1 Bill Walsh Way, S.F. 415-318-7152. www.moadsf.org<\/a><\/p>\n Grown Women Dance Collective: \u2018Dance as Resistance\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n Move your body in community during a series of gatherings celebrating the Black legacy of resistance, resilience, empowerment and joy. Each date will include an interactive presentation of Black resistance through dance, video screening of ensemble choreography and a dance lesson, a sound bath, lunch and more.<\/p>\n The June 27 choreography shown and taught will be \u201cMy Country ‘Tis of Thee\/ Still I Rise,\u201d<\/a> honoring voices that have been silenced. No dance experience needed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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