ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Juneteenth is the oldest nationally recognized celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. It commemorates the day \u2014 June 19, 1865 \u2014 when the last African American slaves learned they were free, 2-1\/2 years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What began in the 19th century as a local celebration in Galveston, Texas, has since spread to cities across the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s own Emancipation Day is on May 20, 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War, and two years after the proclamation first issued by Lincoln when he freed those enslaved in Southern states. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.<\/p>\n
Here’s how Central Florida is celebrating Juneteenth this year.<\/p>\n
Clermont<\/p>\n
Juneteenth: A Family Celebration Daytona Beach<\/p>\n Juneteenth Family Festival Hometown Heroes Banquet Deltona<\/p>\n Juneteenth Celebration: Remembering Unity in the Community Festival in the Park Eatonville<\/p>\n Central Florida Juneteenth Gala 2026: The Legacy Ball Groveland<\/p>\n Juneteenth Celebration 2026 Kissimmee<\/p>\n Annual Juneteenth Festival Public parking is available at:<\/p>\n Mount Dora<\/p>\n Juneteenth \u2014 A Summer Celebration of Culture Orlando<\/p>\n Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings Juneteenth Celebration Lenox Ave. in Concert City of Orlando Juneteenth Community Resource Fair Love & Liberation Juneteenth Pride Celebration Oviedo<\/p>\n Juneteenth Celebration Sanford<\/p>\n What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth 2026 Block Party Winter Garden<\/p>\n Juneteenth Community Celebration Winter Park<\/p>\n 11th Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Historic Hannibal Square The Association for the Study of African American Life & History In Conversation: Honoring The Michael Gladden Collection\u00a0 Juneteenth: Looking Back, Looking Forward A Night Under the Stars: Jazz & Jubilee<\/a>
Waterfront Park<\/a> | Saturday, June 20, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The event will bring together cultural performances, food, local vendors in order to reflect, celebrate and raise the community’s voices together in unity. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Cypress Park<\/a> | Saturday, June 13, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The event features live entertainment, educational exhibits, food vendors, youth activities and cultural programming that celebrates freedom and heritage. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University \u2014 Mori Hosseini Student Union<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 13, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
An event to honor community leaders and unsung local heroes.<\/p>\n
Greater Faith AME Church<\/a>\u00a0| Friday, June 19, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A historical lecture, held in the parking lot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dewey O. Boster Sports Complex<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Highlights are the Gospel Choirs on Parade.<\/p>\n
Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 13, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Organizers call the event “A Night of Freedom, Heritage and Future.” The gala brings together community leaders, families and supporters for a night of dinner, live entertainment, cultural reflection, and community recognition. They will honoring heritage, celebrate freedom, focus on investing in youth and recognize the historic legacy of Eatonville. Tickets are required and are available online<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Cherry Lake Park<\/a>\u00a0| Friday, June 19, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This is a family-friendly event featuring live entertainment, guest speakers, food vendors and a kids’ zone.<\/p>\n
Kissimmee Lakefront Park<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 13, Noon – 4 p.m.
Live music will be provided by 69 Boyz and Tyesha Williams and will be hosted by Tight Mike. The event also will include local food vendors, artisans, community organizations and activities for all ages such as the KUA Kids Power Zone.<\/p>\n
Cauley Lott Park<\/a> | Saturday, June 20, 3 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Festivities will include musical performances by E-Turn, DJ Samp Da Champ, and other guest musicians, an appearance by 104.5 The Beat, community basketball activities, food and drinks, and activities in celebration of community and connection.<\/p>\n
Orange County Regional History Center Heritage Square<\/a>\u00a0| Wednesday, June 17, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The event, co-hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. initiative, focuses on education, community, and recognizes history of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.<\/p>\n
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Judson’s Live<\/a> | Friday, June 19, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; and Saturday, June 20, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Grounded in the poetry of Langston Hughes from his 1926 book, “The Weary Blues,” composer Brandon Martin blends genres of blues, jazz, swing, and Caribbean calypso to paint the aural image of the Harlem Renaissance. The production features original choreography by Adonus Mabry. Tickets are required<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Grand Avenue Neighborhood Center<\/a> | Saturday, June 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This free event will also feature a live DJ and entertainment, a kids’ zone, a community fair and free food. It also offers the opportunity to access to essential health services, learn preventive care tips and build connections that can help strengthen economic stability.<\/p>\n
Central Florida Fairgrounds Pavilion<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 20, 2 p.m.
The event is curated to be family friendly and centered on Black queer and trans voices through live performances, local artists, vendors, community resources and food.<\/p>\n
Riverside Park<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 20, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
There will be educational resources, food, games, a live DJ and a large Juneteenth display.<\/p>\n
Dr. Velma H. Williams Westside Community Center<\/a>\u00a0| Friday, June 19, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The educational event will feature local public speakers, cultural demonstrations, dance and music.<\/p>\n
Sanford Civic Center<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 20, noon to 4 p.m.
The community celebration on the Riverwalk will include live music, food, dancing and arts and crafts.<\/p>\n
Charlie Mae Wilder Park<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Saturday, June 20, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Festivities will include family-friendly activities, entertainment, community resource booths and a variety of food and merchandise for sale.<\/p>\n
Hannibal Square Heritage Center<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Sunday, June 14, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Threads of Freedom: Memory, Resistance and Legacy<\/a>. Community arts workshop to create a quilt that will be on display in the Heritage Center and give participants a chance to learn how the art form preserves ancient histories. Also, a panel discussion featuring guest speakers to include Phyllis Elmore, Author of “Quilt of Souls”; Dr. Denise Evans-Sheppard, executive director of Oyster Bay Historical Society; Janice Gilyard, genealogist and historian; and Keidra Daniels Navaroli, an independent curator who specializes in textiles.<\/p>\n
Edyth Bush Theatre<\/a>\u00a0| Sunday, June 14, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.\u00a0
The archive is intended to make known the tradition of safekeeping in the Black American community, following in the footsteps of the Gladden Archive’s namesake, Michael<\/p>\n
Edyth Bush Theatre<\/a>\u00a0| Sunday, June 17, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Florida historian and psychologist Dr. Marvin Dunn in conversation with Dr. Rebekah McCloud, discussing his book, “A History of Florida Through Black Eyes”. Then Dr. David Ponton, director of African and African American Studies at Rollins College, will present Juneteenth: Pride, Freedom and Love. His discussion will encourage people to think critically about the distinction between emancipation and freedom.<\/p>\n
Shady Park<\/a>\u00a0| Saturday, June 20, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.\u00a0
Presented by the Equity Council Corp. in partnership with the Parks and Recreation Department.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Juneteenth is the oldest nationally recognized celebration of the end of slavery in the United…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":304014,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[5275,1011,1013,4092,684,28,1186,1190,2565,2174,115,1335,139,141,140,1976,1014,275,106,2261],"class_list":["post-304013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-app-events","tag-app-human-interest","tag-app-latest-human-interest-stories","tag-app-things-to-do","tag-events","tag-florida","tag-holidays","tag-human-interest","tag-juneteenth","tag-lake-county","tag-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-osceola-county","tag-seminole-county","tag-spectrum-news-staff","tag-things-to-do","tag-volusia-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=304013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/304013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/304014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=304013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=304013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=304013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}