{"id":224780,"date":"2026-06-22T07:28:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T07:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/224780\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T07:28:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T07:28:12","slug":"allentowns-juneteenth-celebration-returns-saturday-with-headliner-aj-mcqueen-at-cedar-beach-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/224780\/","title":{"rendered":"Allentown\u2019s Juneteenth celebration returns Saturday with headliner AJ McQueen at Cedar Beach Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2014 Allentown will mark Juneteenth with a free, daylong celebration Saturday at Cedar Beach Park, capping a weekend of music, sports and community events with a performance by Houston-based hip-hop artist AJ McQueen.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The celebration runs from noon to 9 p.m. at the park, 2600 Parkway Blvd., and is open to the public at no cost. It is organized by the City of Allentown in partnership with Blue Pulse Lounge, which curated this year\u2019s entertainment lineup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and became a federal holiday in 2021, the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Allentown, the state\u2019s third-largest city, has built its observance into a multiday program that organizers said is meant to honor freedom, celebrate Black culture and strengthen community ties across the Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Billed as \u201cThe Cookout,\u201d Saturday\u2019s entertainment leans heavily on Lehigh Valley performers and runs through the afternoon and into the night, according to the event\u2019s organizers. The schedule features a jazz set led by the Rev.<\/p>\n<p>                                    Stay informed on Lehigh Valley events<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-sm text-secondary\">Get the latest events news and updates from across the Valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs text-secondary mt-3\">\n                By subscribing, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/lehighdaily.com\/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and consent to receive updates.            <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gregory Edwards, an Allentown pastor, community developer and longtime social-justice advocate, along with R&amp;B group GOE Troupe, a Vybe, the spoken-word nonprofit Basement Poetry, children\u2019s programming and DJ sets. Gates open at noon, and McQueen closes at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McQueen, who was born in St. Louis and is based in Houston, is a conscious hip-hop artist whose music centers on themes of freedom, purpose and personal growth, according to the organizers. He has been featured on outlets such as BET and Revolt TV. He has also received a White House service award for his community work, according to his booking agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organizers said the day will also include a segment addressing youth gun violence, with an emphasis on mentorship, healing and positive pathways for young people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saturday\u2019s event is the centerpiece of a broader Juneteenth weekend in Allentown. The city marked the holiday Friday with a flag-raising ceremony at City Hall at noon, and a basketball tournament is scheduled at Cedar Beach Park from Friday through Sunday, alongside family activities, food trucks and local vendors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The celebration is run through the city\u2019s Special Events Bureau, which organizes Allentown\u2019s largest public events.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If rain interferes, the city has set a rain date of Sunday, June 21.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">RSVP registration and a full schedule are available on the <a href=\"https:\/\/allentownjuneteenth.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">event\u2019s landing page<\/a>, and additional details on the weekend\u2019s activities are posted on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.allentownpa.gov\/en-us\/Government\/Departments\/Parks-Recreation\/Special-Events\/City-run-Events\/Juneteenth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">city\u2019s Juneteenth page<\/a>. Organizers said attendees who register are entered into a giveaway for concert tickets and a hotel stay; entrants must be 18 or older.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/juneteenth-2026-info-1600x1237.png\" alt=\"allentown juneteenth 2026 event map\" class=\"wp-image-9263\"  \/>Event map for the 2026 Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at Cedar Beach in Allentown<\/p>\n<p>                                    Stay informed on Lehigh Valley events<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-sm text-secondary\">Get the latest events news and updates from across the Valley.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs text-secondary mt-3\">\n                By subscribing, you agree to our <a href=\"https:\/\/lehighdaily.com\/privacy-policy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and consent to receive updates.            <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tThis is the part where we ask.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ldn-endcard__sub\">No billionaire owner. No paywall. Just you keeping local news free.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a class=\"ldn-endcard__cta\" href=\"https:\/\/givebutter.com\/lehighdaily\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tBack the Team\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>100% funds local journalism<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tAbout the author<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/newheadshot2-e1723998834556-150x150.webp.webp\" width=\"56\" height=\"56\"  alt=\"Jai Smith\" class=\"avatar avatar-56 wp-user-avatar wp-user-avatar-56 alignnone photo ldn-endcard__avatar-img\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"ldn-endcard__author-bio\">Jai Smith is the founder and editor of Lehigh Daily, covering local government and community across Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. He built the site from scratch in June 2024 and runs it daily \u2014 reporting, photography, video, and development. A full-stack developer by trade, Jai has appeared on Lenfest panels on creator journalism and the evolving news landscape, participated in Knight Media Forum events, appeared on WHYY, and works with Free Press on state legislation to fund local news. He lives in Bethlehem with his family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALLENTOWN, Pa. \u2014 Allentown will mark Juneteenth with a free, daylong celebration Saturday at Cedar Beach Park, capping&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-224780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}