On a gray morning on a humid Friday, the sounds of brass music, friends reuniting and cheer swelled in East Austin.
Thousands of people including city leaders, groups from community organizations and longtime East Austin residents filled Chicon Street to celebrate Juneteenth and pass on a history of community, fellowship and progress to the next generation of Black Austinites.
Company A – 9th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers lead the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
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John “JJ” Johnson wears Juneteenth-themed clothing while watching the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
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Members of the Austin All-Star Band march in the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
H-E-B employees carry a banner during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Austin firefighters drive a retired firetruck during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
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Spectators cheer as the H-E-B float passes by during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
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Travis County judge Andy Brown, left, greets spectator Jae Jones, right, during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
LT Powell, a CapMetro employee, left, and Katrena Wynn-Plummer, a TXDOT employee, right, care a banner in the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
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Texas Longhorns head women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer hands candy to Kentric Ward during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
“I grew up doing this,” said Andrew Henry, who was born and raised in Austin. “I’m 54 and I probably only missed seven or eight marches. It’s nostalgic, and it’s a tradition. We love doing this.”
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Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States by commemorating June 19, 1865 — the day 250,000 slaves in Texas were finally free.
Austin’s celebrations trace back to 1867, according to the Juneteenth Committee of the Greater East Austin Youth Association, which has organized the city’s annual parade for decades. Texas was the first state to establish Juneteenth as a holiday in 1979 and it’s been a federal holiday for five years.
Henry’s family has lived in Austin for six generations, he said. To him, the celebration is a both show of nostalgia and strength for Austin’s Black community, which has been increasingly pushed out of historically Black East Austin neighborhoods by gentrification and rising property prices.
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“Everyone of our grandparents had a house in Blackland,” he said, pointing to the east Austin MLK neighborhood. “We all have histories, so everyone has to participate and give what they have, because if you don’t it will be lost.”
‘This gives them a different experience’
Left, DeeDee Yancey holds her son Zay Watkins after he received candy from a parade participant during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin. Right, scenes from the Juneteenth parade.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Despite the threat of rain, Henry said Friday’s turnout was the largest he’s seen in 10 years. The parade is a unifying event, bringing together old friends, cousins and family members while adding new generations to participate, he said.
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Shae Brown, also an Austin native, said she has taken her three children to the festival for years and hopes that one day they’ll take their own, too. The parade is not just a celebration of the past, she said, but a way the next generation can feel more comfortable and welcome in the city, especially with police officers.
“It’s good for them to have a good experience with the police,” Brown said as her kids grabbed candy from officers marching in the parade. “Black and brown children are often scared (of police). This gives them a different experience.”
Brown said she’s hopeful her children will have their own rich history in the city, including in their memories of the parade.
“It’s all very positive,” Brown said.
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Spectators line Chicon street during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A drummer from the Wilmer-Hutchins High School band marches in the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
A parade participant throws candy to the crowd during the Historical Juneteenth Parade on Friday, June 19, 2026 in East Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Dozens of floats progressed down Chicon Street blaring Beyoncé music with riders throwing candy along the packed street. A city bus wrapped in a Juneteenth banner honked as it passed by, Austin’s All Star Band gave a live performance and local leaders including Police Chief Lisa Davis and Austin Community College Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart. University of Texas basketball teams joined, as well.
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“Austin has a really tight-knit community,” said Breya Cunningham, a University of Texas senior who’s a forward on the women’s team. “They come out to games whenever they can. Us doing this march and seeing people who support us and supporting them means a lot.”
To 12-year-old Kennedy London Morgan, a Manor resident who was crowned Central Texas Juneteenth Princess in 2024, the parade is a show of “legacy, sisterhood and history.” Waving to younger kids while wearing her crown and sash, she said, can “show other people that you can do this, be confident and believe in your dreams.”
A new organization, Dream Together 2030, an apolitical group inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, seeks to connect Austin’s Black community with city leaders to realize “an Austin that is flourishing for everyone,” said Sherwynn Patton, a committee member and co-founder of the movement.
That includes their year-old movement Juneteenth and Pickleball for All, which seeks to improve accessibility of a rapidly growing sport, said pro-player Brandon Nsekpong, 36. Balancing on a float, he played a live pickleball game with friends as the parade wound down Chicon.
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“It’s really about us taking a holistic approach for how we work together,” Patton said. “And then, hopefully we have a young generation that rises up after us and that continues to do the work.”
About 11:30, the sky opened up, covering the crowd in rain. But the crowd simply popped open umbrellas and people marched on.
Fifty years from now, Henry said, he hopes the parade will continue with the same “camaraderie and fellowship” that makes the celebration what it is today, inspiring the next generation to keep striving for success while honoring those who came before.
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“That’s really what matters to us,” he said. “To make sure everyone remembers.”