Seasonal & Holidays

Worcester Juneteenth Festival Set For Saturday

Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans throughout the former Confederate States of America.

WORCESTER, MA — Juneteenth may have been Wednesday but Worcester will be celebrating all day on Saturday with the annual Black Heritage Juneteenth Festival. The festival will be held at Institute Park from 12 p.m until 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Juneteenth started as a celebration of the emancipation of slaves in Texas and spread to other states, making it the holiday it is today, commemorating the end of slavery across the U.S. Although President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation in January of 1863, slaves in Texas weren't notified until Union soldiers told them on June 19, 1865.

Worcester's festival features music and entertainment as well as a kids tent to teacha bout black history. Some of the bands you can expect are The Sunta Africa Band, Serenity Jackson, A2VT Drummers and World Premier Band. Bring a lawn chair or beach towel and sit and enjoy the music.

Find out what's happening in Worcesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Vendors will also be selling items, so best to bring cash. T-Shirts for this year's festival can be purchased for $20 on the day of.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Worcester