Harlem Parks Hosting Jam-Packed Juneteenth Festival: What To Know

HARLEM, NY — The city will be bustling this weekend with events commemorating Juneteenth, and no neighborhood will be busier than Harlem, which is hosting a jam-packed festival celebrating Black culture.

The festivities will begin 6 p.m. Friday at St. Nicholas Park, with a free block party on the James Baldwin Lawn at West 135th Street. It will include free music, art and other performances, and Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray will be there to kick things off.

Then, on Saturday, will be the first annual Juneteenth Festival at the Historic Harlem Parks — Marcus Garvey, Morningside, Jackie Robinson and St. Nicholas. The free, all-day event will include more than a dozen separate programs from 11 a.m. into the evening. (See the full lineup below).

Juneteenth, a holiday that originated from the 1865 proclamation ending slavery in Texas, has grown in the ensuing decades to become an all-encompassing celebration of the abolition of slavery and Black culture in the United States. The city's celebrations come days after Congress voted to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Here's the full lineup of events for Saturday's Historic Harlem Parks Juneteenth Festival (also available in flier form):

Marcus Garvey Park (East Lawn):

• 11 a.m.: Commemorative dance by Jamel Gaines’ Creative Outlet
  • Presented by Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage)
• 12-3 p.m.: Faces of Harlem Pop Up Photo Booth: free digital portraits
  • With Freedom Allah - Presented by MMPCIA & Historic Harlem Parks
• 12:30 p.m.: Kaydence Music Presents Commander Flame
• 1 p.m.: Storytime with Harlem Grown & Founder/CEO Tony Hillery
  • Presented by Historic Harlem Parks
• 1-3 p.m.: Historic Fire Watchtower Tours with NYC Parks Urban Park Rangers
• 2 p.m.: Kaydence Music Presents Olivia K / iamchelseaiam / Kristen Joselle
• 3 p.m.: Seating begins for ticketed guests for Summer of Soul @amphitheater (show 5PM)
  • Presented by Target in association with Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, JazzMobile & Historic Harlem Parks
  • Ticket registration closed

Morningside Park (114th Street Lawn):

• 11 a.m.: Juneteenth Storytelling & Opening The Way with Reverend Rhonda Akanke McLean-Nur
• 11 a.m.: Spirit Drumming & Dance Circle: Ajanku Brothers with Caren Calder-Adams
• 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.: Faces of Harlem Pop Up Photo Booth: free digital portraits
  • With Sade Akin Boyewa El & Kate Sterling - Presented by Friends of Morningside Park & Historic Harlem Parks
• 12: 30 p.m.: Meditative Walks Presented by Harlem Insight & Friends of Morningside Park
• 1 p.m.: PAL Actors Power Hour
  • Presented by Morningside Park Conservancy & Historic Harlem Parks
• 2 p.m.: Harlem Chamber Ensemble Presented by Historic Harlem Parks
• 12–3 p.m.: COVID testing provided by Choose Healthy Life: A 5K Health Fair & Friends of Morningside Park

Jackie Robinson Park (Amphitheater at 148th Street & Bradhurst Ave.):

• 11 a.m.: West African Dance (multilevel) with Esther Grant
• 12:30 p.m.: Vogue Fundamentals (all levels) with Cesar Valentino
• 2 p.m.: Afro’Dance with Angel Kaba
  • Classes take place on plaza in shade. Bring water & a mask.
  • Free registration required at Harlemdanceclub.org

St. Nicholas Park (James Baldwin Lawn, 135th Street Plaza at St Nicholas Ave.):

• 12-6 p.m. GoodVibesInThePark - Black Wellness & Joy
  • Presented by Ayo In Motion & Friends of St Nicholas Park

Other Juneteenth events in Harlem include:

• Juneteenth Freedom Fest NYC: Block Party, from noon–6 p.m. on West 129th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard
• Juneteenth March NYC, a solidarity march in the form of a 5K walk/run. Noon-6 p.m. starting at Highbridge Park, Edgecombe and 168th Street
• A parade and street fair hosted by two Democratic clubs, starting 11 a.m. on 116th Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue
• "Black Joy is Revolutionary," in Riverbank State Park from noon–6 p.m.

#SAVETHEDATE

We’re kicking off Juneteenth with FREE music, artists, performances and more.

Friday, June 18 at 6PM
Saint Nicholas Park – James Baldwin Lawn
Visit https://t.co/9UKVLhEdWe for more #JuneteenthNYC pic.twitter.com/sJ9sQDmeuO
— City of New York (@nycgov) June 14, 2021

Full coverage: Juneteenth 2021: NYC Events Roundup

Patch reporter Sarah Belle Lin contributed.