Seasonal & Holidays
Justice March, Bike Bash: How To Celebrate Juneteenth In Brooklyn
From live performances, to a film series and more, events across the borough will celebrate the now-federal holiday this weekend.
BROOKLYN, NY — With its official designation as a federal holiday this week and the return of in-person events, there's even more reason for New Yorkers to get out and celebrate Juneteenth this year.
And there's no shortage of ways to do so.
In Brooklyn, marches, bike rides, educational performances and celebrations will span the borough to mark the oldest, nationally celebrated commemoration marking the end of slavery on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas.
Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Here's a look at the line-up:
Find out what's happening in Prospect Heights-Crown Heightsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
What: This year, the one-day event has turned into a three-day summit that starts Friday with professionals and residents talking about health and wellness. On Saturday, there will be a hybrid virtual and in-person festival. On Sunday, you can attend an event highlighting aspiring youth entrepreneurs at a Juneteenth Pomp. Free to attend (Eventbrite tickets here).
When: Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (online kickoff)
Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Herbert Von King Park, 670 Lafayette Ave.)
Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Bed-Stuy Restoration, 1368 Fulton St.)
Where: Online and various locations
What: A three-day event filled with music, performances, food and Black joy. Friday will have a community service event. Saturday will see a massive cookout. On Sunday, throw your quads on for a night of skating.
When: Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
Sunday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Various locations in Prospect Park
What: Pop-up shops, live performances, after-parties and networking events.
When: Friday from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Saturday from 5 p.m. to TBA
Where: Now And Then NYC, 290 Meserole St.
651 ARTS’ Juneteenth Celebration: (RE)VISION
What: A weekend of film screenings that center on the theme of futurism in the spirit of moving forward in the ongoing fight for equality and justice in a post-pandemic world. The celebration include live “silent” film screenings (headsets to be provided) held outdoors.
When: Friday at 8 p.m. (waitlist only)
Saturday at 8 p.m. (waitlist only)
Where: The Plaza, 300 Ashland Place in Downtown Brooklyn
Joyteenth: A Celebration of Freedom
What: Celebrate freedom & Black joy with a march and festival including celebrity appearances, special guests, live performances, music and more. Free beverages and food. Presented by Freedom March NYC, Afropunk, Justice League NYC and others.
When: Saturday starting at noon
Where: Meet at Brooklyn Museum for march. Meet at Long Meadow, Prospect Park for festival.
SUPER SÁBADO | Celebrate Afro Caribbean Joy + Resilience
What: In celebration of Afro-Caribbean joy and resilience, join us for our first in-person Super Sabado, featuring roller-skating presented by Butter Roll; an art-making workshop for families inspired by ESTAMOS BIEN – LA TRIENAL 20/21 ; and live music by DJ’s Ultraviolet, Nina Vicious, and Bembona. Skate rentals will be provided by Skaterobics on a first come, first serve basis. In collaboration with El Puente and Hope Community Garden. (RSVP on Eventbrite here)
When: Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Hope Gardens Community Center, 422 Central Avenue
Juneteenth Father's Day Biker's Bash
What: Featuring NYC's largest bike show, live music and small business pop-up. Free to attend.
When: Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Marcy Plaza, corner of Fulton Street and Marcy Avenue
Brooklyn Museum: Honoring Juneteenth
What: Come together on the museum steps to hear music and remarks by local community leaders before Good Company Bike Club kicks off its Freedom Ride, a daylong tour of historic Brooklyn locations and landmarks relevant to the Black community, including stops at Black-owned restaurants to rest and replenish. In the evening, enjoy live music, food provided by Black Chef Movement, and mindfulness at sunset with Meditating for Black Lives, which uses the principles and practices of various meditation traditions to support community efforts to heal oppression. All day long, stop by to share what honoring Juneteenth means to you and participate in community portraits by Brooklyn photography collective Souls in Focus. Free to attend, and no tickets needed.
When: Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Brooklyn Museum Plaza (outdoors)
What: An outdoor exhibition at the Center for Brooklyn History. Brooklyn Resists tells the stories of Black Brooklynites and how they have responded to systemic racial injustice, rising up against those systems, and how the protest movement of the present ties to the generations of activists and leaders who came before.
When: Starting Saturday, June 19, through late September
Where: On the corners of Pierrepont and Clinton streets
The Big Black Kickback Juneteenth 2021 NYC
What: The Big Black Kickback is a Black-centered, dual-state event featuring free food and games, including a Big Black Field Day, with relay races and prizes, Big Black Graduation, a celebration of the class of 2021 and the Big Bank Bazaar, a unique picnic-style pop up, showcasing local Black owned businesses.
When: Saturday from noon to 8 p.m.
Where: Prospect Park Long Meadow
What: Join Riders for Black Lives for a Juneteenth Solidarity Ride. This ride will feature five stops at historic and cultural locations that highlight the contributions of Black people to the history and development of our city. All donations are welcomed and will directly impact local community fridge projects.
When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Where: Meet at Brooklyn Museum
What: To all the skaters, dancers and food lovers, celebrate freedom together with an outdoor pop-up roller disco party. Skate rentals available on-site. Advance tickets are $10, not including fees. Door tickets are $20, not including fees (Eventbrite tickets here).
When: Saturday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Lincoln Terrace Park, 299 Buffalo Ave.
Coalition for Educational Justice: Juneteenth Celebration
What: Join CEJ for a day of celebration, learning, fellowship and political action. This event will have learning stations to learn more about the mayoral candidates, school integration, police-free schools, culturally responsive education and how to influence the city budget. Free to attend.
When: Saturday at noon
Where: Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, corner of Centre and Chambers streets
Cadman Park Conservancy: Juneteenth Celebration
What: The event will feature Brooklyn-based, Black-owned businesses to support, two community workout sessions, live music by J4K Trio band, a dance performance by the Gowanus Wildcats, prominent speakers including Attorney General Letitia James, State Sen. Brian Benjamin, New York City Council Members Robert Cornegy and Farah N. Louis and Kings County Civil Court Judge Dweynie Paul. Attendees will be eligible for free ride credits to Cadman Plaza Park courtesy of Lyft. Free to attend.
When: Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Juneteenth Grove, Cadman Plaza Park, Tillary Street at Court Street
What: Come get a taste of Brooklyn as we stroll through Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights sampling delicious food and boozy cocktails at Black-owned establishments. Participants will be privy to exclusive discounts at each business. Throughout the crawl, participants can play trivia on their mobile devices for a chance to win prizes from local vendors. In celebration of Juneteenth, the trivia game will be about black history, black pop culture, music, film, TV, art and science. Test your trivia knowledge and enjoy a full day of fun celebrating the emancipation of African Americans. Tickets start at $45, not including fees,
When: Saturday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Registration starts at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St.
What: Black creatives from More Media Co., One Queen to Another, and Blackity Co., in collaboration with grassroots organizations Official Juneteenth NYC and Black Feminists Matter, and Black owned brands Africoil and Reed Limited Entertainment combined their strengths to create a safe space, where Black people of all ages could celebrate Juneteenth together. The Black-centered, dual-state event featured free food and games, including a Big Black Field Day, with relay races and prizes, Big Black Graduation, a celebration of the class of 2021, and the Big Bank Bazaar, a unique picnic-style pop up, showcasing local Black owned businesses.
When: Saturday, starting at 12 p.m.
Where: Prospect Park
What: ASHYA, a Black women-owned design label featuring utilitarian, unisex leather travel accessories, will be hosting a celebration. Drinks will be provided by a sponsored mixologist courtesy of Maker's Mark, and a monogramming station will be set up. Attendees can RSVP via ASHYA’s website. Guests can round out their evening celebration with a special five-part film series about Black Liberation brought to you by Equator Productions.
Where: ASHYA's Industry City shop.
When: Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m.
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music Juneteenth Music and Poetry Suite
What: Renowned poet, journalist, and activist Kevin Powell will perform an original poetry suite alongside music composed, arranged, conducted and performed by the Soulfolk Experience, which will take the audience on an American journey through the lens of Juneteenth. Part of a Juneteenth collaboration between Friends of Brower Park and Brooklyn Children's Museum. Click here for more information.
Where: Brower Park - Brooklyn Ave & Prospect Pl (Crown Heights)
When: Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
What: A protest march to show that people of all races and ethnicities can unite to raise up humanity and overthrow white supremacy— together. Find out more here.
Where: Starting at Brooklyn Bridge Park and ending at City Hall in Manhattan.
When: Gathering at 1 p.m. and stepping off to walk at 1:30 p.m.
What: Attendees can enjoy a range of programming, from a live marching band to a voter rights fair all the way to roller skating and opera performances.
Where: Domino Park
When: 4 to 10 p.m.
Find out more about events in other boroughs for Juneteenth here.
Patch reporter Sarah Belle Lin contributed to this report.
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