Want to honor and celebrate Juneteenth in New Orleans? You can enjoy live music, celebrate with friends and learn about Black heritage at a number of events happening around the city this month.
Juneteenth honors the day–June 19, 1865–when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas were told they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation declared those enslaved in the Confederacy had been emancipated. Juneteenth is a federal holiday, and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has declared it a state holiday, as did former Gov. John Bel Edwards.
As the holiday approaches, people in and around New Orleans are coming together to celebrate Black heritage through music, storytelling and community gatherings.
Here’s how the city is celebrating Juneteenth this year.
Did we miss an event? Email tips@wwno.org and let us know what’s happening near you.
Saturday, June 14
Whitney Plantation’s Juneteenth Freedom Festival
Location: Whitney Plantation, 5099 Highway 18, Wallace
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event will feature live performances, panel discussions, storytelling, local art and food vendors, and guests can take a self-guided tour of the historic grounds. Admission is free with registration.
Juneteenth: Pool Party & Cookout
Location: The Blue Crawfish Hotel & Bar, 1620 Dumaine Street
Time: Noon
The Velvet Sessions and What’s Poppin NOLA are hosting a pool party and cookout with a special menu by Addis NOLA, music from DJ Rakimbeau and a live saxophone performance by Utopia.
Sip & Sail River Cruise
Location: The Creole Queen, 1 Poydras Street
Time: 6 p.m.
Celebrate Juneteenth aboard the Creole Queen. DJs will be spinning hip-hop, house, reggae, R&B and more. Tickets run between $68 and $524 and can be purchased online.
Tuesday, June 17
Live! From the Jazz Museum Balcony
Location: New Orleans Jazz Museum, 400 Esplanade Avenue
Time: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The museum’s weekly Live! From the Jazz Museum Balcony concert series continues with a special Juneteenth performance by Free Spirit African Drum Cord. You can watch in person or stream it live at facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum/live.
Thursday, June 19
New Orleans Juneteenth Festival
Location: Louis Armstrong Park
Time: Noon to 6 p.m.
The festival will be "celebrating Black past, present & future" with a second line and music by Kalindah Laveau, WATOTS of Kumbuka, Nell Simmons, Game Ova Skipp, BJ So Cole and Jelly. There will be plenty of local artists and food vendors. Admission is free.
Ancestral Odyssey by Vince Fraser
Location: New Orleans African American Museum, 1418 Governor Nicholls Street
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., recurring weekly on Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Opening June 19, Ancestral Odyssey is a permanent digital art installation by Vince Fraser that uses Afro-surrealism to celebrate the legacy of Black Masking Indians and the African diaspora. Admission is $5 to $20 with discounts for Louisiana residents and students.
Friday, June 20
Juneteenth Freedom Gala
Location: Andre Cailloux Center, 2541 Bayou Road
Time: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The Louisiana Afro-Indigenous Society will host an evening of music, dance, and speeches celebrating Black history and culture. General admission is $101.81. Tickets can be purchased online.
Juneteenth Fundraiser & Community Block Party
Location: Cafe Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Avenue
Time: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
NOCOP is hosting a fundraiser and community block party "in support of a radical vision for justice in New Orleans: a Community Police Accountability Council (CPAC)." There will be live music, food, art and raffle prizes.
Sunday, June 22
Songs of Victory
Location: The New Marigny Theater, 2301 Marais Street
Time: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
OperaCréole will present “Songs of Victory”, a concert celebrating Edmond Dédé’s “Morgiane”, the oldest known opera by a Black American. The event will feature performances by Lindsey Reynolds, Givonna Joseph, and others. Tickets are $30.
