Here's what is happening in the Bay Area this Juneteenth

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Sunday, June 18, 2023
How people came to celebrate Juneteenth in the U.S.
Learn more about the history of Juneteenth and what it represents for the descendants of enslaved people and others in the United States.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Juneteenth is a holiday that recognizes the first day of freedom for enslaved Africans in Texas and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States as a whole.

RELATED: How to talk to your kids about Juneteenth

VIDEO: What is Juneteenth? History behind holiday celebrating the end of slavery

Here's a look at the history behind Juneteenth and the significance of the holiday today.

Check out our list below of events across the Bay Area honoring Juneteenth:

East Bay

Juneteenth Street Party

Thursday, June 15 - 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Downtown Hayward

Located on B & Main Street, the Juneteenth Street Party will be filled with live music, family fun, delicious bites, a beer and wine garden, and a classic car show, all meant to celebrate life and liberty while supporting Black-owned businesses. More information here.

Afrocentric Oakland

Saturday, June 17 - 12 to 8 p.m.

Oakland's Lake Merritt Amphitheater

Oakland's Juneteenth Festival is a celebration of Black/African culture that has become a family-friendly tradition of thousands of Bay Area residents. The festival's great variety of music, food, and merchandise vendors, wellness workshops, art installations, youth activities, and Father's Day tribute have been a guaranteed good time for the whole family. Get more information here.

Bay Area Black Deaf Advocates: Juneteenth Youth Camp

Monday, June 19 through Friday, June 23

California School for the Deaf - Fremont

Offering educational values, intersectionality, leadership, self-esteem, problem-solving, feelings of empowerment, independence and a variety of enrichment activities that encourage students to grow and thrive through meaningful participation. Get more information here.

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir

Friday, June 16 - 8 p.m.

Freight & Salvage, Bankhead Theater, Great American Music Hall

Founded in 1986, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization, was born out of a gospel music workshop led by the exuberant Terrance Kelly at Living Jazz's Jazz Camp West. It became an independent nonprofit organization in 1991. Get more information here.

San Francisco

Juneteenth on the Waterfront

Saturday, June 10 - 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza

Celebrate local Black-owned businesses at the 3rd annual Juneteenth on the Waterfront on Saturday, June 10. Kick off a month of Juneteenth celebrations in San Francisco with a day of delicious food, community, and family fun at the Embarcadero Ferry Terminal Plaza (south of the Ferry Building) and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Get more information here.

SF MODEFA: Modern Ethnic Fashion Week

Thursday, June 15 - 4 - 9 p.m.

Southeast Community Center

SF MODEFA is a three-day charity event that combines live music, an art exhibit, a panel discussion, and a fashion runway show that highlights ethnic cultures. Get more information here.

San Francisco Black Film Festival

Thursday, June 15 through Sunday, June 18

African American Art & Culture Complex - Buriel Clay Theater

Our mission is to celebrate African American cinema and the African cultural diaspora and to showcase a diverse collection of films - from emerging and established filmmakers. Get more information here.

Flying to Freedom Performance

Friday, June 16 through Saturday, June 17 - 8 p.m.

Ruth Williams Memorial Theatre

Bayview Opera House, Inc. in collaboration with Zaccho Dance Theatre presents this special Juneteenth performance of Flying to Freedom, on June 16 & 17, 2023. This free community performance will showcase the work of local music, theater, dance, and aerial artists reflecting on their own understanding/definition of liberation. Get more information here.

San Francisco International Arts Festival

Saturday, June 17 through Sunday, June 18

BRAVA Cabaret, BRAVA Theater, BRAVA Studio, Theatre of Yugen

There are 40+ Artists performing in the Festival for you to select from! Some artists are giving multiple performances. Get more information here.

Tenderloin Pride & Juneteenth festival

Saturday, June 10 - 12 to 6 p.m.

San Francisco

730 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

Join us for our 3rd annual pride festival. We will have six (FREE) food booths from some of our most popular restaurants in the Tenderloin, Pride parade party float and giveaways! Get more information here.

North Bay

Marin City Juneteenth Festival

Monday, June 19 - 9 a.m.

Rocky Graham Park

The Marin City Juneteenth Festival is the largest annual Festival of Black African Arts and Culture in the North Bay Area. We choose to celebrate our culture on Juneteenth, a holiday that has been celebrated in Texas, and the United States for decades. Get more information here.

Vivalon: Juneteenth Special Luncheon

Thursday, June 22 - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Vivalon Healthy Aging Center

Join us to commemorate Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, in community with one another as we enjoy a cookout-style meal representative of traditional Juneteenth celebrations. There will be a speaker as well as a singing performance by special guests from Marin City. Get more information here.

Juneteenth Festival & Parade

Saturday, June 17 - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Vallejo

This year's event will feature a parade in downtown Vallejo and a festival which will include vendors, exhibitors, and performers. Get more information here.

Sonoma County Juneteenth Celebration

Saturday, June 17 - 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Martin Luther King Jr. Park

We celebrate on the third Saturday of June each year. We have Gospel, Jazz, Rap, and R&B music. There are games, a basketball tournament, arts and crafts, speakers, and a whole lot of food. Get more information here.

Vallejo Juneteenth Celebration

Saturday, June 17 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Downtown Vallejo

Vallejo's festival features as many as 75-100 exhibitors and attracts hundreds of visitors who come to enjoy vendors selling merchandise and food, activities for children, and live entertainment. Get more information here.

South Bay

African American Community Service Agency: 42nd Annual Juneteenth in the Park Festival

Saturday, June 17 - 12 p.m. - 7 p.m.

San Jose

This is the African American Community Service Agency's 42nd year producing the Juneteenth in the Street Festival in San Jose. There will be a wide variety of food, artwork, retailers, community services and local businesses. Get more information here.

Juneteenth Community Celebration

Monday, June 19 - 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose

Let's celebrate African-American culture together with our partner, Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF). Watch a variety of short animated films, find your rhythm during a drumming workshop, and catch the beat by making your very own drum to practice at home. Get more information here.

Tabia African American Theatre - Juneteenth Performance

Saturday, June 10 - 2 p.m.

Gilroy Library

Join us for a Juneteenth Celebration with a performance from the Tabia African-American Theatre Ensemble that combines music, poetry, and dance. Tabia brings the unique creativity of African-Americans to the stage through universal themes that enlighten, educate and entertain audiences with powerful messages and spirit. Get more information here.

Los Altos Juneteenth Festival

Saturday, June 17 - 12 to 5 p.m.

Hillview Park

There will be music, dancing, art, performances, speeches, food, desserts, wine, beer, rum punch, smoothies, bbq, and more!!! Get more information here.

Peninsula

Juneteenth Short Film Screening

Wednesday, June 21 - 5 - 7:30 p.m.

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Center

Please join the County of San Mateo Juneteenth Advisory Committee for a short film screening commemorating Juneteenth and the Black experience in America on Wednesday, June 21, at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Center in Redwood City. This will be an evening of thought-provoking short films, a riveting moderated conversation, refreshments, and dynamic guests! Get more information here.

Millbrae Juneteenth Celebration

Saturday, June 17 - 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Millbrae Recreation Center and Central Park

We will celebrate through food, live music, special performances, and much more! This is a free event and is sure to have something for all ages! Get more information here.

East Palo Alto Juneteenth Food & Music Festival

Saturday, June 17 - 12 to 6 p.m.

Bell Street Park

On this day, we celebrate and uplift the freedom that came from the struggle behind us and strengthen our unity with our community for the struggle and oppression in front of us. Get more information here.

Discovering Recovering Our Roots Juneteenth Celebration

Friday, June 16 - 3:30 to 8 p.m.

East Palo Alto Academy

Please join the San Mateo County African American Community Initiative for a fun-filled evening with resource sharing, food, live music, and vibrant discussion celebrating Juneteenth. Get more information here.

WATCH: Black hymns: The legacy left by the enslaved honored on Juneteenth and every day

The system of slavery destroyed and separated millions of families. The consequences of escaping to freedom kept many slaves from leaving, so they used hymns and spirituals to mentally escape.

WATCH: Our America: Meet Opal Lee, the grandmother of Juneteenth

In honor of Juneteenth, we're telling stories of what Black freedom means today, from a 94-year-old's quest for a national holiday to the fight for reparations to cultural celebrations. Watch "Our America: Black Freedom."

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