TRAVIS COUNTY (KXAN) — Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. It originated in Galvaston, Texas, when on June 19, 1865, U.S. soldiers arrived and enforced emancipation, which had happened in 1863. In fact, the war had ended in April 1865.
The 2022 Central Texas Juneteenth Celebration will open Juneteenth weekend with a 10 a.m. parade. The full parade route is available here.
Afterwards, there will be a festival at Rosewood and Boggy Creek park from 12-9:30 p.m., and a fireworks show will cap off the event at 9:30 p.m.
Texas Farmers’ Market Celebration
Juneteenth weekend at the Texas Farmers’ Market (TFM) will include live music, cooking demonstrations and raffles.
On June 18, the celebration will be from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Lakeline Mall in Cedar Park, and on June 19 it will be at Mary Elizabeth Branch Park in Austin from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
“In observing Juneteenth this year, we wanted to highlight Black-owned businesses and chefs that are trailblazers in our industry while hosting a day of music and celebration,” said Laura McDonald, TFM executive director, in a release.
The Cedar Park event will feature music by the Ange K Band, and cooking demonstrations by Sheena Moore of Sheena’s Pickles and Joi Chevalier of The Cook’s Nook. The Austin event will have music by DJ Cysūm.
TFM also has a scholarship program that assists Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) farmers and ranchers who are just starting in agriculture.
Soul Food Truck Fest
Foodies in Austin should check out the Soul Food Truck Fest, which will bring together 10 Black-owned food trucks in celebration of the Juneteenth weekend.
The fest will be at Hutson-Tillotson University and have vendors and live music. General admission tickets cost $15 for adults (kids get in free) and admission opens at 1 p.m. Judge and VIP tickets are also available for an additional cost and allow access at 11 a.m.
“It is not lost on me the magnitude of hosting such an incredible celebration of the Black culinary
tradition on the campus of Austin’s only historically Black university, nestled in its historic Black district,
the day before the newly minted federal holiday celebrating Black freedom,” said Dr. Colette Pierce
Burnette, President & CEO of Huston-Tillotson University,
Burnette and city councilmember Natasha Harper Madison are “official ambassadors” of the
event, according to a press release from the Fest’s organizers.
“I am truly honored to be a part of this event that ties Austin’s rich Black cultural past with its present through something we can all relate to: food” Madison said in a release, “The African-American culinary experience is about spiritual sustenance as much as it is physical; for years food has played a central role in our coming together as a community, and I’m excited to share that tradition with the community as a whole during Juneteenth weekend.”
June 18 events
- Georgetown Juneteenth Celebration (starts at 11 a.m.) will be at the Georgetown Community Center (445 E. Morrow St.)
- Black Makers Market (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at the George Washington Carver Museum (1165 Angelina St.) will have more than 30 Black creatives and makers.
- A Bigger Taste of History (12 to 4 p.m.) at the Hopewell Rosenwald School (690 TX-21 W, Cedar Creek)
- Freedom Fest (1 to 4 p.m.) at the Turner Roberts Recreation Center (7201 Colony Loop Dr.)
- Leander’s inaugural Juneteenth celebration (4 to 8 p.m.) at 100 N. Brushy, Leander
- Miss Juneteenth Pageant (5 p.m) at Sterling Event Center (6134 US-290, Austin). KXAN previously covered this event in 2018.
June 19 events
- “Stay Black & Live” (12 to 6 p.m.) at the George Washington Carver Museum (1165 Angelina St.)
- Jazz on the Green (6 to 8 p.m.), at Wells Branch Homestead (2106 Klattenhoff Dr., Austin)
Other weekend events
- Juneteenth Jubilee (3 p.m. to 2 a.m.) at Cheer Up Charlie’s (900 Red River St., Austin), where a music collective will showcase the history of Black culture through music.
There are many gatherings over Juneteenth weekend (6/18-19), here are some of them. If you have an event that is missing from our list, please email KXAN at ReportIt@kxan.com.
