Juneteenth, June 19, was declared a City-wide holiday in 2020 and became a Federal Holiday in 2021. The occasion marks the date, June 19, 1965. On this day the last slaves in Galveston, TX received news that they were free - two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

In 2021, a group of Greensboro Black Creatives came together to launch the first-ever Juneteenth GSO Fest. The festival is a series of events that take place Thursday - Sunday during Juneteenth weekend.

This year, the Juneteenth GSO Fest will take place, June 15 - 18 and the event lineup includes:

June 15 - SiStars of Juneteenth at Carolina Theater

June 16 - The Arts Legacy Awards at The Van Dyke Performance Space

June 17 - The Black Food Truck Festival at LeBauer Park

June 17 - Juneteenth Arts & Crafts Festival at Sternberger Park

June 18 - Juneteenth Gospel Superfest: Interfaith Celebration at Barber Park

We are raising funds to support the costs of the festival which includes paying Black artists for their time and talents, paying for use of facilities and staff, paying honorariums to our Executive Committee, and supporting our vision to move the Juneteenth GSO Fest into a self-sustaining entity for many years to come.

More information about Juneteenth can be found at http://www.juneteenthgso.com or http://www.facebook.com/juneteenthgsofest