Celebrate Juneteenth 2021

Juneteenth is an annual holiday celebrating the June 19, 1865 emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. This Saturday, June 19, and in the days leading up, commemorate Juneteenth with live performing arts events and celebrations of Black culture.

Lincoln Center's Restart Stages will host three events for Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19. Coming Together: A Juneteenth Celebration will be a #concertforkids event at 11:00am at Hearst Plaza celebrating Black culture through music, dance, and poetry, demonstrating the importance of human connections in resilience and transformation. Later on at 7:00pm, join Lincoln Center for I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me: A Juneteenth Celebration an experiential event unfolding in multiple distinct parts across the Lincoln Center campus. The evening begins at Hearst Plaza with a musical introduction, continues with a musical recitation of a deconstructed National Anthem, and more. Then, at 9:00pm Film at Lincoln Center will present an outdoor screening of Summer of Soul, a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record, created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Headphones will be provided to all attendees for the screening. Free tickets for all events are available through the TodayTix lottery. 

On Wednesday, June 16 at 3:00pm, join the New-York Historical Society for a virtual field trip to Genesee Country Village & Museum—the largest and most comprehensive living history museum in New York State—to explore how some African American New Yorkers would have celebrated the end of slavery. This family event, Living History @ Home: Cooking for Juneteenth, will also teach you how to make treats like strawberry pie, sweet tea, and other kid-friendly recipes. Click here to register.

The New York Public Library is hosting some free Juneteenth events online to commemorate the holiday. Join a Bring Your Own Book program where attendees will discuss and recommend Juneteenth-centric books on Wednesday, June 16 at 5:00pm. Sign up for the discussion here. Tune into The Melting Pot: Hearth Cooking at Historic Richmond Town (on Staten Island) on Tuesday, June 22 at 6:00pm for a live tutorial and historical discussion of celebratory recipes associated with Juneteenth’s history, including gumbo and strawberry pie. Click here to register for this free event. And for kids, enjoy an online, interactive writing activity inspired by Juneteenth and a performance from Fyütch Simmons on Thursday, June 17 at 3:30pm. Click here to learn more about this Summer Learning 2021 event. Also, the Library for the Performing Arts will collaborate with the online radio station The Lot on Saturday, June 19 during which guest DJs will spin from the Music & Recorded Sound Division’s vast collection of music and spoken word recordings in a live broadcast that celebrates Juneteenth. The radio station will broadcast from the Library’s cafe and can be heard online as well as seen from the Outdoor Reading Room on the terrace by Lincoln Center Theater. Click here for information.

On Thursday, June 17 from 3:30pm-5:00pm, join Latimer House (in Flushing, Queens) for a unique multigenerational and family Juneteenth program led by artist Tasha Dougé, hosted by the NYC Parks Department. The virtual workshop will involve creating paper cutouts and participants will be encouraged to actively participate in the discourse around Juneteenth, and how art and symbolism can be used as entry points to explore and celebrate resilience, resistance, and emancipation. Click here to register for the virtual event and prepare yourself for the workshop with materials needed. There are also other Juneteenth events hosted by NYC Parks happening around the city, click here to browse them.

From 5:00pm – 8:30pm on Saturday, June 19 at Marcus Garvey Park (18 Mt. Morris Park West) enjoy a free, outdoor screening of Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). The special advance screening will be followed by live performances at The Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park featuring Questlove and surprise guests. Click here to request a free ticket for the live event from the City Parks Foundation.  

This is not an exhaustive list of Juneteenth programming happening around Lincoln Square and across the city. If you are a local or neighboring business/cultural institution hosting a Juneteenth event and we've missed you, email us to be included: info@lincolnsquarebid.org. There are a ton of Juneteenth celebratory events happening around the five boroughs this year--don't miss out on these and others! 

Main image credit: Angela Cholmondeley / Gothamist
Article image credit: Historic Richmond House; Summer of Soul Movie Poster