Juneteenth Events for Families In and Near NYC
Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery. Families all over the world celebrate this important holiday through gatherings, picnics, as well as educational events to learn about the struggles African Americans have had to endure.
Here in NYC, there are many events and activities happening throughout the month where kids and their families can learn about the history of this holiday while also celebrating!
Psst… Check out these Pride Month events for kids and families!
Click on your region to jump to events near you:
Manhattan
Juneteenth in Seneca Village
Seneca Village Landscape in Central Park, West Side between 82nd and 89th, Upper West Side
Saturday, June 17, 10 am
All ages
Free
Head to Seneca Village on Juneteenth weekend for a family-friendly celebration of Black wellness through dance, music, art-making, comedy, self-care, and more!
Malika Lee Whitney and Pickney Productions presents Talk to the Hand
Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling, 898 St. Nicholas Ave., Washington Heights
Saturday, June 17, 11 am & 1 pm.
All ages
$7; $4 ages 9 and older and students with ID; free for children up to 8 years.
Malika Lee Whitney and Pickney Productions share an interactive storytelling program featuring American Sign Language. The dramatic reading of a popular children’s book comes alive with unique ways of expression.
Participants will be engaged through exposure of an important means of communication. ASL letters, words, phrases and numbers are sure to delight interest. Musical accompaniment and a demonstration by Double Dutch Dreamz with recognition of the Juneteenth commemoration.
Sound, Sun, Pleasure: A Juneteenth Celebration
Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand St., Lower East Side
Saturday, June 17, 12 – 7 pm
Ages 3 and older
Free
Henry Street Settlement warmly invites you to a day-long outdoor Juneteenth celebration.
Spend the day at Sol Lain Park, East Broadway, and with the Abrons Arts Center with Double Dutch, crafts, skateboarding with the Harold Hunter Foundation, African drumming, free food, and music performances curated by MIKE.
Juneteenth Freedom Fest NYC
The Harlem State Office Building Plaza, 163 W 125th Street, Harlem
Saturday, June 17, noon12 – 7 pm
All ages
Free
Celebrate Juneteenth with music, food trucks, vendors, live performances, games, prizes and TONS OF FREE giveaways! Kids will be treated to ice cream, balloons, face painting, bounce houses and more.
Living History: Celebrate Juneteenth
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park W., Upper West Side
Saturday, June 17, 1 pm
All ages
$22; $17 Seniors, Educators, Active Military; $13 students with ID; $6 ages 5-13; free for children younger than 5.
Celebrate Juneteenth and honor the end of American chattel slavery on June 19, 1865. Learn all about the origins of the celebration, how it has changed over time, and the many local traditions connected with the holiday. Learn how to make a Juneteenth flag and how people set their Juneteenth table!
Little Makers Club: Juneteenth Popsicle & Button Flags
Macomb’s Bridge Library, 2633 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., Harlem
Saturday, June 17, 2 pm
Ages 5-12
Free
Want to celebrate Juneteenth in a fun way? Why not try making your very own popsicle flags!
Juneteenth Jubilee
Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones Street, West Village
Saturday, June 17, 4 – 6 pm
All ages
Free
Little Mozart Foundation, Greenwich House, and Ars Nova are thrilled to present the third annual celebration of Juneteenth.
Curated by the creative talents of Mahayla Laurence and David Adewumi, the program will commemorate the day with an intergenerational investigation of the struggle toward freedom, the joy of liberation, and Black cultural exploration.
Festivities will include music, games, storytelling, crafts, and plenty of fun!
Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth
Duffy Square, Broadway between 45th & 47th Streets, Times Square
Sunday, June 18, 11 am – 1 pm
All ages
Free
The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway Initiative presents this free outdoor event centered around Black artistry and community.
Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth features Black performers, and allies, from a variety of Broadway shows performing their own works of art, with their song, dance, and poetry accompanied by live music. In addition, the event will welcome notable guest speakers to celebrate this momentous day.
Juneteenth @ CMOM
Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd Street, Upper West Side
Monday, June 19, 10 am – 4:45 pm
All ages
$16; $13 seniors and visitors with disabilities
Learn about this very special holiday through interactive art making projects in celebration of Black liberation, resilience, and joy!
Bronx
Juneteenth Craft and Storytime
Francis Martin Library, 2150 University Avenue, Bronx
Tuesday, June 13, 3 pm
Ages 5-12
Free
Join the library for a Juneteenth craft and storytime.
Juneteenth: Let’s Create a Zine!
Jerome Park Library, 118 Eames Place, Bronx
Wednesday, June 14, 3:30 pm
Ages 5-12
Free
Commemorate Juneteenth with a zine – booklet for creative expression – and Illustrate the song “This Little Light of Mine”.
Juneteenth Storytime and Crafts
Westchester Square Library, 2521 Glebe Avenue, Bronx
Thursday, June 15, 4 pm
Ages 5 – 12
Free
Listen to some stories about the Juneteenth holiday. After, come together to create some crafts in tribute to the notification of the freedom from chattel slavery of African-Americans.
The craft making will also allow children to enhance their motor skills and expand their creativity, while also appreciating a part of the history of Africans in America.
Juneteenth Weekend
New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx
June 17-19, Saturday – Monday, 12-5pm
All ages
$4-$35
Join NYBG for hands-on gardening, crafts and exploration throughout the state-of-the-art Edible Academy campus. Enjoy cooking demonstrations featuring special guests and the crops of the African American Garden: The Caribbean Experience.
Celebrate Juneteenth!
Tremont Library, 1866 Washington Avenue, Bronx
Saturday, June 17, 2 pm
Ages: 3 – 12
Free
Learn the history of Juneteenth and make your own craft to celebrate with and take home!
3rd Annual Juneteenth Family Day
Pelham Bay Park, Middletown Road & Stadium Avenue, Bronx
Sunday, June 18, 11 am – 4 pm
All ages
Free
This event is open to families of all cultural backgrounds, come together and celebrate the historical day of Juneteenth. There will be art, zumba, yoga, music, raffles, free books, performances and more.
Bronx Community Board 11 1st Annual Juneteenth Celebration & Father’s Day Cookout
768 Brady Avenue (Corner of Holland and Antin Place) Bronx
Sunday, June 18, 2:30 – 6 pm
All ages
Free
Enjoy a day of history, camaraderie, food, music, face painting, vendors, and fun for the entire community!
Brooklyn
Farmhouse Family Day: Juneteenth Celebration
Wyckoff House Museum, 5816 Clarendon Road, East Flatbush
Saturday, June 17, 11 am – 3 pm
Ages 4-10
Free
Take part in Juneteenth themed activities for this month’s Farmhouse Family Day. While you’re there stop by the first Farm stand of the year featuring Wyckoff Farm fresh veggies and herbs as well as neighborhood vendors and drop off food scraps for compost.
We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth
The Plaza at 300 Ashland, 85 Flatbush Ave, Downtown Brooklyn
Saturday, June 17, 12 – 8 pm
All ages
Free
This full-day Juneteenth celebration recognizes the brilliance of Black people and the cultural contributions that Black people have made that make this country what it is.
The event features ‘Stoop Sessions’ live musical performances, the family-friendly ‘Kid’s Korner’, DJs, the ‘Young, Black and Gifted’ marching bands, majorettes, and steppers, a special visual arts installation, ‘Melanated Notes’ spoken word performances, and a dance party for the ages!
Throughout the day, guests can visit ‘MADE BLACK: a Juneteenth Market’ curated by Brooklyn Popup, that will line the perimeter of the plaza holding space for Black entrepreneurship!
Juneteenth Family Day
Kaiser Park, 2529 Neptune Ave., Coney Island
Saturday, June 17, 12 – 3 pm
All ages
Free
Celebrate Juneteenth with the whole family at this delightful afternoon of games, face-painting, music, cotton candy, popcorn, roller skating, and more! All individuals are welcome to join in the activities as a fun way to bring the community together.
Celebrate Juneteenth 2023 with KowTeff
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Plaza, 1368 Fulton St., Bedford Stuyvesant
Saturday, June 17, 12 – 8 pm
All ages
Free
This full-day festival features a special commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop, with Grand Puba headlining KowTeff’s signature Juneteenth Performance along with dynamic performances by professional artists, a lineup of African diasporic dance classes (for adults and children), a Health and Fitness Expo (with resources, consultations, and live fitness classes), children’s recreational activities, special programming for seniors, an outdoor house music celebration with DJ Juwandi, and African Marketplace with some of the best vendors in town!
Juneteenth Family Day
Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th St., Sunset Park
Saturday, June 17, 1 – 4 pm
Ages 2-7
Free
Celebrate this important holiday marking the end of slavery by delving deep in Black history at Green-Wood! This free event will include family-friendly tours and art activities inspired by the Black lives that are forever memorialized at Green-Wood.
Rise in Spirit: A Juneteenth Celebration
Lefferts Historic House, 452 Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Saturday, June 17, 1 – 6 pm
All ages
Free
This family-friendly event will take visitors on a journey of the African Diaspora that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the people of Africa and African descendant cultures. The theme for this Juneteenth celebration is “Rise in Spirit.”
Enjoy performances by African dancers and drummers from the Asase Yaa Youth Ensemble, IET Band jazz quartet, tap dancer Joseph Webb, the St. Paul’s Baptist Church gospel choir and theatrical readings by Sharon Gordon.
Alliance educators will also provide cooking demonstrations, historic games and more.
Juneteenth Jubilee
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy, Prospect Heights
Sunday, June 18, 2 – 6 pm
All ages
Free
Advanced registration required
Celebrate Juneteenth with a full slate of activities celebrating self-expression, community, and Black liberation and creativity with live performances, music, food vendors, art making, and more.
Celebrate Juneteenth
Brower Park, Brooklyn Ave & Prospect Place, Crown Heights
Monday, June 19, 11 am – 3 pm
All ages
Free
Join the museum in Brower Park for a special Juneteenth commemoration. Live music, dance, workshops, performances, and art projects will be presented in partnership with Friends of Brower Park, Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, and Brooklyn United Marching Band.
Queens
Juneteenth Celebration
Lewis Latimer House Museum, 34-41 137th St, Flushing
Saturday, June 17, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
All ages
Free
Celebrate the day with poetry and digital storytelling workshop led by Quinta Felton.
Students will write and construct their own poems, to create a digital representation of their work through the free online coding program Scratch; Tribal Body Paint with artist Shanice Figeroux, offering Adinkra tribal symbols inspired by the Bono people of Ghana; Drum & Dance workshop with Fanike!
African Dance Troupe at 3pm; Reiki to practice self-care through learning from Reiki Master Teacher Erica Thomas Collier!
Staten Island
3rd Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, 1000 Richmond Terr., Staten Island
Saturday, June 17, 11 am – 6 pm
All ages
Free
Enjoy this celebration that features live musical performances, historical readings and other fun activities. Learn about the history, experience the culture and contributions of the African American community while enjoying the surroundings of Snug Harbor.
Juneteenth Celebration
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave., Staten Island
Sunday, June 18, 11 am – 5 pm
All ages
$15; free for ages 5 and younger
Celebrate Juneteenth at this event that will feature special programs including demonstrations of hearth cooking, discussions of social history and historical reenactment.
Long Island
Joy Fest NY: A Juneteenth Celebration
Uniondale High School Campus, 933 Goodrich St., Uniondale
Saturday, June 17, 11 am – 3 pm
All ages
Free
This Juneteenth, come together as a community to share in our accomplishments and feel a sense of pride and belonging. Enjoy a day of music, food, art, games, wellness sessions – and of course plenty of joy!
Juneteenth Drop-In Program
Sunken Meadow State Park, 25A and Sunken Meadow Pkwy, Kings Park
Saturday, June 17, 12 – 2 pm
All ages
Free
Stop by the table in front of the Sunken Meadow Nature Center for some fun Juneteenth activities and crafts.
Long Island’s Annual Juneteenth Cultural Festival
Hicksville LIRR Station, 99 Railroad Station Plaza, Hicksville
Saturday, June 17, 12–6pm
All ages
Free
This multi-cultural and inter-generational gathering of thousands of residents throughout Long Island as well as New York City’s five boroughs celebrates a historical moment in American history.
The Festival features live music, dynamic speakers, performances, a multitude of Black-owned vendors, food trucks, local businesses, children’s games, arts, crafts, and other activations.
3rd Annual Elmont Juneteenth Celebration Festival
14 Village Avenue, Village Avenue, Elmont
Saturday, June 17, 4 – 9 pm
All ages
Free
The Elmont Cultural Center, Elmont Alumni and a team of community-based organizations and community members come together to create the Elmont Juneteenth. The Festival incorporates activities for community members of all ages to create additional educational experiences.
Attendees can shop local Black-owned businesses, enjoy food and drinks by local food trucks and restaurants, DJ sets with lead DJ DJ Sparkx of Hot97, live performances by Warren Wint Rah Hoolian, Perfection Dance Company Djembe drummers, the Elmont Community Choir and spoken word artist, get your hands on some free giveaways provided by The New York Jets Sesame Street/Sesame Workshop and Health First, take pics at the photo booth, see an art show provided by local students, play games and network, and more.
Juneteenth Cultural Celebration
Roosevelt Avenue, 1st Street and S. Franklin Ave. Valley Stream
Sunday, June 18, 11 am – 5 pm
All ages
Free
Celebrate Juneteenth with music, dancing, food trucks, vendors, lone dancing, a bounce house, and so much more
June 19 Teenth: Celebration of Freedom
Hempstead Village Hall, 99 James A. Garner Way, Hempstead
Monday, June 19, 5 – 8 pm
All ages
Free
Don’t miss out on this Annual Juneteenth Festival with live entertainment, craft fair, cultural exhibition, food vendors, and fun games!
AdvoKids: Juneteenth
Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City
Monday, June 19, 11 am & 12 pm
Ages 5 and older
$4 with $17 Museum admission, $3 LICM members.
In June, the AdvoKids series will focus on Juneteenth, the day of the emancipation of slavery in the United States. During this program visitors will be able to gain a better understanding of this federal holiday and will make a festive confetti popper to celebrate.
Rockland
Sankofa’s Juneteenth Festival of Morris County
Morristown Green/Pioneer Plaza, 10 North Park Place, Morristown, NJ
Saturday, June 17, 12 – 5 pm
All ages
Free
This lively event was created for all families to celebrate the resilience, solidarity, history, and culture of the Black community.
The day includes live performances by The Kofi and Sankofa Drum & Dance Ensemble, local artists, and a tribute to famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass, who made a historic visit to Morristown, NJ in 1865.
Enjoy DJ sets, food, community resource tables, the Atlantic Health pavilion, and a main stage filled with live entertainment.
8th Annual Juneteenth Celebration Weekend
Haverstraw African American Memorial Park, 41 Cinton Street, Haverstraw
Saturday, June 17, 3 – 6 pm
All ages
Free
Celebrate Juneteenth with music, fun, vendors, food, kidzone, and performance by Anointed Friends.
Juneteenth Parade
Veterans Memorial Waterfront, Front Street, Elizabeth, NJ
Sunday, June 18, 1 pm
All ages
Free
Commemorate Juneteenth at this parade featuring floats and community groups.
Juneteenth Around the Square
Harriet Tubman Square, 501-551 Broad St. Newark, NJ
Monday, June 19, 12 – 4 pm
All ages
Free
Advanced registration required
Visit Harriet Tubman Square for an engaging Juneteenth celebration, honoring the rich history and culture of African Americans and commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
From artmaking to drummers to yard games, the park will come alive with various activities, performances, and the rhythm of DJ Fauzi, offering something for everyone.
