Juneteenth Events
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas learned that they were free—two years after the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. To celebrate this day, local community events are scheduled all around Minneapolis, making it a day to also honor Black culture in the United States. Check out the events happening throughout the city to celebrate Juneteenth.
June 10, 2023
9am-10:30am
Mill City Museum
It’s about the stories! This will be Sweet Potato Comfort Pie’s third annual celebration of the Juneteenth Jubilee through the Sweet Potato Pie. However, instead of this being a competition, it will be a “Showcase” paying homage to what we consider as “the sacred dessert of Black culture.”
June 11, 2023
2:00pm-5:00pm
1111 W. 22nd St.
Join us at CommUNITY Juneteenth Celebration, a Block Party celebrating Juneteenth on June 11th from 2-5PM. Invite your friends and families and spend the afternoon at The Bridge for Friendship, Food & Festivities! This is a FREE event with DJ Brian Lansing, Mic Drop Entertainment, Official DJ for the MN Wild with activities, entertainment, food trucks, and more thanks to our generous sponsors!
June 16, 2023
3:00pm-7:00pm
Walker Art Center
This Juneteenth, Accenture is hosting a celebration at the world-renowned Walker Art Center to commemorate this important day in American history. We invite you to join us for a curated experience, featuring highly praised art, music, and entertainment.
The main event of the afternoon will feature a Forbes 30 Under 30 panel of entrepreneurs, discussing the importance of inclusive growth, a highlight of Minneapolis’ resilience and response after the death of George Floyd, a trip to Galveston, Texas and more!
June 16, 2023
6:00pm-8:00pm
The Capri Theater
Just like gospel, jazz, and blues, burlesque is BLACK! The Juneteenth Jubilee is an epic love letter to our communities, a celebration of liberation and freedom for black and brown bodies and identities in burlesque. Featuring some of the industry’s most prolific artists from across the United States, the entire Twin Cities is welcome to witness this event flaunting the facets of Black Performance Artists taking up space at the historic Capri Theater. Come enjoy the beauty that is black burlesque!
June 16, 2023
3:00pm-7:00pm
Capri Theater Plaza
This event is FREE & open to ALL as we celebrate our freedom, our community and our heritage.
June 16, 2023
7:00pm
Dakota
This live music production features the music of Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, Teena Marie, and Sade!
This evening of old-school R&B flavor will put you and your family in the mood to celebrate and get in the spirit of African American Music History Month and Juneteenth celebrations. The top hits of these great Sangaz will be presented. We will move and groove in and out of these soul, R&B, and blues hits to bring back old memories and create new ones.
June 17, 2023
9:00am - 11:00am
Theodore Wirth Trailhead
Join us for the inaugural Juneteenth Fun Run on Saturday, June 17th! We are offering two distance options - 5K and a half mile - and this event will honor beloved North Minneapolis figures Bill and Beverly Cottman. This is a free event, though donations are welcome and appreciated. The course will start and end at The Trailhead and is beginner friendly.
June 17, 2023
12pm
U of M Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center
The University of Minnesota will host its second annual Juneteenth Celebration block party and commemorative march in North Minneapolis on Saturday, June 17, from noon to 6 pm. This free event – centering on the theme of The Art of Freedom: Joy. Resistance. Rest. – will feature Black vendors, speakers, workshops, poster showcases, storytellers, musicians, performers, DJs, roller skating, books, free food, free haircuts, art-making, a bouncy house, a petting zoo, and more. Learn more at juneteenth.umn.edu. This event, led by Professor Terresa Moses, is presented by the Office for Equity and Diversity and the College of Design.
June 17, 2023
7:30am-11:00am
The Trailhead
Join us for the first-ever Juneteenth Fun Run on Saturday, June 17! All are welcome to participate in the 5K or half mile run that honors beloved North Minneapolis figures Bill and Beverly Cottman.
June 17, 2023
12:00pm-4:00pm
Allianz Field
Free and open to the public:
- Community Griot Awards
- Scholarship Awards
- 50 years of Hip Hop!
- Kids Fun Zone!
- Delicious food from throughout the African Diaspora!
- Art & History exhibits
- Performances!
- Marketplace
- Wellness resources
- Economic Empowerment...and more!
June 17, 2023
Noon – 6:00 p.m.
Bethune Park
Join the Minneapolis community at the Juneteenth Celebrating Freedom Day Event.
June 17, 2023
11am-3pm
Sanctuary Covenant Church
We will have a host of activities including a Stage with a Live DJ and Live Entertainment, Food Court, Kid’s Zone, Community Health Fair, Black Business Marketplace Area, Local Artists & Entertainment, African Face and Body Painting, Games, Giveaway's & More! This event is FREE & open to ALL as we celebrate our freedom, our community and our heritage.
June 18, 2023
6:30-8:00pm
Crooners Supper Club
The music will reflect on the musical achievements of some of the most influential Black American singers and musicians. The men and women represented not only excelled at their musical instrument, they also left a long-lasting impact on innumerable people.
June 19, 2023
6:00pm-9:00pm
The Urban Refuge Church
The Urban Refuge is excited to host a screening of "Juneteenth: Faith & Freedom," a feature-length film that teaches and inspires about the cultural and spiritual significance of the holiday. Join us for an evening of worship, learning, lament, and discussion as we look together at the incredible significance of Juneteenth.
June 19, 2023
12:00pm - 8:00pm
The Hook and Ladder Theater
Soul of the Southside is a free open street festival that celebrates black culture and the healing power of community. Taking place at The Hook and Ladder in South Minneapolis on Juneteenth, this vibrant event will feature music, art, food, and entertainment that will nourish the soul and empower the people. Come out and join us as we come together to celebrate the soul of Southside Minneapolis!
June 19, 2023
4:00pm-8:00pm
Graze Provisions + Libations Food Hall
Join us June 19th as we celebrate liberation, freedom and black excellence. From 4pm-8pm we will be celebrating Juneteenth at Graze with a cookout provide by soul bowl. Featuring a bbq and fish fry. Live music provided my Dj Aquil and vibes and cigars provided by Allure Cigars. Grab your friends and family and come out and celebrate with us.
June 19, 2023
7:00pm
Dakota
Emmy Award-winning actor and singer T. Mychael Rambo narrates a trip through gospel, R&B, soul, and jazz, as well as music from Freedom Train, the musical that tells the thrilling story of Harriet Tubman, and includes songs like “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” “Steal Away,” and “Wade in the Water.”
Doors open at 5 pm, and a book signing of By Her Side will take place from 5 to 6:30 pm.
June 23, 2023
8:00pm
Orchestra Hall
The Minnesota Orchestra presents a program in honor of Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the emancipation of the last African Americans still enslaved in Texas in 1865. With conductor André Raphel at the podium, the concert includes Adolphus Hailstork’s jubilant Three Spirituals and William Grant Still's Afro-American Symphony, one of the most celebrated American symphonies ever written. Singer Jevetta Steele, performance poet Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Justice Alan C. Page all lend their voices to this evening of celebration and remembrance.
