Seattle-area Juneteenth events celebrating Black communities, resilience (2024)

Seattle is set to celebrate Juneteenth with a vibrant mix of familiar and new traditions, marking the fourth year of its recognition as a federal holiday. Juneteenth, typically celebrated June 19, commemorates the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free.

The Northwest African American Museum, which has long been central to Seattle’s annual Juneteenth celebrations, recently announced a new addition to this year’s week of festivities around the metro area.

Seen for the first time on the West Coast, the touring “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” exhibit will open to the public at NAAM from June 13 through December. NAAM visitors can view the exhibit for free on Juneteenth.

The exhibit highlights the story of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, whose demands that the nation witness how white supremacists brutally tortured and murdered her son in 1955 Mississippi were part of a ripple effect that helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement.

“I hope the impact will be a larger degree of awareness, especially in our community around him and his mother’s response to the brutality that he experienced,” said Brandon Bird, NAAM’s vice president of operations.

10 a.m.-3 p.m. June 19; Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S. Massachusetts St., Seattle; free; naamnw.org

NAAM Juneteenth schedule

Annual Juneteenth Skate Party — June 15

If you’re hoping to get active for the holiday, Judkins Park will offer skates for rent, food vendors and music.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Judkins Park, 2150 S. Norman St., Seattle; free

Father’s Day film festival — June 16

NAAM is also celebrating dads and father figures during Juneteenth Week with free admission on June 16. It will screen three films, offer in-person interactive story times and showcase live music from Seattle’s own jazz band Goody Bagg.

10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S. Massachusetts St., Seattle; free

For more information about the museum’s Juneteenth events, visit naamnw.org/juneteenth.

More Juneteenth Events

Here are some other ways to celebrate Juneteenth in the Puget Sound area.

Monroe Equity Community’s Juneteenth celebration — June 15

Skykomish River Park will be filled with a day of music, food trucks, performances at the park’s Main Stage, vendors and various activities. Friendly, leashed dogs welcome.

Noon-4 p.m.; Skykomish River Park, 413 Sky River Parkway, Monroe; free; st.news/monroe-juneteenth

REVIVAL Juneteenth Market Pop-Up — June 16

If you’re looking to shop and support Black businesses, head to Midtown Square Plaza in the Central District for this Juneteenth market hosted by the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle and Arte Noir. The pop-up will feature artisan vendors, food stalls and music by KEXP’s DJ Riz.

Noon-5 p.m.; Midtown Square Plaza, 2301 E. Union St., Seattle; free; urbanleague.org/event

Celebrations of Black Women — June 16

This free concert in downtown Seattle honors Juneteenth, as seen through the lens of Black women, and Black classical music’s legacy with a performance by local artists Jessica Evotia Andrews-Hall and Stephanie Ann Ball, and emceed by Kiesha Garrison.

2-4 p.m.; Plymouth Church United Church of Christ, 1217 Sixth Ave., Seattle; free; st.news/juneteenth-concert

Africatown Community Land Trust’s Juneteenth — June 19

Another familiar favorite returning this year is King County Equity Now’s festival at Jimi Hendrix Park, which includes music, food and educational programming. It is held in partnership with Africatown Community Land Trust’s Summer of Soul series.

“What we’re uplifting is the opportunity to engage in activities around Black joy, because there are so many spaces for us that have not been safe historically, even today,” said Kennesha Poe-Buycks, ACLT’s communications and marketing manager.

K. Wyking Garrett, ACLT founder and CEO, added that while celebrating and feeling joy during these events, people should also come with the goal of equity and “advancing policies that are reparative” in mind.

Noon-8 p.m.; Jimi Hendrix Park, 2400 S. Massachusetts St., Seattle; free; summerofsoulseries.org/juneteenth

Juneteenth Celebration in Tacoma — June 19

Spend Juneteenth at Stewart Heights Park, which will be filled with more than 100 vendors, including trade associations, local businesses and nonprofits. The event will include the Miss Juneteenth Pageant, and performances from R&B and gospel artists, including Girl Group 702, Swego, Crystal Aikin and Elijah Winston.

11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Stewart Heights Park, 5715 Reginald Gutierrez Lane, Tacoma; free; juneteenthwa.com

Juneteenth Storytime in Tacoma — June 19

Bring little ones to the Children’s Museum of Tacoma for a “Juneteenth Storytime,” which includes readalouds for children and educational talks about the history of the holiday. No registration is required.

11 a.m.-noon.; Children’s Museum of Tacoma, 1501 Pacific Ave., Tacoma; pay-as-you-will; st.news/juneteenth-storytime

Juneteenth Walking Food Tour — June 19

Hosted by Seattle Cultural Food Tours, this walking tour will feature stops at various Southern, Ethiopian and sweet-treat restaurants in the Central District. There will be a total of six stops, and the walk will be just over 1 mile.

2-4 p.m.; Cherry Street Playground, 2323 E. Cherry St., Seattle; $45; st.news/juneteenth-food

Atlantic Street Center’s 23rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration — June 22

Celebrate the holiday with Atlantic Street Center, a local social service agency, at Rainier Beach Community Center. The event will feature free soul food, “vivacious” performances, raffles, local vendors and other family-friendly activities.

11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle; free; st.news/atlantic-juneteenth

Othello Park Juneteenth celebration — June 22

Take the family to Othello Park for Converge Media’s eighth annual Juneteenth celebration, featuring free soul food, arts and crafts, entertainment, a vendor marketplace and more.

2-5 p.m.; Othello Park, 4351 S. Othello St., Seattle; free; st.news/othello-juneteenth

JuneTEENth at the Roadhouse in SeaTac — June 23

SeaTac community venue The Roadhouse is hosting this youth-centered celebration to show visitors the “African diaspora through the lens of the young people.” There will be food, performances, music, art and youth-friendly activities.

Noon-3 p.m.; The Roadhouse, 19955 28th Ave. S., SeaTac; free; st.news/seatac-juneteenth

Celebrate Black artists in Bellevue — June 29

The Bellevue Arts Museum Arts Fair will host various Black artists, poets, performers and singers in honor of Juneteenth and to “celebrate black excellence in the arts.” The event, which has a co*cktail attire dress code, will have appetizers and a cash bar.

6-9 p.m.; Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue; free; st.news/bellevue-juneteenth

Correction: This story has been updated to correct that Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi, not Tennessee.