by Jas Keimig
Updated on June 14 to include events in Renton (June 15), Skyway (June 15), Tukwila (June 19), and Othello (June 22).
Every Juneteenth in Seattle sees a blossoming of celebrations across the South End, honoring Black American history and commemorating the end of chattel slavery in this country. Here's what I wrote about the holiday in last year's event roundup:
"Every year, Black communities celebrate Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Texas finally got word of their emancipation. The holiday — which gets its name from the contraction of "June" and "nineteenth" — got its start in the South, but with the Great Migration in the 20th century, Black people brought this celebration to their newfound communities across the country, including Seattle. Juneteenth got an even bigger boost in popularity following the George Floyd uprising in 2020, and it became a federal holiday in 2021."
This year, we've organized Juneteenth events in the South End chronologically. Check back for updates as official lineups are still being announced!
Know an event that should be on our list? Let us know at Community@SeattleEmerald.org.
June 15, 10 a.m.—4 p.m.
Renton Library
100 Mill Ave. S.
This Juneteenth celebration takes place at the Renton library. There will be activities for all ages, including storytelling, a resource fair, free professional headshots, and a trauma-informed sound bath in the park next to the library.
June 15, 3—7 p.m.
Campbell Hill Elementary
6418 S 124th St.
The Skyway Coalition is celebrating Juneteenth with a free family event. Expect activities, toys, and prizes for kids; free food; and a Sister Queen Collective Marketplace featuring local Black and Brown women-owned businesses selling flowers, art, and more.
June 15—19
Northwest African American Museum
2300 S Massachusetts St., Seattle
Northwest African American Museum is doing Juneteenth big this year with three days of celebrations. The first bit of programming happens the weekend before June 19, kicking off on June 15 with their annual all-day skate party. Come through with your skates (there will also be some on-site to rent), do some figure eights, eat some food, and listen to music. On June 16, NAAM is opening its doors for free in honor of Father's Day with movies playing throughout the afternoon as well as providing food and jazz music from Goody Bagg. (Also — dads get a free appreciation gift from NAAM!). On Juneteenth itself, the museum is doing free admission all-day and welcomes visitors to check out their latest exhibitions, "Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See" and "Interrupting Privilege."
June 15, 1:30 p.m.
Washington State Labor Council
321 16th Ave. S, Seattle
The Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) and Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) are joining forces with the Seattle African American Reparations Committee (SAARC) to throw a big, labor-focused Juneteenth celebration on June 15. In addition to free food and music, WSLC labor leaders April Sims and Cherika Carter will be in attendance, as will SAARC board chair and former King County Councilmember Larry Gossett.
June 16, 12—5 p.m.
Midtown Square Plaza
2301 E Union St., Seattle
I always love celebrating Juneteenth right in the heart of the Central District in Midtown Square. Arte Noir and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle's EcoDistrict are throwing REVIVAL, a Juneteenth pop-up featuring food vendors, retailers, and community organizations. KEXP 90.3 FM will be doing a live broadcast by the one-and-only DJ Riz from Midtown Plaza with the Double Dutch Divas performing at 3:30 p.m. The pop-up market will feature hair products from Beyond the Curls, vintage clothing from JAMIL, plants from Black Origin Plants, and more.
June 16, 7 p.m.
The Paramount
911 Pine St., Seattle
Celebrate Juneteenth by immersing yourself in the Black music tradition at Songs of Black Folk. Performers will start the evening singing Negro spirituals, then slowly move into other Black musical genres like jazz, gospel, R&B, hip-hop, and spoken word. From their website, SBF says the experience "will connect the African American struggle for freedom, justice, dignity, and happiness with the struggles of other American communities who have had to fight their way from the margins of American society into the mainstream."
June 18, 6:30—9 p.m.
Washington Hall
153 14th Ave., Seattle
For the past three years, Cascade PBS' Black Arts Legacies series has told the story of Seattle-area Black artists both past and present through the written word, photography, and video. (Note: I wrote all the profiles this year!) For their annual Juneteenth celebration, Black Arts Legacies will honor their 2024 inductees who so far include painters Gwendolyn Knight and Moses Sun, tap dancer Cipher Goings, cellist Gretchen Yanover, and more. There will be performers from current and previous Black Arts Legacies artists as well as food and a cash bar. See you there!
June 19, 7:30 p.m.
The Royal Room
5000 Rainier Ave. S, Seattle
Who better to honor on Juneteenth than Tina Turner, who was and remains a Black icon of strength, perseverance, and talent? The South Hudson Music Project has organized a performance of Tina Turner's songs sung by vocalist Ayesha Brooks alongside musicians D'Vonne Lewis, Wayne Horvitz, Darren Loucas, Jeremy Lightfoot, and the South Hudson Horns.
June 19, 12—8 p.m.
Jimi Hendrix Park
2400 S Massachusetts St., Seattle
As part of their Summer of Soul 2024 event series, Africatown is throwing a big Juneteenth get-together in Jimi Hendrix Park. Expect food, entertainment, and a market — more information will be released soon!
June 19, 11a.m.—1 p.m.
Sullivan Center at Tukwila Village
14350 Tukwila International Blvd
Tukwila is hosting its fourth annual Juneteenth celebration with music, speakers, storytellers, a choir, and performance by the Throwbacks Dance Team. We also heard there'll be free meals by Swagg-N-Wagon Wings & Things Food Truck for the first 120 attendees!
June 19, 11 a.m.—5 p.m.
Stewart Heights Park
5715 Reginald Gutierrez Lane, Tacoma
For those curious about how Tacoma does Juneteenth, the City of Destiny has planned a daylong celebration of the holiday. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Stewart Heights Park, you can expect to find over 100 vendors from local organizations, a face-painting station, playground, kid's zone, food trucks, and a mainstage with performances by gospel artist Crystal Aikin and R&B group 702 as well as a Miss Juneteenth pageant. Organizers say 8,000 people came last year, so get there early!
June 20, 5—9 p.m.
Washington Hall
153 14th Ave., Seattle
Over in the Central District, Creative Justice has organized a youth-driven Juneteenth celebration featuring food, music, vendors, and artist partners. While Creative Justice hasn't announced the official list of vendors or performers, they have organized a mutual aid drive in honor of Juneteenth. Head over to their Instagram to check out their needed supplies.
June 22, 11 a.m.—3 p.m.
Rainier Beach Community Center
8825 Rainier Ave. S, Seattle
In Rainier Beach, Atlantic Street Center is hosting its 23rd annual Juneteenth Celebration at the Rainier Beach Community Center. Like in years past, every attendee will receive one ticket for a free food item from one of their many food vendors: soul food from King's Catering, global fusion from Soul Fusion, sorbet from Seattle Sorbet, and hawt dawgs from Big Dawgs Hot Dogs. Additionally, there will be performances, local vendors, resources, and raffles, all announced closer to the day of.
June 22, 1:30—6:30 p.m.
Othello Park
4351 S. Othello St.
Put on by It Takes A Village AMSA Edition, a group that supports and empowers the Black community, this Othello Park Juneteenth celebration includes free soul food, live music and dance performances, a pop-up marketplace, and arts and crafts.
Jas Keimig is a writer and critic based in Seattle. They previously worked on staff at The Stranger, covering visual art, film, music, and stickers. Their work has also appeared in Crosscut, South Seattle Emerald, i-D, Netflix, and The Ticket. They also co-write Unstreamable for Scarecrow Video, a column and screening series highlighting films you can't find on streaming services. They won a game show once.
📸 Featured Image: The crowd dances to "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" during the Africatown Juneteenth Festival at Jimi Hendrix Park in 2022. (Photo: Susan Fried)
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Before you move on to the next story …
The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.
If just half of our readers signed up to give $6 a month, we wouldn’t have to fundraise for the rest of the year. Small amounts make a difference.
We cannot do this work without you. Become a Rainmaker today!