Plans underway for Vallejo Juneteenth festival and downtown parade

Organizers are preparing for Vallejo’s 33rd Annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 17 from 11 am to 5 pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park downtown behind City Hall at Mare Island Way and Capitol Street. The celebration will feature a parade through downtown Vallejo.

“We’re excited about including a parade in this year’s event for the first time because everyone loves to come out and watch the various entries as they pass by along the route,” said Gwendolyn White, president of the African American Family Reunion Committee (AAFRC) which sponsors the event. “There’s a lot going on downtown on Saturdays, and the parade will bring more visitors and great exposure for the businesses located in our city’s economic district.”

The festival features as many as 75-100 exhibitors and typically attracts nearly a thousand visitors to enjoy vendors selling merchandise and food, exhibitors, live entertainment, and activities for children. Vallejo’s Juneteenth has an emphasis on community health and wellness and also features nonprofit and for-profit organizations and businesses, entrepreneurs, and others who provide information about low or no-cost wellness services and programs, financial planning for banking, retirement and life insurance, homeownership, educational opportunities, job training and employment, small business development, and many other programs and services.

Event planners are seeking merchandise and food vendors, and exhibitors to table at the event. Corporate, business, and community sponsors are also being sought at Premiere, Gold, Bronze and Silver levels.

Juneteenth commemorates freedom for the remaining enslaved people of African heritage in Texas two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Juneteenth is observed around the world and known as the oldest commemoration of the historic era. Two years ago, President Joe Biden proclaimed June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth Day of Observance.

The online application and more information are available at www.vallejojuneteenth.com. The application deadline is April 30. Questions can be directed to aafrc@vallejojuneteenth.com.

Anyone interested in being a parade entrant should contact Loretta Gaddies at Lhgaddies67@gmail.com