Juneteenth 2022 Celebrations Near The Dana Point Area

DANA POINT, CA — Juneteenth has been celebrated for decades, but it will ring in only its second year as a federal holiday on Monday.

Near Dana Point and Laguna Niguel, events will be held over the long weekend; some workers will get the day off on Monday, and many buildings will close that day.

The Irvine Great Park will host its first-ever Juneteenth Freedom Celebration on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The celebration will feature a marketplace with BIPOC vendors, live performances and an art exhibition.

Laguna Beach will host a Juneteenth Freedom Day Sunday at the Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center. The day will feature a live concert, movie screening and art display.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts will host a three-day Juneteenth Celebration from Friday to Sunday. The celebration will include poetry readings and vocal performances.

Santa Ana and the Orange County Heritage Council will team up for a Juneteenth Festival on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Centennial Park.

Juneteenth is a day that commemorates the day that enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, June 19, 1865, got word that the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted — they were the last such people to get word of their freedom. The holiday has also been called Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.

Last year, Congress and President Joe Biden made Juneteenth a federal holiday. It was the first time the U.S. government had designated a new federal holiday since approving Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

This year, nearly 20 states will close their offices and give most of their employees time off.

California’s AB-1655 passed the Assembly and moved to the Senate this month, and individual cities across the state have already signed proclamations making Juneteenth an official holiday.

Juneteenth falls on June 19, but since it's a Sunday this year, it will be observed on Monday to give workers a paid day off.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.