Juneteenth 2022: What's Open, Closed, Events Planned Around DC

WASINGTON, DC — Because the June 19 Juneteenth holiday falls on a Sunday this year, banks, federal offices and the post office in the District will be closed Monday in commemoration of the date in 1865 when word reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended and they were free.

Singer and music producer Pharrell Williams will be bringing his Something in The Water Festival to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to celebrate Juneteenth weekend.

Pharrell & Phriends will be performing along with special guests Clipse, Justin Timberlake, N.O.R.E, Q-Tip, and SZA. Recently announced performers include Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, bLAck pARty, J Balvin, and 21 Savage. Local groups Bad Brains: A Tribute by Black Dots, TOB and YungManny will also be on hand to represent the District.

Celebrate Juneteenth with ONE DC as it reopens its Black Workers & Wellness Center, a community controlled space in Anacostia.

A Juneteenth Celebration with Thee Phantom and the Illharmonic Orchestra at will take place at Wolf Trap's Filene Center at 6 p.m. on June 19. Husband and wife duo Thee Phantom (Jeffrey McNeil) and The Phoenix (Andrea Colin-McNeil) formed The Illharmonic Orchestra, which combines hip hop with a symphonic orchestra. The Illharmonic Orchestra features some top Black orchestral musicians from around the U.S. The Juneteenth performance at Wolf Trap will feature renditions of songs by Beethoven, Donny Hathaway, Jay-Z, Rossini, Wu-Tang Clan, Mozart, Mary J. Blige, and William Grant Still.

Some services in the District are closed or modified for the federal holiday on Monday, June 20. Below are the changes to know.

D.C. Public Library (DCPL) neighborhood locations will be closed on June 20. Online services will be available.

DPR Recreation, Community, and Aquatic Centers are closed on June 20. DPR parks, playgrounds, athletic courts, and fields will be open.

Metro: Metro will open at 7 a.m. and close at midnight on June 19, and be open 5 a.m. to midnight on a Saturday holiday schedule on June 20. Metro has closed five Orange Line stations between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton through Labor Day. Additional closures are planned during the summer on the Blue Line between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road. Check back for upcoming weekend Metrorail information here.

Office of Elections: Closed on June 20.

Department of Human Services Economic Security Administration Service Center is closed June 20.

D.C. Health & Wellness Center is closed June 20.

D.C. Department of Public Works (DPW) will suspend sanitation services on June 20, but they will resume on June 21.

Last year, President Joe Biden signed legislation making Juneteenth an official holiday, becoming the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday was approved in 1983. Juneteenth is oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

Patch employees have the day off Monday. Some other businesses around town may also be closed; so if you’re planning to stop by one of them, it’s a good idea to call ahead to make sure the business is open.

Some big brands are giving their employees a day off or paying them extra.

Companies that are already looking seriously at diversity, equity and inclusion efforts may see adding Juneteenth as a paid holiday as “something tangible” that “recognizes the importance of that day,” Julie Stich, a vice president of content at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, told NPR.

Nike said in an email statement to NPR that Juneteenth is a paid holiday for corporate, retail, manufacturing and distribution employees across the Nike, Converse and Jordan brands. Zillow is doing the same as part of its “ongoing commitment to racial equality,” the company said in a statement.

Both Zillow and Nike are encouraging employees to reflect on the importance of the day while taking part in volunteering, activism and educational opportunities.

Among them, Target and Starbucks are open, but employees get time-and-a-half pay on Juneteenth, according to a list put together by Entrepreneur.

Tech companies Twitter and Square are giving employees the day off. Google and Amazon aren’t, but they’re encouraging employees to cancel meetings. Amazon is also offering “online learning opportunities” throughout the day