Celebrate Juneteenth With A Cultural Festival In Cobb Saturday

COBB COUNTY, GA — Head out to the Marietta Square next weekend for a cultural festival to celebrate Juneteenth, hosted by the Cobb County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the city of Marietta.

The free cultural festival is set for Saturday, June 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Glover Park, 50 N. Park Square, Marietta. Guests can enjoy live music and entertainment; arts and crafts; more than 100 vendors; face painting; food; a health fair; and free health screenings, according to a news release.

In 2019, over 50,000 people attended the Cobb NAACP's Juneteenth event and organizers said they anticipate a great crowd again. The branch is also hosting another Juneteenth event Friday night— a night of jazz, R&B, spoken word and more — at the park from 7-10 p.m.

Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery, dating back to June 19, 1865.

June 19 — coined "Juneteenth" over the years — was the day Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with the news that all enslaved people were free by executive decree (also known as the Emancipation Proclamation); however, this was two years after the proclamation was already made law, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Masks are recommended at the Juneteenth events, but not required. Anyone interested in being a vendor can contact the Cobb NAACP at 770-425-5757.