Where To Celebrate Juneteenth In King County

KING COUNTY, WA — Juneteenth is just a few days away, and communities across Puget Sound have celebrations planned through the long weekend. Juneteenth became a federal holiday last year, this year is the first it will also be recognized as state holiday in Washington. Since it lands on a Sunday this year, the holiday will be formally observed on Monday.

Juneteenth is oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, commemorating the date in 1865 when word reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended and they were free. The troops' arrival in Galveston came more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

While banks, post offices and other facilities will be closed on Monday, celebrations in King County are planned throughout the weekend. Here are a few to consider around the area.

Kirkland

• Eastside Honoring Juneteenth: June 18, 12 p.m. at Juanita Beach Park

Renton

• 2022 Annual Community BBQ: June 18, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Renton Memorial Stadium.
  • Join Doug Baldwin Jr. and United Way of King County at Renton Memorial Stadium for their Annual Community BBQ from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 18. Tickets are $10 per person. Buy tickets.
• "And Still We Rise:" June 18, 12 p.m. at the BLM Mural (302 Lake Ave. S)
• Juneteenth Celebration and Festival: June 18, 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Campbell Hill Elementary.

Here are a few more ideas, assembled by King County's 4Culture agency:

• Freedom Week at Wa Na Wari: Photobooth, Book Release, Afrikan Marketplace, and More: June 16–19 at Wa Na Wari
• The Songs of Black Folk: the Music of Resistance and Hope: June 19, 6:00 pm at McCaw Hall
• Africatown and the Central District Chamber of Commerce Juneteenth Celebration: June 18 and 19 at Jimmy Hendrix Park
• AMSA It takes a Village Juneteenth Celebration: June 17–19, 11:00 am–6:00 pm at Othello Park
• Festival Sundiata presents Black Arts Fest: June 17–19 at Seattle Center
• Waterfront Juneteenth Celebration with LANGSTON: June 18, 2:00–6:00 pm at Pier 62
• Black Love: a Form of Resistance: June 18, 1:00–3:00 pm at MOHAI
• NAAM Juneteenth Week: Celebrating Black Freedom: June 12–19 at the Northwest African American Museum
• Rainier Beach Community Center Juneteenth: June 19, 11:00 am–3:00 pm
• KBAC Linda Sweezer 11th Annual Memorial Juneteenth Live and Virtual Celebration: June 18, 10:00 am–3:00 pm at Morrill Meadows Park/Virtual presentation at 5:00 pm
• 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Federal Way: June 18, 12:00–4:00 pm at Town Square Park
• City of Auburn Presents Juneteenth Family Reunion: June 18, 12:00–5:00 pm at Les Gove Park
• The Lituation: June 18, 10:00 pm–Sunday, June 19, 2:00 am at 19309 68th Avenue S, R103, Kent
• Tukwila Juneteenth Commemoration: June 18, 2:00–4:00 pm at the Sullivan Community Center
• 2022 Inaugural Juneteenth Royal Ball: June 19, 7:00–11:00 pm at the Renton Pavilion Center