Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival is back with a hybrid 10th anniversary celebration. Guests can visit Denver’s Five Points neighborhood and/or Levitt Pavilion to enjoy live music, dance, food, vendors and more. Denver7 is a proud sponsor of the Juneteenth Music Festival.
Juneteenth celebrates the day African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth was recognized as a commemorative holiday by Denver City Council earlier this year.
Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival has been one of the largest community celebrations in the country for decades and this year is no different. The addition of the Juneteenth R&B Summer Kick Off at Levitt Pavilion on Friday, June 18, a virtual livestream, and other new festival elements mark Juneteenth Music Festival’s expansion beyond its original Welton Street footprint. Organizers believe this growth is a testament to a wider acceptance of the disparities that the recognition of Juneteenth represents, partially owing to the social justice movements of 2020.
This year’s Juneteenth Music Festival events and activities include:
Tuesday, June 15
Juneteenth Eats at Cheba Hut: Patrons can support the Juneteenth Music Festival by grabbing lunch and/or dinner at any of the 14 Colorado Cheba Hut locations for Juneteenth Eats, a day of specials, swag and onsite activations at select locations. A portion of the proceeds from the entire day’s onsite and delivery sales will go towards funding Juneteenth Music Festival’s community programs for entrepreneurs and artists.
Friday, June 18
Juneteenth Music Festival Livestream: In partnership with Denver Community Media, this six-hour live broadcast features not only an array of entertainment with special guests that preview the highlights of the upcoming weekend Welton Street festival but also the annual Dream Big Awards. Starting at 2:00 pm, the program can be viewed via social media platforms and on Denver Community Media channels Comcast 56 & 881HD.
Juneteenth R&B Summer Kick Off featuring 112: This outdoor, family friendly event at Levitt Pavilion will be an evening of soulful sounds from local talent and headliner, 112. Doors open at 5:30 pm and guests are encouraged to take full advantage of Levitt’s beautiful grounds with picnic set-ups, lawn chairs, blankets and more, as they also remember to stay safe and socially distant. Tickets range from $29.50-$49.50 and are available at www.levittdenver.org.
Saturday, June 19-Sunday, June 20
Annual Juneteenth Parade: The Juneteenth Parade, which represents the flooding of the streets with newly freed slaves, kicks off the street festival. This parade of performers and community organizations takes over 26th Street with a strolling party.
Juneteenth Street Festival at Welton Plaza: This year, Denver’s historic Juneteenth Street Festival includes 10 city blocks of artisan merchants, food vendors and interactive activities flanked by performance stages and the Juneteenth Kids Zone.
Denver Black Pride at Charles Cousins Plaza: This famed plaza is named after the late Denverite; Charles Cousins. Cousins was a highly regarded entrepreneur and real estate mogul known for leading the charge in affordable housing for Denver’s Black community. Cousins passed away in 2009 at the age of 91. In partnership with The Center on Colfax, producer of Denver’s Black Pride Festival, Juneteenth Music Festival will activate this space with the celebratory sounds of live musicians and DJ sets.
Five Points of Culture at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Studio: Denver’s historic Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has been a cultural epicenter for the arts for over 50 years, displaying exemplary community standing as a 501c3 nonprofit and providing enriching experiences and curriculum for the community. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance will be the home for educational panels and roundtables during the Festival, as well as the Juneteenth Museum highlighting seven decades of the iconic Five Points celebration.
The Juneteenth Music Festival is produced by JMF Corporation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to celebrate freedom through community engagement by focusing on the historical significance of Juneteenth.
More information about the Juneteenth Music Festival – including how you can donate and shop to support the Denver’s BIPOC community of entrepreneurs and artists – can be found at www.juneteenthmusicfestival.com
