Juneteenth Events for Families in NYC and on Long Island

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery. Families all over the world celebrate this important holiday through gatherings, picnics and educational events to learn about the struggles African Americans have had to endure. There are many events and activities happening throughout the month where kids and their families can learn about the history of this holiday while also celebrating!

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Manhattan

Bronx

Brooklyn

Queens

Staten Island

Long Island

Manhattan

Little Makers Club: DIY Juneteenth Salt Paintings

Macomb’s Bridge Library, 2633 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd., Harlem

Saturday, June 14, 3:30 pm

Ages 5 – 12

Free

Celebrate Juneteenth with a fun salt painting art project for kids!

Juneteenth Celebration in Battery Park City

Rockefeller Park, Chambers St. & River Terrace, Battery Park City

Saturday, June 14, 2 – 5 pm

All ages

Free

This annual celebration is a jam-packed lineup of free activities, including storytelling, pony rides, music, arts and crafts and more for the whole family to enjoy. The Federation of Black Cowboys will share the history of Juneteenth and kids ages three and up can take a pony ride. The Ebony Hillbillies, an old-time string band, will play classic music that draws on pop, country, bluegrass, folk and jazz. Families will have the opportunity to paint their own Juneteenth flag. Hibiscus Brew, a Black woman-owned cafe, will serve delicious free iced hibiscus tea and sorrel.

Soulful Sounds of Freedom in NYC

The Oculus, 50 Church St., Downtown Manhattan

Tuesday, June 17, noon–2 pm

All ages

Free

This special midday edition of the Soulful Sounds & Freedom show is filled with music, storytelling, and elegance.

Little New-Yorkers: A Flag for Juneteenth

New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park W., Upper West Side

Tuesday, June 17, 3:30–4:30 pm

Ages 3-6

Included with admission: $6-$24

Celebrate Juneteenth with A Flag for Juneteenth, written and illustrated by Kim Taylor. On June 18th, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, Huldah is getting excited for her 10th birthday. The next morning, she and her community learn that slavery has ended! They celebrate Huldah and freedom by quilting a flag together. After the story, make community flags inspired by the story and Kim Taylor’s beautiful quilted illustrations!

Freedom Painting

Countee Cullen Library, 104 West 136th St., Harlem

Wednesday, June 18, 4:30 pm

Ages 5-12

Free

Celebrate Juneteenth with a blindfold painting activity that explores fairness, freedom, and justice. Just like many were once kept from knowing they were free, create art without seeing to reflect on what justice really means.

Juneteenth

The Tisch Building at CMOM, 212 West 83rd St., Upper West Side

Thursday, June 19, 10 am – 4:30 pm

Ages 8 and younger

$18

Celebrate Juneteenth while learning about this special holiday through interactive art making projects in celebration of Black liberation, resilience, and joy!

Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium

The Guggenheim, 1071 5th Ave., Upper East Side

Thursday, June 19, 5:30–8 pm

All ages

$30; $19 student

Honor Juneteenth through poetry, movement, and reflection—presented in collaboration with DreamYard Projects’ Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium. In dialogue with Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, this after-hours activation invites you to experience the museum as a living, breathing site of creative expression and communal care. Expect poetic interventions and embodied performances from artists including Nanya-Akuki, Lisa Green, Juan Ospina, Tristan Parks, and many more. Explore the show, enjoy refreshments at the cash bar in Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic rotunda, and witness a night where words move, resonate, and resist.

Harlem Grown’s Juneteenth Celebration

134th St. Farm, 116 W 134th St., Harlem

Saturday, June 21, 10 am – 3 pm

All ages

Free

Harlem Grown’s Juneteenth Celebration is a farm party to honor Blackness and its cultural roots in Harlem. Celebrate Juneteenth for family-friendly activities. This event will commemorate this day while educating, empowering, and elevating the community. Celebrate this important holiday, share recipes, and highlight black and brown businesses and orgs in Harlem.

Bronx

Juneteenth Celebration

Wave Hill, 675 W 252nd St., Riverdale

Thursday, June 12, 4:30 – 8 pm

All ages

Free

Celebrate Juneteenth with an evening of performances, artmaking and more! Learn how dance and movement can highlight personal expression and history with a workshop led by the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet. Featuring a performance with students from PS 70 in the Bronx. Take inspiration from the rings of a tree. Discover its story and paint your own colorful journey on a tree pendant. The evening concludes with a moving performance by the Jamel Gaines Creative Outlet that explores the history and legacy of the Black experience in America.

Pre-Juneteenth Learn and Celebrate Take Home Kits

Edenwald Library, 1255 East 233rd St., Wakefield

Tuesday, June 17, 3 pm

Ages 13-18

Free

Collect a kit with facts about Juneteenth, then build your own Juneteenth sign and necklace.

Button Making: Juneteenth

Westchester Square Library, 2521 Glebe Ave., Westchester Square

Tuesday, June 17, 3 pm

Ages 13-18

Free

Create your very own buttons using images of famous activists and leaders to commemorate Juneteenth.

Juneteenth at Riverdale Neighborhood House

Riverdale Neighborhood House, 5521 Mosholu Ave., Riverdale

Tuesday, June 19, 2 – 4 pm

All ages

Free

Morrisania Band Project honors Juneteenth with a special live set in Riverdale. Come out for an afternoon of music, community, and celebration of Black freedom and culture.

Juneteenth Celebration

The Van Cortlandt House Museum, 6036 Broadway, Van Cortlandt Park, Fieldston

Thursday, June 19, 5 – 7:30 pm

All ages

Free

Celebration of Juneteenth on the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum. Get there early to eat dinner before the show. From 5 pm, delicious food will be available for sale from Voila Afrique. (First come-first served.) The ceremony will begin at 6 pm on the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum with performances, including music and spoken word. Then enjoy a procession with drums to the Enslaved African Burial Ground with a libation ceremony, honoring the memory of the enslaved people.

Brooklyn

Juneteenth with The Underground Drummers

Brownsville Library, 61 Glenmore Ave., Brownsville

Tuesday, June 10, 4 – 5 pm

All ages

Free

Celebrate Juneteenth with percussionist Niyyirrah El. Participants will be engaged heart-to-heart through this ancient form of communication to remember and usher in a summer of peace and community pride.

Jack and Friends Summer Concert Series Juneteenth Celebration: Conroy Warren

Park Slope Library, 431 6th Ave., Park Slope

Tuesday, June 17, 4 – 4:45 pm

All ages

Free

Enjoy the power and pleasure of Jazz, Calypso and Reggae through singing and dancing in this interactive performance with versatile entertainer Conroy Warren.

Juneteenth Family Trolley Tour

Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th St., Greenwood Heights

Thursday, June 19, 10:30 am – noon

Ages 7 and older

Free

Advanced registration required

Celebrate Juneteenth with a family trolley tour at Green-Wood! Discover the powerful stories of remarkable Black Americans whose legacies continue to inspire generations. From celebrated figures to unsung heroes, each story illuminates the resilience, innovation, and courage that define the Black American experience.

Juneteenth in Brower Park

Brower Park, Kingston Ave. and Prospect Place, Crown Heights

Thursday, June 19, 11 am – 3 pm

All ages

Free

Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum and community partners for this annual Juneteenth celebration themed “Still We Rise” in Brower Park. This special commemoration features performances by Brooklyn United Marching Band and Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, a line dance workshop by STooPS, storytelling with Brooklyn Public Library, a book giveaway with Brooklyn Book Bodega, planting activities with Field Meridians, a special quilting project inspired by the historic Gee’s Bend community, and more.

Juneteenth Food Festival

Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Ave., Crown Heights

Thursday, June 19, noon – 8 pm

All ages

Free admission

The Juneteenth Food Festival will showcase a curated lineup of 29 local Black food businesses offering diverse and delicious culinary concepts. Back for its fourth year, the festival also features legendary DJ and producer DJ Spinna, who will supply the day’s soundtrack alongside family-friendly cultural performances. The Juneteenth Food Festival unfolds at Historic Weeksville, the site of one of the largest free Black communities in the United States before the Civil War.

Storytime and Celebration: Kortney Nash reads “Tell Me About Juneteenth”

Lofty Pigeon Books, 743 Church Ave., Flatbush

Thursday, June 19, 2 – 3 pm

Ages 4-8

Free

Join author Kortney Nash, Lofty Pigeon Books, and Brown Babies N’ Books for a special reading of Tell Me About Juneteenth, an empowering picture book about this important holiday and its celebratory traditions! Enjoy a reading, book signing, and light refreshments at this Thursday afternoon storytime.

Juneteenth: The Sounds of Freedom

Our Lady of Grace Church, 430 Ave. W, Sheepshead Bay

Friday, June 20, 3 – 3:45 pm

All ages

Free

Through participatory arts practices, explore the sounds of freedom and learn about the holiday of Juneteenth. Celebrate the concept of liberation through music, poetry, and more.

Homecrest Juneteenth Celebration

Homecrest Library, 2525 Coney Island Ave., Sheepshead Bay

Friday, June 20, 4 – 5 pm

All ages

Free

Listen to live, electric blues, early rock ‘n’ roll, and classic rock and most of all–have lots and lots of fun!

We Outside! A Brooklyn Juneteenth, Vol. III

651 ARTS, 300 Ashland Place, Downtown Brooklyn

Saturday, June 21, 2 – 8 pm

All ages

Free

The day will showcase the impetus behind Freedom Day and reinforce themes of resiliency, Black joy, and self-determination that honor the brilliance and vitality of Black culture. With live performances, food truck offerings and a host of family and community engagement experiences.

Queens

Juneteenth Family Festival

Lewis H. Latimer House, 34-41 137th St., Flushing

Saturday, June 14, 1 – 4 pm

All ages

Free

Experience the joy of Juneteenth at this vibrant outdoor Family Festival—featuring live performances, hands-on activities, and powerful tributes to Black innovation, creativity, and resilience! Inspired by the legacy of Lewis Latimer, this immersive event brings history to life through interactive S.T.E.A.M. activities exploring light, sound, flight, and invention.

Juneteenth: Black and Indigenous Cowboys

Queens Public Library Lefrak City, 98-30 57 Ave., Corona

Saturday, June 14, 2 – 3 pm

All ages

Free

Get a historical look at Black cowboys’ involvement in building the heritage of the Old Western Frontier! The Black, Indigenous and African Cultural Center will present a lecture and demonstration showcasing this topic as part of the Lefrak City Library Community Day and Juneteenth Block Party celebration. Chief Van of the Lenappe Nation will host a session filled with music, dance, and language to share elements of Indigenous culture and display the art of horsemanship, horse culture and animal care. There will also be a variety of cowboy demonstrations that explore different ranch tools and the range of western clothing!

Juneteenth Celebration with BK Music Learning

South Jamaica Library, 108-41 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica

Tuesday, June 17, 4:30 – 5:30 pm

All ages

Free

Join BK Music Learning for a lively and interactive Juneteenth celebration! Through music, movement, and storytelling, kids will explore the meaning of freedom and the rich traditions of Juneteenth in a fun and engaging way. Come ready to sing, dance, and celebrate!

Juneteenth Freedom Walk

Queens Library – Rochdale Village, 169-09 137 Ave., Jamaica

Wednesday, June 18, 4 – 4:30 pm

All ages

Free

Rochdale Village patrons are invited to join a Freedom Walk around the library to commemorate the freedom given to the slaves in Galveston, Texas on June 19th, 1865. Get ready to march and celebrate this joyous occasion!

Celebrate Juneteenth 2025

Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria

Thursday, June 19, noon

All ages

Free; some programs require a fee

The museum will honor Juneteenth by celebrating the legacy of the great Black American musician Louis Armstrong with a day of eclectic programming. Born in New Orleans and later moving to Corona, Queens, Louis Armstrong is celebrated worldwide as a founding figure of jazz, and his universal influence as an artist and cultural icon lives on today. In partnership with the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM), the museum will present two collaborative programs, including a Collage Animation workshop and a screening of Martin Ritt’s lively jazz musical, Paris Blues.

Staten Island

4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Parade and Festival at Tappen Park

Tappen Park, Bay St., Tompkinsville

Saturday, June 14, 11 am – 6 pm

All ages

Free

Be a part of the commemoration and celebration of the Roc-A-Natural Cultural Foundation Inc’s 4th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Parade and Festival at Tappen Park. Includes living history parade, Pt Richmond H.S. Color Guard, raising of the Juneteenth flag, Libation, bringing hope, renewed spirits and feeding our soul through songs by the Fellowship Baptist Church Choir, powerful historical reenactment by the SI Juneteenth Freedom Players, DJ music by Jahtaut Smidth, live performances, Vendors and more.

Juneteenth Family Celebration – A Kickoff to the 5th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Festival

Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Snug Harbor North Gate on Richmond Terrace, New Brighton

Thursday, June 19, 1 – 4 pm

All ages

Free

Honor Juneteenth and create lasting memories at this family-friendly celebration! Enjoy a special encore presentation of award-winning children’s films that highlight the joy, determination, resilience, and complexity of being young and Black. This family event is a tribute to freedom, unity, and the power of storytelling.

Amazon Juneteenth Free Day

Staten Island Children’s Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building M, Randall Manor

Saturday, June 21, 10 am – 5 pm

All ages

Free

Advanced registration required

Take a look at all there is to offer when Amazon is sponsoring a free admission day in honor of Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the Confederate states. It celebrates the day that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the farthermost edges of the Union at the time.

Long Island

The 5th Annual Elmont Juneteenth Festival

14 Village Ave., Elmont

Saturday, June 14, 4 – 9 pm

All ages

Free

This annual event will be hosted by Shani Kulture of HOT 97 with music by DJ Sparkx – HOT 97 + Cardi B’s Official Tour DJ. This family-friendly, high-energy festival will feature food trucks from across the Black diaspora, Black-owned vendors (fashion, home goods, beauty & more), live music, dancing, and cultural performances and a Kids’ Zone, giveaways & community honors. Rain or shine. Bring your lawn chairs, your crew, and your pride!

Shake, Rattle & Roll

The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main Street, Cold Spring Harbor

Thursday, June 19, 11 am – 1 pm

All ages

$5 member; $6-$8 admission + $10 participant

In honor of Juneteenth, drop in this workshop to explore how West African music influenced American sailors’ work songs at sea. Create your own sistrum, a traditional instrument using shells!

AdvoKids: Juneteenth

Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Ave., Garden City

Thursday, June 19, 11 am – 1 pm

Ages 5 and older

$18

This June, the AdvoKids series honors Juneteenth, the day that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. Come discover the importance of this holiday and craft your own jubilee drum as a symbol of freedom and celebration. This is a drop-in program. Stop by anytime between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to participate.

Celebrate Juneteenth at the Walt Whitman Birthplace

Walt Whitman Birthplace, 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station

Thursday, June 19, 5 – 7 pm

All ages

Free

Join this meaningful evening honoring Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom, resilience, and Black culture—at the Walt Whitman Birthplace. Event Highlights include Unspoken History Treasures: African American artifacts display, poetry readings, Juneteenth merchandise stand, complimentary cakes & cupcakes, and a live saxophone performance. CJ’s Caribbean American Grill Food Truck will be there with food for purchase. Bring your family and friends for an inspiring evening filled with culture, creativity, and reflection.

Village Of Hempstead Juneteenth Celebration

Kennedy Park, 355 Greenwich St., Hempstead

Thursday, June 19, 5 – 8 pm

All ages

Free

Celebrate Juneteenth with the Village and enjoy music, games, food, crafts, and more.

Greenport’s annual Juneteenth Parade and Celebration

The day begins at Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church, 610 Third St., Greenport

Saturday, June 28, 10 am

All ages

Free

This day is filled with various events including a blessing from the church elders, festive parade, live performances, art installation and community quilt reveal, and more.

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