Sacramento area celebrates Juneteenth with festivals, music and more this week
Cities across California capital region are gearing up for this year’s Juneteenth holiday coming up Friday, which for the first time ever will be a paid holiday for Sacramento city workers.
Juneteenth — a holiday honoring the end of slavery in the U.S. — is celebrated on June 19, the day on which troops entered Galveston, Texas, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation across the former Confederate States of America. Though the day has been celebrated locally across the U.S. since 1865 and named a federal holiday in 2021, it wasn’t until 2022 that Juneteenth became an annual paid holiday in California.
The Sacramento area has held free Juneteenth festivals and celebrations for decades, with festivities expanding as official observances on the local, state and national levels has continued expanding.
West Sacramento already honored the holiday last Friday with its fourth annual Juneteenth festival at Bridgeway Lake Community Park, but a number of other events are coming up this week elsewhere in the Sacramento area for the Juneteenth celebration.
From Placer County to Yolo County, here are eight places where the capital region is celebrating Juneteenth this year.
Sacramento’s 23rd Annual Juneteenth Festival
Where: William Land Park, 3800 West Land Park Drive, Sacramento
When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 19 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20
The Sacramento Juneteenth organization is hosting its annual Juneteenth event at Land Park, and festivities are slated to span two days.
On Friday, the group will gather for a “Gospel Under the Stars” evening concert featuring five gospel groups. Artists Girls of Grace, Vanessa Murphy, Gracefully Chosen, Authur Jay and Consanance are on the concert’s roster, according to the festival website.
The following morning will kick off 9 a.m. with a “Soul Parade” at the park, with a full-day festival to follow. Details about this year’s parade had not been shared as of Tuesday, but the 2025 parade was themed for Mardi Gras and featured local schools, drill teams, fraternities and sororities and other localgroups.
Multiple stages will be set up in Land Park with music performances rotating throughout the day on Saturday, plus numerous food trucks, art exhibits and more than 80 vendors.
Sacramento Juneteenth’s festival is free to attend on both days, according to the festival’s website.
Juneteenth Art Walk
Where: Celebration Arts, 2727 B St., Sacramento
When: 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, June 19
A number of Sacramento art organizations, including Capital Stage and the B Street Theatre, are putting on their third annual Juneteenth art walk through midtown.
The event starts 10 a.m. Friday with an opening ceremony at the Celebration Arts building on B Street, and the procession will head out an hour later, led by the BTU Arts Second Line-Style Brass Band. Walkers will stop at CapStage on J Street for half an hour before continuing on to their final destination, B Street Theatre’s The Sofia on Capitol Avenue.
“As arts organizations, our goal is to celebrate this milestone by spotlighting the many talented BIPOC artists and performers in the Sacramento community,” the event’s announcement reads.
The art walk is free to attend, but online RSVPs are requested.
Center for Spiritual Awareness Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Where: Center for Spiritual Awareness, 1275 Starboard Drive, West Sacramento
When: 1-4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 21
Another art-focused Juneteenth event is planned for Sunday, this one hosted by the Ujima Ministry in West Sacramento.
The family-friendly celebration will include a variety of interactive activities such as painting, beading, yoga and dancing, along with a song circle, poetry performances and more.
The ministry’s fourth annual celebration is free to attend, according to the Center for Spiritual Awareness website.
Goapele & The Philharmonik Juneteenth Concert
Where: California State Capitol, 1315 10th St., Sacramento
When: 4:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, June 17
Soul singer-songwriter Goapele and music producer The Philharmonik are welcoming the Juneteenth weekend in Sacramento with a free concert in front of the California Capitol building.
The concert, hosted by the California Legislative Black Caucus, will not require tickets, and attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, umbrellas, coolers, food and non-alcoholic beverages for the evening show, according to the event’s website.
Rancho Cordova Juneteenth Celebration
Location: Hagan Community Park, 2197 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova
Dates and hours: 3-6 p.m. Wednesday, June 17
Rancho Cordova is hosting its own festival for the Juneteenth holiday with the Folsom Cordova Community Partnership organization.
Rather than running over the holiday weekend, the local group opted to celebrate on Wednesday evening at Hagan Community Park. According to previous Sacramento Bee reporting, attendees can enjoy live music and dance performances alongside a Black-owned marketplace and various other family-friendly programming.
The Rancho Cordova event will offer complimentary food while supplies last, and the celebration’s other activities will also be free for attendees.
2026 Placer County Juneteenth Celebration
Where: Johnson-Springview Park, 5480 Fifth St., Rocklin
When: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 20
The fifth annual Juneteenth celebration for Placer County honors Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy, with this year’s theme as “We Are the Beloved Community,” according to previous Bee reporting.
Throughout the half-day festival in Rocklin, live music performances and vendor booths will be set up around the park. Attendees can also enter a sweet potato pie contest for the chance to win a gift card for up to $100.
Hosting organization seeMYchild is also participating in the Opal Lee Perseverance Quilt Project during the Juneteenth festival. The Bee previously reported that attendees will be able to create quilt squares to form a community quilt that will later be presented to the Placer County Board of Supervisors.
The Perseverance Quilt Project honors Lee, who spent decades advocating for Juneteenth to be established as a national holiday and later completed a 1,400-mile march from Texas to Washington, D.C. to further her efforts.
Placer County’s celebration will have no cost to attend, and food will be provided by the Roseville Lions, according to The Bee’s reporting.
The People’s Juneteenth Kickback
Where: South Natomas Community Center Park, 2921 Truxel Road, Sacramento
When: 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, June 19
Sacramento vice mayor Karina Talamantes is celebrating Juneteenth with the Natomas community at an evening party on Friday, hosted in collaboration with Natomas regional leaders.
DJ Le Raun Warner, based in Sacramento, will spin tracks throughout the kickback event while attendees enjoy beverages at the Capitol Optimist Club’s beer garden.
The first 300 guests will get free food, according to the event’s website. Admission to the kickback is free, and online registration is available.
40 Acres Juneteenth Jubilee
Where: 40 Acres Complex, 2814 35th St., Sacramento
When: 4-9 p.m. Saturday, June 20
Oak Park’s signature Juneteenth celebration returns Saturday with a host of family-friendly and adult activities alike.
Live musicians, comedians, dancers and cheerleaders from around the Sacramento region will perform throughout the day, while guests shop at more than 60 vendor booths and food trucks.
Families can enjoy games, bounce houses and other interactive activities in a children’s space hosted by St. Hope Public Schools, according to the event website. A Sacramento car club is also bringing more than 30 classic cars to display at the festival.
For attendees over 21, Oak Park Brewing Co. will operate a wine and beer garden full of brews from Black-owned businesses, and a New York Life-sponsored VIP lounge will have complimentary beverages and prime stage views.
The 40 Acres Juneteenth block party is free to attend, but adults looking for a VIP experience can purchase a ticket for $50 plus fees to gain access to the Jubilee Lounge.
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