Attend the Juneteenth Cincinnati Celebration in Eden Park and other venues from June 9 to June 17.
Juneteenth is an occasion to celebrate one of the most important events in American history–the end of slavery in America. In 2021, Juneteenth became an official US holiday.
Juneteenth Cincinnati has produced the annual Juneteenth Festival since 1988. It began in Daniel Drake Park in Kennedy Heights and moved in the early 1990s to Eden Park in partnership with the Cincinnati Park Board.
Although not the first celebration of Juneteenth in Cincinnati, it has been Cincinnati’s only annually celebrated Juneteenth event.
Juneteenth Cincinnati Festivities
Wade in the Water
Smale Park (The Banks)
Join the participatory dance along the Ohio River to acknowledge the significance of water to the 400+ year trek into and beyond enslavement.
Raising of the Juneteenth Flags
Location varies
Attend flag raisings throughout the week and prepare for the vast Juneteenth Celebration in Eden Park.
Juneteenth Festival
Eden Park (Mt Adams)
Over 25 performances on two stages will reflect the shared heritage within the African diaspora. Genres include blues, jazz, R&B, Latin jazz, African dancing, and the Voices of Freedom poetry slam.
The festival features activities for kids, including crafts, books, games, and horseback rides. Festival goers can visit, learn, and shop with 50 vendors and exhibitors. Vendors offer a wide selection, including hot dogs, ribs, chicken, Asian fusion, fish, lobster, sundaes, and funnel cakes.
Juneteenth Father’s Day Concert
Eden Park (Mt Adams)
In 2005, Juneteenth Cincinnati revived June Fest. This concert series served the African American community from the late 1920s through the early 1950s, when African American performers and audiences were not welcome in Music Hall and other venues. The Juneteenth weekend ends on Sunday afternoon with the June Fest Father’s Day Concert, featuring inspirational spiritual music and praise dancing in the Seasongood Pavilion.
About Juneteenth Cincinnati
Cincinnati’s Juneteenth tradition began in 1988 as a neighborhood festival in Kennedy Heights-–attracting some 1500 participants to Daniel Drake Park. Over the years, the annual festival has continued to reflect its origins in a racially integrated community, with multi-racial organization and attendance. Juneteenth Cincinnati is dedicated to recognizing enslavement, emancipation, reconstruction, and all that followed as an integral part of America’s history.
In the following years, the festival has been a popular event. Festival features include diverse, family-centered (and free!) activities such as traditional storytelling, magic acts, sack races, sweet potato pie bake-off, and music (blues, African drumming & dancing, gospel, jazz, reggae, etc.). Festival vendors offer food, clothing, art, folk crafts, ethnic literature, etc.
The festival is completely non-profit. It is staffed entirely by volunteers and organized by Juneteenth Cincinnati, with the invaluable help of many sponsors and donors. All income–grants, donations, vendor fees–are dedicated to Festival expenses.
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Images provided by Juneteenth Cincinnati
