Juneteenth: Montgomery-area celebrations of freedom this weekend

Shannon Heupel, Montgomery Advertiser
Updated ·5 min read
16

As the U.S. celebrates Juneteenth on June 19 — the official end of slavery when the last were freed in Texas on June 19, 1965 — Montgomery is starting early with a weekend packed with gatherings and celebrations.

There are several Juneteenth celebrations planned in Montgomery, including an R&B Rewind at Riverwalk Amphitheater.
There are several Juneteenth celebrations planned in Montgomery, including an R&B Rewind at Riverwalk Amphitheater.

For The Culture Juneteenth Weekend

  • When: Friday, 8 p.m. to midnight, June 17, 8 p.m. to midnight

  • Where: BB King’s Blues Club (in Wind Creek Montgomery), 1801 Eddie L. Tullis Road

  • Info: June 16 is Mr. Smoke’s album release party, featuring Mo’ Elements. June 17 is Lisa Perkins. DJ Meek will be there both nights.

Autauga County Juneteenth Parade & Celebration

The Autauga County Juneteenth Parade and Celebration is happening Saturday in Prattville.
The Autauga County Juneteenth Parade and Celebration is happening Saturday in Prattville.

  • When. Saturday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

  • Where: 122 Cone St, Prattville

  • Info: Lineup for parade begins at 7 a.m. Parade starts at 9 a.m. at Prattville Jr. High School, 1089 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Note that this is an update on the parade's starting point, which was originally planned for Mac Gray Park. From the school, it goes right onto MLK/Chestnut, left on Main St., right on Northington, left on Doster Road, and ends at Stanley Jensen Stadium. Immediately after at 11 a.m. there will be a celebration of Jubilee with live music from MoElements, storytelling, youth activities, food trucks, vendors and a chain breaking ceremony at North Highland Park. The theme is, “We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams.” Bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Juneteenth 2023 at MMFA

  • When: Saturday, 9-11 a.m.

  • Where: Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Museum Drive

  • Cost: Free to attend

  • Info: Montgomery’s Juneteenth event with a focus on African-American art, culture, creativity and community. There will be a parade into the garden, where guests can make art with their families, enjoy treats from Verde Café, listen to live music and create a community mural with artist El Chisolm.

Juneteenth Freedom Day

Guests can tour historic buses during the Juneteenth celebration outside the Rosa Parks Museum on June 17.,
Guests can tour historic buses during the Juneteenth celebration outside the Rosa Parks Museum on June 17.,

  • When: Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

  • Where: Rosa Parks Museum, 252 Montgomery St.

  • Cost: Free to attend

  • Info: Free tours of Rosa Parks Museum and Children’s Wing, live music, food and merchandise vendors, arts and crafts for kids, and tours of an authentic 1950s Montgomery city bus and 1960s Greyhound bus.

They'll have fun for kids at the Juneteenth celebration on June 17 at the Rosa Parks Museum.
They'll have fun for kids at the Juneteenth celebration on June 17 at the Rosa Parks Museum.

Montgomery's Juneteenth R&B Rewind

  • When: Saturday, 2-6 p.m.

  • Where: Riverwalk Amphitheater, 355 Coosa St. (Enter park through tunnel on Commerce Street)

  • Cost: Free to attend

  • Info: Music by 2nd Coming and Yung Vokalz and The Movement, plus other special guests. There will be food trucks, vendors, kids zone, educational presentations and cultural art exhibits. Call 334-625-2118.

The band 2nd Coming is the featured act for the Juneteenth R&B Rewind on Saturday at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.
The band 2nd Coming is the featured act for the Juneteenth R&B Rewind on Saturday at Riverwalk Amphitheater in Montgomery.

Annual Celebration of Freedom in Wetumpka

  • When: Saturday, noon-7 p.m.

  • Where: Gold Star Park, Meadowview Drive, Wetumpka

  • Cost: Free to attend

  • Info: Praise and worship, local talent explosion, education speakers, live DJ, food vendors, voter registration sign up. Bring lawn chairs.

Juneteenth Father’s Day Festival

  • When: Saturday, 9 a.m. and June 18, 2 p.m.-3 a.m.

  • Where: 3037 County Road 57, Verbena

  • Cost: $35

  • Get tickets: eventbrite.com/e/juneteenth-fathers-day-festival-tickets-593223546597

  • Info: Two day event. Saturday, June 17, with arts and crafts, live bands, food, DJ at night. Sunday, June 18, with Southern soul blues artist Uncle Daddy, P2K, Mz. Brown Suga, and more.

Juneteenth Freedom Gala – A Celebration of Cultural Excellence

  • When: Saturday, 6-11:30 p.m.

  • Where: John Garrick Hardy Center ballroom, Alabama State University, 915 S. Jackson St.

  • Cost: General admission $60

  • Get tickets: eventbrite.com/e/j19-masquerade-gala-tickets-607935430237

  • Info: Silent auction 6 p.m. Gala starts at 7 p.m. Presented by Hutchinson Missionary Baptist Church. Music by Souled Out Groove. Hosted by Hosea Chanchez from CW’s “The Game.” This year’s theme is masquerade — come in masquerade masks, formal black tie with African accents.

2nd annual Father's Day Gemini Birthday Bash Juneteenth

  • When: Sunday, gates open at noon

  • Where: The Ranch, 4784 Velma Circle, Montgomery

  • Cost: $15 to $25 admission

  • Info: This is a BYOB event, with live music, and TV and car giveaways. $15 admission automatically puts you in raffle for a car. $25 admission gets five tickets on chance to get TV or car. For more info and tickets, call 334-399-4470.

Juneteenth: Celebrating Freedom Party

  • When: Sunday, 4-8 p.m.

  • Where: KRU on Mt. Meigs, 2118 Mt. Meigs Road, Montgomery

  • Cost: Free to attend

  • Register: caarac.org/event-details/juneteenth-celebrating-freedom-party/form

  • Info: Join us for this "community coming together" event honoring and celebrating the announcement of freedom for Black Americans. Music provided by The Secretary of Sound. Free light refreshments and specialty drinks. Cash bar. Advocacy and community health information will be available from the CAARAC exhibit table. Raise a toast and dance your own freedom dance. Must be 21 years of age or older to drink. Wrist bands are required and will be provided at the door.

Montgomery Juneteenth Father's Day Celebration

  • When: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

  • Where: Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, 1 Museum Drive, Montgomery

  • Cost: Free to attend

  • Info: Music, activities, games and food trucks and more. Presented by the Mayor's Young Professional Council. Bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Free tours of EJI's museum and memorial

A memorial to unknown racial terror lynching victims at the EJI Legacy Pavilion in Montgomery.
A memorial to unknown racial terror lynching victims at the EJI Legacy Pavilion in Montgomery.

  • When: Monday, 9 a.m-5 p.m.

  • Where: Museum at 400 N. Court St. and Memorial at 417 Caroline St.

  • Cost: Free

  • Info: Take a free tour of two EJI locations in Montgomery that have gained worldwide attention: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is the nation's first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved Black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence. The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration offers a comprehensive history of the United States with a focus on the legacy of slavery.

Juneteenth Day Party

  • When: Monday, 4 p.m.

  • Where: Level 2, 15 W. South Blvd., Montgomery

  • Cost: Free admission

  • Info: Big Ox and Level 2 present the Juneteenth Day Party, which is also a birthday celebration for Big Ox. They'll have DJ Clear on crowd control. Food and drinks while supplies last.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Juneteenth: Montgomery-area celebrations of freedom this weekend