A parade, concerts and more: Here’s how to celebrate Juneteenth holiday in Wichita

JuneteenthICT will be hosting a number of events this week leading up to the Juneteenth holiday on Monday.

The majority of the celebration — with a number of activities and musical performances —will be held from Friday to Monday at McAdams Park, 1329 E. 13th St.

Juneteenth — a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth” — is a federally recognized holiday celebrating Black and African-American communities in the United States.

The holiday commemorates the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to bring news of freedom for over 250,000 African Americans in the state — over two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This date is now viewed as a second Independence Day for the nation.

On Friday, people can visit McAdams Park from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for Sounds of JuneteenthICT, which will offer a number of musical acts, including an African drumming opening ceremony and a beer garden for visitors over the age of 21.

Fathers will be celebrated at a JuneteenthICT Father’s Day event at 7 p.m. Friday at the park.

Saturday will kick off with the Carl Brewer Cookoff and the Jubilee 2 Mile Walk/Run at 8 a.m. Both the cookoff in McAdams Park and the walk/run on the Redbud Trail require advance sign-ups and registration fees.

A parade at 10 a.m. will start at Holy Savior Catholic Academy and move down 13th street from Volutsia to Ohio.

Activities for children will be offered from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. From noon to 3 p.m., the Black Nurses Association will provide COVID-19 boosters and vaccinations.

Saturday will feature a number of other events and musical performances until the park’s close at 9 p.m. From there, attendees can go to an after-party at The Wave ICT, featuring music by Mike Jones. Tickets for the after-party can be purchased here.

Sunday’s main event will be a Juneteenth gospel concert from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at McAdams Park. The event area will open at 5:30 p.m.?

Finally, vendors at McAdams Park will reopen at 6 p.m. Monday for Juneteenth itself. McAdams Park will host Blakkfist starting at 6:45 p.m. and LV featuring Jewels at 8:05 p.m.

Admission to events at the JuneteenthICT Festival will require an armband for attendees older than 4. Armbands will be sold at McAdams Park at $3 for children ages 4-12 and $6 for visitors 13 and older.

JuneteenthICT recommends bringing your own lawn chairs to the events, but leaving coolers, pets and outside food or drink behind.

This month already saw the annual Miss Juneteenth ICT pageant, sponsored by the Credit Union of America, on June 3. This year’s Miss Juneteenth ICT and scholarship recipient is 14-year-old Dorothy Arnold, the youngest contestant.

Local bars are serving signature Juneteenth cocktails throughout the week. A percentage of the proceeds from a Juneteenth cocktail at BOTANIC at GROW, The Monarch, Mort’s Martini Bar, Nortons Brewing Company, O’Briens or The Stop will be donated to a scholarship fund for Miss Juneteenth ICT.

For more information and a comprehensive list of Wichita’s events this Juneteenth, visit coreofwichita.org or JuneteenthICT on Facebook.