8 Ways To Celebrate Juneteenth ’23 In Bergen County
Commemorate the end of slavery in the United States all weekend long with local concerts, walks, flag raisings, festivals and more.
June 19th is no longer just a day on the calendar connected to the end of the school year and Father’s Day. It’s also Juneteenth, the anniversary of when slavery ended in the United States on June 19, 1865. Juneteenth has been celebrated for decades in the African American community, but it was only declared a federal holiday in the U.S. in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.
So naturally, there’s a lot of celebrations to be had for this important day on the calendar, here in Bergen County and beyond. Below, a handful of local Juneteenth events to check out this Saturday, Sunday and Monday (hopefully you’re one of the lucky ones who gets Monday off!). Just click on the links for more details:
- All weekend: Juneteenth Teaneck hosts three separate events to celebrate the 19th of June: a Silent Walk around the MLK Monument at FDU’s Hackensack campus on Saturday at 8 a.m.; a reading of “19 Days of Juneteenth” and themed crafts for kids at Teaneck Library on Saturday at 2 p.m.; and a flag raising at Votee Park on Sunday at noon.
- Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 12 to 4 p.m. Open walking tours at the historic Gethsemane Cemetery in Little Ferry.
- Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Juneteenth Festival at Carver Park in Hackensack with food trucks, giveaways, kids’ games, speeches and more.
- Saturday, June 17, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Juneteenth Celebration at the Overpeck Park Amphitheater in Leonia hosted by the Bergen County NAACP.
- Sunday, June 18, 7 p.m. Acute Inflections performs their Bob Marley tribute show, “Is This Love?” outside of the Englewood Public Library.
- Monday, June 19, 10 a.m. Second annual Juneteenth Kids’ Nature Walk at Flat Rock Brook Nature Center in Englewood.
- Monday, June 19, 5-8 p.m. Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom at the Fair Lawn Community Center Gym featuring guest speakers, live music, an art showcase and more.
- Monday, June 19, 7 to 8:45 p.m. Juneteenth Concert Celebration at the Teaneck Library, where Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Reggie Pittman and the Pittman/Daniels quartet will perform a medley of jazz, blues and gospel.
Any other Juneteenth events we missed? Send us the details on Instagram @bergenmagnj.
