Marching bands, community murals, scholarship competitions and 5K runners were among the sights Saturday as Juneteenth celebrations got underway across the St. Louis area.
Residents gathered at parks, community festivals and neighborhood events to celebrate Black history, culture and community ahead of the June 19 holiday.
At Soulard Market Park, the Juneteenth Festival organized by Neighbors Impacting Communities drew residents from across the region for a day of music, food and education. Despite periods of rain, crowds filled the park to enjoy performances by the Riverview Gardens High School marching band, local artists and a DJ.
The festival also featured a community discussion led by the 13th Amendment Freedom Week Movement and the Mister Juneteenth Scholarship Contest, which recognized young Black men for leadership, academics and community involvement.
Elsewhere, more than 300 people participated in the third annual Race to Unity 5K, organized by the St. Louis Reconciliation Network and the Delmar Loop. Participants ran, stretched and celebrated together before enjoying live music, dance performances, local vendors and a collaborative community mural.
Nearby, Africans Rising Together 2063 hosted its Juneteenth Caribbean Heritage Festival, blending education and entertainment. Families explored a Black history exhibit, visited community resource booths and enjoyed food, music, dance performances and children’s activities.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people they were free — more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. For generations, Black communities observed the day through local celebrations long before it became a federal holiday in 2021.
The weekend events reflected the many ways St. Louisans continue to mark the occasion — through education, culture, service and community. Many more Juneteenth celebrations are scheduled across the region, with most held on the holiday.