Where to celebrate Juneteenth in Pennsylvania

Communities across Pennsylvania will celebrate Juneteenth over the next several days, with events that strive to reflect on the nation’s history and uplift the Black community.

Thursday is Juneteenth, the holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops brought news of freedom to enslaved people in Texas, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

The newly freed Texans started celebrating the anniversary of their freedom on Juneteenth in 1866. The first Juneteenth celebrations included political rallies to teach freed Black people about their voting rights, and later included picnics, family reunions, dramatic readings, blues festivals and ball games. 

In the ensuing years, the holiday has grown beyond Texas, becoming simultaneously a celebration of Black joy and progress and an opportunity to recognize the enduring impacts of slavery, racism and oppression. 

Though it took until 2021 for Juneteenth to become a federal holiday, the day has long been celebrated within the Black community. It’s a day that’s often marked with private and public celebrations, including family gatherings, festivals, parades, and more. 

“All Americans can feel the power of this day, and learn from our history,” former President Biden said at a ceremony at the White House when he signed legislation to make Juneteenth a federal holiday.

Communities across Pennsylvania will celebrate Juneteenth over the next several days, with events that strive to reflect on the nation’s history and uplift the Black community. Here’s how you can get involved:

Allentown

Allentown is hosting a multi-day Juneteenth celebration featuring live entertainment, family-friendly activities, youth sports tournaments, and a marketplace of local vendors, food, and art.

Festivities include the 2025 Juneteenth Celebration at Cedar Beach Park Saturday, June 21 and Sunday, June 22 from noon to 9 p.m. 

Also at Cedar Beach Park is the Juneteenth Basketball Classic from Friday, June 20 to Sunday, June 22.

As part of the Juneteenth celebration, the city will be offering free pool admission at Cedar Beach Pool to residents only on Thursday June 19 from noon to 7 p.m. 

You can find more details here.

Erie

On June 19,  a continuing Juneteenth celebration featuring a community dinner from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. will take place in Perry Square, hosted by Erie’s Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC) and Erie Downtown Partnership.

Find more information here.

Gettysburg

Several events are planned in Gettysburg to commemorate Juneteenth.

A public ceremony and graveside tours will be held Thursday, June 19 at Lincoln Cemetery, which is the borough’s only surviving Black cemetery, according to a news release from Destination Gettysburg. More than 450 local residents are buried in the cemetery.

Jean Green, president of the Lincoln Cemetery Project Association, will lead the tours at 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. at the cemetery, located at the intersection of Lincoln and Long lanes in Gettysburg.

The commemorative program starts at 5:45 p.m., the release states. It will address the significance of Juneteenth as well as share updates on the efforts to honor more than 130 unknown dead who are buried in the cemetery. Taps will be played at 6 p.m.

“To this day, Lincoln Cemetery holds strong emotional and historical ties to Gettysburg’s Black community,” Green said in the news release. “It is fitting that we will commemorate Juneteenth in a place that is vital to telling the entire story of Gettysburg.”

Juneteenth also will mark the 2025 launch of the Gettysburg Black History Trail, a self-guided tour of historic locations that highlight Black heritage, the release states. Two new locations and audio enhancements will be added.

The release details other free events planned for the weekend to commemorate Juneteenth:

• Educational programs and a walking tour at the Seminary Ridge Museum between 11:45 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 21.
• Songs and Stories of a Civil War Hospital at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 21 at Christ Lutheran Church in Gettysburg. It will feature music, historic interpreters and a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Showcase of Black-owned businesses, food trucks, local artists, and a performance by jazz and blues artist Antoinette Montague from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 22 at the Majestic Theater. Tickets are not required.

Greater Philadelphia

Juneteenth Jubilee Street Festival, Norristown

This annual street festival celebrates heritage and community with live entertainment, music, vendors, food, drink, art show, a living history reenactment and a kids zone with carnival games and zoo animals.

• When: Thursday, June 19 from noon to 6 p.m.
• Where: Dekalb and Main streets in Norristown
• More info: norristown.org/calendar

Juneteenth Tours at the Peter Wentz Farmstead, Lansdale

The Peter Wentz Farmstead, a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site, will present special tours focused on the people enslaved by the Wentz family and how their stories relate to the history of slavery in Pennsylvania. The tours are free, but registration is required. The tours are suggested for those aged 13 and older. 

• When: Saturday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to  3:30 p.m. (last tour starts at 3 p.m.)
• Where: Peter Wentz Farmstead, 2030 Shearer Road in Lansdale (east of the intersection of Routes 73 & 363)
• More info: https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/calendar

In Philadelphia, where the Founding Fathers argued for liberty even as slavery persisted, the National Constitution Center is offering free admission in celebration of Juneteenth. Visitors can tour the exhibit Civil War and Reconstruction: The Battle for Freedom and Equality, which details how conflicts over the Constitution and slavery helped lead to the Civil War and how the post-war Constitution outlawed slavery.  

Other Juneteenth events taking place in Philadelphia include:

• Juneteenth: Legacy in Ink Community Book Fair and Exhibition Opening at the Business Resource and Innovation Center, Philadelphia (June 21)
• Freedom Fest at Tacony Library, Philadelphia (June 24)
• Cookbook Popup event featuring food and music at the The Wynnefield Library, Philadelphia (June 30). 

For additional Juneteenth celebrations throughout Philadelphia, visitors can check juneteenthphilly.org. Questions about these events can also be directed through the library’s Ask a Librarian service.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth celebration centers around Mellon Park and Downtown Pittsburgh, with events happening throughout the day and into the evening from Thursday, June 19 to Sunday, June 22, 2025. Each day features free live entertainment, family-friendly programming, and opportunities to connect with Black-owned businesses through the Small Business Economic Impact Zone, a massive vendor plaza open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

YouthFEST runs all weekend with sports tournaments and hands-on activities designed for kids and teens. Seniors can join wellness-focused programming, including educational talks, medical screenings, and group fitness events.

You can find more details about Pittsburgh’s Juneteenth celebration here.

York

A Juneteenth Celebration will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Campus Park in York, according to a news release.

Historical information will be shared during the celebration. It also will offer free food, merchandise for sale, community resources, performances, bounce houses and more, the release states.

Juneteenth Celebration at WellSpan Park

A Juneteenth Celebration is planned at WellSpan Park on Thursday, June 19 to “educate, commemorate, and celebrate Juneteenth with powerful performances and community unity,” according to the York Revolution’s Facebook post.

The Rossums, a gospel/inspirational group, will perform, and Amani Weary of York will sing the national anthem, the post states.

The York Revolution will play against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars that evening.

Juneteenth Block Party Celebration at Union Lutheran Church

A block party to celebrate Juneteenth will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 19 at Union Lutheran Church, 408 W. Market St. in York, according to a Facebook post.

It will feature free food and clothing, music, games, and more.

The church received a grant through the Cultural Alliance of York.

Documentary on the Underground Railroad in south-central Pennsylvania

A free screening of the documentary, “A History of the Underground Railroad and Abolitionists throughout South Central Pennsylvania,” will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, June 20 at the Capitol Theatre in York.

Filmmaker Bryan Wade “explores the movement that flourished right here in South Central Pennsylvania, featuring the contributions of Quakers, Black and white conductors, and other activists who risked everything to stand up for freedom,” according to the Appell Center for the Performing Arts website.

Local historian Samantha Dorm will lead a roundtable discussion with Wade and other historians following the film.

The event is free, but registration is required.

The Friends of the Lebanon Cemetery is hosting the event. Shipley Energy is providing the funding.

Keystone senior newsletter editor Patrick Berkery contributed to this report.