Bradenton area celebrates Juneteenth holiday with free community festivals

The Bradenton area will celebrate Juneteenth, the holiday that marks the end of slavery in the U.S., with several community events this week.

Juneteenth dates back to June 19, 1865. On that day, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, news of slavery’s end finally reached Texas and freed over 250,000 people who remained enslaved there.

The holiday started as a Texas tradition and soon spread through the South and eventually the rest of the nation, historians say. In 2021, after decades of advocacy, it became the first new federal holiday adopted since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Here are ways to celebrate locally:

Juneteenth Community Festival

This annual Juneteenth gathering hosted by RECESS Education brings the community together for food, music, fun and history at the 13th Avenue Dream Center in Bradenton. This year’s theme is “Family Reunion,” a tribute to African Americans who sought to reunite with lost family members after emancipation.

“This event is not just a festival. It’s an opportunity to lift up Black voices, honor historical contributions and empower our community through education, unity and joy,” said Sharon Jefferson, executive director of RECESS, in a news release.

This year’s festival will include:

▪ Live music performances by dance group Manatee Heart and Sole Steppers and gospel band Darrell Holloman & Da New Cavaliers

▪ Food trucks

▪ A Black-owned business marketplace

▪ Children’s games and interactive learning stations

▪ “WALK A MILE IN OUR SHOES,” an exhibit honoring “victims of unjust violence”

▪ Voter registration and civic engagement tables

▪ Financial literacy, genealogy and African American history workshops

▪ Wellness and health screenings

• Details: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 21. 13th Avenue Dream Center, 922 24th St. E., Bradenton. Free.
• Info: RecessEDU.org. (941) 263-4869

Juneteenth Arts Festival

This third annual event hosted by the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (WBTT) will bring Juneteenth fun to downtown Sarasota.

The 2025 event will include:

▪ Live performances by WBTT artists

▪ Art displays by local artists

▪ Short films by local filmmakers and students from Ringling College of Art & Design

▪ A jazz concert by jazz saxophonist Dee Lucas at 6 p.m.

▪ Food trucks

▪ Health and wellness workshops

• Details: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, June 22. Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Campus, 1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. Free.
• Info: WestcoastBlackTheatre.org