Juneteenth celebrations 2024: What's going on in the Triad?

Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, a Union general arrived in Texas and delivered the news that all enslaved Black people in the state were free.

That was June 19, 1865. Today, Juneteenth is a federal holiday marked with events across the country and here in the Piedmont. 

In Winston-Salem, family-friendly activities are scheduled during the Triad Cultural Arts Juneteenth celebration on Saturday. Opening ceremonies begin at 1 p.m. followed by live musical and dance performances in Bailey Park’s open-air outdoor amphitheater. 

For music lovers, there’ll be a wide variety of styles from gospel rap and R&B to hip hop, jazz and a Rick James Tribute Band. Dance groups will include urban and African ensembles, the Piney Grove Baptist Church Dance Ministry and plenty of line dancing. 

In Greensboro, public parks across the city will also be celebrating on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. with the Uptown Juneteenth Arts and Crafts Festival in Sternberger Park. That afternoon there’ll be a pageant and gospel celebration in Van Dyke Performance Space downtown, followed by a Sahara Reggae Band performance at the Juneteenth Black Food Festival in LeBauer Park. 

On Sunday, Barber Park plays host to the Gospel Superfest: Interfaith Celebration. And The Poetry Café Juneteenth Cookout will take place at Historic Magnolia House. Gate City celebrations continue through the 19th.