10+ Uptown NYC Events Celebrating Juneteenth 2025
Here are a few local events you can participate in to honor Juneteenth this year.
From a fashion pop-up celebrating creativity to ever-popular and celebratory park events, we've collected a few events happening this month throughout Upper Manhattan and the Bronx to celebrate and honor Juneteenth.
Signed into law as a federal holiday in 2021 and recognized as an official University holiday by the Columbia University Senate in 2023, Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States by honoring the historic day of June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African Americans that they were free and the Civil War was over, two months after the war ended and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth has been celebrated for many years across the U.S. and in Upper Manhattan, and this year is no exception. There’s plenty to do all month in honor of Juneteenth, so pick an event and head out on the town!
Know of another Juneteenth event that we should include here? Send us an email and we'll include it.
Juneteenth at The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is holding free events at branches across the city, ranging from live author talks and panels to book discussions to movie screenings, and more. You can find the full list of Juneteenth-related events here.
Here are a few events that are taking place at Uptown NYPL locations:
- June 5, 1-3:00 pm: Juneteenth Film Series: Mississippi Burning (1988) at Macomb's Bridge Library
- June 12, 1-3:00 pm: Juneteenth Film Series: Lady Sings the Blues (1972) at Macomb's Bridge Library
- June 14, 3:30-4:30 pm: Little Makers Club: DIY Juneteenth Salt Paintings at Macomb's Bridge Library
- June 17, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Story & Craft: Juneteenth Sponge Painting at Macomb's Bridge Library
- June 17, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm: Voices in Clay with The Studio Museum in Harlem at Countee Cullen Library
- June 18, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm: Harlem Library's Kick-Off to Summer @ Marcus Garvey Park at Harlem Library
- June 18, 1-3 pm: Juneteenth Film Series: I Like It Like That (1994) at Macomb’s Bridge Library
- June 18, 4:30-5:30 pm: Freedom Painting at Countee Cullen Library
- June 26, 1-3 pm: Juneteenth Film Series: The Great Debaters (2007) at Macomb’s Bridge Library
32nd Annual Harlem Juneteenth Parade and Street Festival
Date & Time: June 14, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Price: Free
Location: W. 116th St. between Malcolm X Blvd. and 5th Ave.
Celebrate Juneteenth with the longest-running Juneteenth parade and street festival in New York State. In its 32nd year, this legendary parade and festival highlights African American history and culture complete with a parade, festive floats, and a street fair with educational, cultural, health, and recreational resources.
Harlem Fashion Week Presents: Juneteenth Celebration Pop-Up + Panel Series
Date & Time: June 14, 12:00 pm
Price: From $28.52
Location: Aloft Harlem Hotel, 2296 Frederick Douglass Blvd.
The team behind Harlem Fashion Week is hosting a pop-up market and panel discussion, “Juneteenth Celebration: Freedom Through Fashion, Culture, and Community,” that will include the chance to network, listen to great music, and partake in a continental breakfast and refreshments.
Schomburg Centennial Festival
Date & Time: June 14, 11:00 am - 7:00 pm
Price: Free
Location: Schomburg Center, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., and 135th St. from Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. to Malcolm X Blvd.
The Schomburg Center’s annual literary festival returns! This event is a great way to honor the holiday and highlight the importance of passing down books and cultural knowledge. The line-up for the day includes a performance by Brooklyn United Marching Band, a tribute to Nikki Giovani, and a keynote conversation with activist Raquel Willis, as well as book talks and workshops featuring Imani Perry, David Crownson, Damon Young, Ibi Zoboi, Alejandro Heredia, Mahogany Browne, Kiese Laymon, Tricia Hersey, Glory Edim, The Moth, and more.
Sixth Annual Juneteenth March, Run, Walk, & Roll
Date & Time: June 19, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Price: From $25
Location: Start at 5th Ave & East 69th Street, through the Harlem Loop in Central Park
Honor the holiday by joining the annual Juneteenth March 5K Run, Walk & Roll. All proceeds from the march will go towards the building fund of the Harlem Center, a 10-year effort started by a coalition of New York-centered, community-based organizations that will increase the center's capacity to address unmet needs and fill gaps in service delivery.
Celebrate Juneteenth in Seneca Village
Date & Time: June 19, 12:30-3:00 pm
Price: Free
Location: Seneca Village in Central Park: West Side between 82nd St. and 89th St.
The Central Park Conservancy will once again honor Juneteenth and Seneca Village with the “spirit of community.” This intergenerational event will include live performances of poetry and music inspired by the lives of former residents to help deepen awareness of the 19th-century free Black community. Learn more about Seneca Village here.

Juneteenth Celebration at Van Cortlandt House Museum
Date & Time: June 19, 5:00-7:30 pm
Price: Free
Location: Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway at West 246th Street
The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx Arts Ensemble invite you to a Juneteenth celebration on the lawn of the Van Cortlandt House Museum, including music and spoken word performances and a procession with drums to the Enslaved African Burial Ground with a libation ceremony, honoring the memory of the enslaved people.
Juneteenth Celebration at Harlem Grown
Date & Time: June 21, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Price: Free
Location: Harlem Grown’s 134th St. Farm: 116 W. 134th St.
Harlem Grown, a Columbia Community Service grantee, is hosting a family-friendly farm party to “honor Blackness and its cultural roots in Harlem.” This event will commemorate this day while also educating, empowering, and elevating their community by sharing recipes and highlighting Harlem-based businesses.
Movies Under the Stars at Morningside Park: Harriet
Date & Time: June 19, 8-11:00 pm
Price: Free
Location: West 114th Street and Morningside Drive in Morningside Park
Grab a blanket, bring some snacks, and join together in Morningside Park to watch Harriet,(2019) the incredible true story of one of America's greatest heroes, Harriet Tubman, played by Cynthia Erivo.
Good Vibes in the Park - Juneteenth Edition 2025
Date & Time: June 21, 2:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Price: Free
Location: St. Nicholas Park: W. 135th St and St. Nicholas Ave.
Good Vibes in the Park (GVIP) is an outdoor gathering established in Harlem that creates safe spaces, centers mental health, wellness, and joy. This year’s Juneteenth event is in partnership with Lit City Book Club and attendees will enjoy meditation, performances, live music, a live painting visual artist, live activations, and so much more.
Here are a few other ways to honor Juneteenth:
- Register and exercise your right to vote or volunteer for voter registration
- Support local, Black-owned businesses
- Visit museums and libraries that specialize in Black history, like the Schomburg Center
- ILoveNY.com has a list of events happening all across the state of New York