Fort Worth celebrates Juneteenth with citywide celebrations featuring parades, music festivals, educational events and more. It is an opportunity for reflection, learning and reinforcement of community.
Fort Worth is the home of Opal Lee, affectionately known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth.” Each year, Ms. Lee has led 2.5-mile walks in major cities. The distance serves as a reminder of when Texas learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, 2.5 years after the proclamation’s official declaration. Ms. Lee’s efforts were instrumental in the creation of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021 and in bringing the National Juneteenth Museum to Fort Worth, scheduled to open in 2025.
Celebrate Juneteenth in Fort Worth this year at one or all of these events!
Visit the JuneteenthFTW website for more Juneteenth events and news.
Opal’s Walk
Starting location: 1050 Evans Avenue, Fort Worth
June 19, 2023, 9:30am
At 90 years old, Ms. Opal Lee, known as the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” began her walking campaign to bring attention to the need for Juneteenth to be a National Day of Observance. Every year, Ms. Opal walks 2.5 miles, representing the years it took for enforcement of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to reach Texas and free the slaves. She invites everyone across the country to walk 2.5 miles with her this Juneteenth, in person or virtually. Register here.
Celebrating Juneteenth at the Lenora Rolla
Lenora Rolla Heritage Center
June 19, 2023, 10am-3pm
Get a taste of Juneteenth at the Lenora Rolla with holiday-related food & snacks. Listen in on the reading of two slave narratives, Scott Hooper and Andy Nelson. Learn more.
Hotel Dryce: The Lobby Bar
June 19, 2023
Celebrate the history, tradition, flavors and music surrounding Juneteenth at Hotel Dryce, a hotel influenced by history and local culture in the heart of the Cultural District. More info here.
Uniting Voices: The National Juneteenth Museum Speaker Series
I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM & VPA
June 15, 2023
This inaugural event will deliver an insightful discussion with Bryan Stevenson, whose memoir inspired the 2019 biographical film Just Mercy. Get Tickets.
Lake Como Juneteenth
Como Community Center
June 17, 2023, 10am – 2pm
Join the 3rd annual Lake Como Juneteenth Celebration, “Food From the Soul,” for food, games, music, prizes and more! More info.
CommUNITY Workout with Dream Performance
Dream Performance, Fort Worth
June 17, 2023
Celebrate Juneteenth this year with sweat! Come for a CommUNITY spin, boxing and HIIT workout and stay for DJs, wellness vendors, giveaways, health screenings and more! Reserve a spot.
Juneteenth CommemARTration
Como Community Center, Fort Worth
June 17, 2023
This year’s Juneteenth CommemARTration will bring awareness to the importance of art and the African influence on art in history. Take part in all the fun activities while learning how to benefit as an artist or art collector. And don’t miss the first Miss Juneteenth Pageant! Get tickets.
Soul of Sycamore Juneteenth Music & Art Festival
Sycamore Park, Fort Worth
June 17, 2023
Celebrate Juneteenth at this free community event. The music and art festival will feature an art exhibition, gaming competition, Father’s Day celebration, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, car show, food, drinks, games and more! More info.
Juneteenth Parade of Freedom
Sycamore Park, Fort Worth
June 17, 2023
Enjoy the festivities at Sycamore Park, hosted by the Soul of Sycamore. More info.
Juneteenth Community Car Show
Sycamore Park, Fort Worth
June 17, 2023
Come out for the Juneteenth Community Car Show! Celebrate the holiday and have fun with the whole family. More info.
“Praise the Lord and Raise the Roof”
Jubilee Theater
Closing Night – June 18, 2023
Spend a night at the theater and see Praise the Lord and Raise the Roof! This talented group of actors will win your heart in this light-hearted musical. More info and tickets.
Fort Worth Botanic Gardens’ ZimSculpt
June 19, 2023, Free admission
Visit the Botanic Garden with free admission on June 19th to honor the holiday. Don’t miss the Garden’s first ever Zimbabwean sculpture exhibit, ZimSculpt, running through July 30. ZimSculpt features more than 100 exquisite sculptures by several dozen contemporary Zimbabwean artists. More info on the Botanic Garden and ZimSculpt.
The Dock Bookshop – Family Storytime & Celebration and Open Mic Night
June 20, 2023, 7:30 – Open Mic Night
June 17, 2023, 11am-2pm – Family Storytime & Celebration
Celebrate Juneteenth at The Dock Bookshop, one of the largest African American-owned full service bookstores in Texas and the Southwest. Their Family Storytime & Celebration on June 17 will feature story time, speakers, drumming, vendors and more. Attend a special Open Mic Night on June 20 for an evening of power, people and poetry. Learn more.
Juneteenth Jubilee
Texas Wesleyan University, Moritz Circle
June 19, 2023, 2-7pm
The 2nd annual Juneteenth Jubilee at Texas Wesleyan University will feature local food and business vendors, a kids’ bouncy house, African dancers, a fashion show and art auction. Reserve a spot.
Jubilee Theater: Birthday Celebration – June 19, 2023
Sundance Square Celebrates Juneteenth
June 19, 2023
Celebrate Juneteenth in the heart of Downtown Fort Worth in Sundance Square Plaza. From noon to 9pm the plaza will be alive with music, food and drinks. Learn more.
Ongoing:
Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo
Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth Stockyards
Ongoing throughout the year
June 17, 2023
The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo is the longest-running Black rodeo in the US. Founded in 1984 by Lu Vason, it was born of the need to give Black cowboys a platform to keep their traditions alive. It continues to develop the next generation of rodeo stars and brings the sport of rodeo to a new generation of fans. Get tickets.
Emancipation: The Unfinished Project of Liberation
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Through July 9, 2023
This reflective and inspiring exhibition visualizes what freedom looks like for Black Americans today and the legacy of the Civil War in 2023 and beyond. Highlighting the perspectives of contemporary Black artists, the installations of Emancipation span sculpture, photography, paper and textile fabrications. More info.