We celebrate and honor Juneteenth to commemorate the day that enslaved Black Texans in the U.S were finally freed. It is the celebration of freedom, resilience and perseverance. We’ve compiled a list of festivities throughout the month of June to celebrate these ideals!
Wednesday, June 15th
UTA Juneteenth Festival
11 AM – 1 PM at Brazos Park
The 3rd annual Juneteenth Celebration will include speakers, food, entertainment, and activities. Hosted by UTA, everyone invited will have an opportunity to learn about and celebrate Black resilience and Black culture, and to engage in this cultural celebration to advance awareness and inclusivity.
JAO - Mega Mixer at Texas Live!
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM at Troy’s
Jim Austin Online Kicks off their 2022 National Juneteenth Virtual Heritage Festival with a networking mixer at Texas Live! Hosted by Troy’s, this event will show case Tarrant County business owners in celebration of Juneteenth National Independence Day.
Friday, June 17th
Arlington Juneteenth Festival 2022
7 PM at 1010 Collins Event Center
What better way to kick off celebrating Juneteenth than with a Juneteenth Concert featuring national and local recording artists, comedians, speakers, music, food, and more. Proceeds from the event will go to support the Reddy Leadership & Mentoring Program that services students in elementary to high school, to develop skills (athletics, entrepreneurship, and academics) needed to be successful in life.
“Echoes from The Hill” Premiere
7:30 PM at the AISD Center for the Visual and Performing Arts (Doors open at 7 PM)
A planned five-part original documentary series titled “Echoes from The Hill” will explore what life was like for Black residents in this small community within Arlington. The Hill, which was an approximately five block area of the city, was the only historic addition platted specifically for Arlington’s African American residents. The documentary’s introductory episode about the history of the community, titled “A Place of Our Own,” will have its premiere at this event!
The documentary was produced by the Arlington Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, and it was sponsored by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation.
Saturday, June 18th
MLK Day of Service
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Mission Arlington
The MLK Day of Service event has evolved so you can serve the community during the weekend of Juneteenth! Register now to assist Mission Arlington or the City of Arlington Code Compliance department with elderly or disabled homeowners in cleaning up debris, cutting hedges or tree limbs, raking leaves or completing other tasks that bring their homes up to code.
Volunteer check-in begins at 9:00 a.m. at Mission Arlington - Mission Metroplex located at 400 W. South Street. Service projects will be assigned at check-in and will go through 11:00 a.m.
All volunteers will receive t-shirts as well as coupons for a Chick-Fil-A sandwich and two kolaches from Kenner’s Kolache Bakery in Arlington.
A contest will take place with two categories available for entry: largest youth group and largest group. The awards presentation will occur at 2 p.m. at the City Center Plaza in downtown Arlington.
This event, also known as the Zeb Strong Jr. Arlington MLK Day of Service, is a part of the MLK Advancing the Dream Celebration in January, which was postponed earlier this year due to an increased rise in COVID-19 cases.
MLK Day of Service Festival
10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Center City Plaza
This year's MLK Day of Service Festival has been included in the Arlington Juneteenth Jubilee. The festival will be located at the City Center Plaza in downtown Arlington located at 100 S. Center Street. The fun will kick off with story time by the Arlington Public Library followed by various performances.
This year's festival will include performances by Arlington ISD Remynse Elementary Drum Club, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (Zeta Chi Chapter at UTA), Arlington ISD Elementary Juneteenth Jubilee Singers, G2 Dance Factory, Jane's Academy of Dance Excellence (JADE) and the Step By Step Dance Team.
This is a free event with entertainment for all ages. There will be free face painting and fun for kids with the Imagination Playground. Throughout the event, there will be free film screenings of "Echoes from The Hill" inside the City Hall Council Chambers, as well as a Civil Rights History Timeline Exhibit inside the library lobby.
“Echoes from The Hill” Screenings
10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM and 2 PM at City Council Chambers at Arlington City Hall (Free for the public)
Come to the Arlington City Hall Council Chambers at 101 W. Abram for a free screening of “A Place of Our Own,” the first episode of a new documentary that explores what life was like for Black residents in a small Arlington community known as The Hill. Screening times are 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. The Hill, which was approximately a five-block area of the city, was the only historic addition platted specifically for Arlington’s African American residents. The first episode features photos, maps, documents and excerpts from interviews with Black residents and their descendants who lived in this community. Interviews include the Rev. Carl Pointer, Bob Ray Sanders, Randy Parker, Bertha Jones, Geraldine Mills and Beverly Jackson on topics ranging from segregation to influential church and business leaders to the vibrant nightlife in The Hill. The film also features scholars Gene B. Preuss, Ph.D., and W. Marvin Dulaney, Ph.D., who explore African American life in North Texas after emancipation as well as the history of racial control that would evolve into Jim Crow laws.
The documentary was produced by Southroad Pictures and Sagassé Media Group, with associate producers Geraldine Mills, Anthony Cisneros and Shirley Adams and executive producers Lisa Thompson, Jennifer Wichmann, King Hollis and Lindell Singleton. The project was funded by the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation.
Juneteenth Celebration at the Levitt Pavilion Arlington
4 PM to 10 PM at the Levitt Pavilion Arlington
The Arlington Juneteenth Celebration, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. Saturday, June 18, 2022 at the Levitt Pavilion at 100 W. Abram and will feature a mixture of local artists performing various genres of family-oriented music, headlined by R&B/Jazz recording artist Ron Artis II. In addition to the musical performances, local vendors and businesses will be onsite to showcase their business talents, arts and crafts.
Come enjoy a family friendly day of live music, dancing, food trucks, vendors and more hosted by the Arlington Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. To make the most of your time at the Juneteenth Celebration at the Levitt Pavilion, be sure to bring a lawn chair or blanket for relaxing, snacks and a cooler with beverages, including beer and wine (but no glass containers, please).
6th Annual Arlington Juneteenth Celebration
6 PM – 9 PM at Globe Life Field
As the 3rd most diverse city in the state, the “Dream City” of Arlington, Texas has been recognized annually for its commitment to be a city that all of its citizens can call home. In continuing to embrace this diversity, The Texas Rangers Baseball Club has partnered once again with the Arlington Black Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) to celebrate the 6th Annual Arlington Juneteenth Celebration.
This event will be held on Saturday, June 18th, 2022 on the in-field, Globe Life Field located at 734 Stadium Drive, Arlington, Texas 76011 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Registration starts at 5:15pm.
Arlington’s Annual Juneteenth Celebration is a unifying, regional cultural event that provides a historical educational program and boundless opportunities for many of our local entrepreneurs to cultivate lasting relationships with elected leaders, decision makers, successful business owners, and community stakeholders. Ultimately, this event can lead to real contracting opportunities to grow business and community relationships.
Sunday, June 19th
Juneteenth Celebration at the Levitt Pavilion Arlington
7:30 PM to 10 PM at the Levitt Pavilion Arlington
Come out and enjoy an evening of free music from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, June 19, 2022 at the Levitt Pavilion at 100 W. Abram. If you love the joy and flash of 80s rock, the grit of blues, solace of gospel with the bounce of pop and funk, Larry Ladale is what you need. Ladale will take the Main Stage at 7:30 p.m.
From 8:30 to 10:00 PM, the Black Opry will perform. Black Opry is a home for Black artists and Black fans of country, blues, folk and Americana music. Offered in two formats, writers rounds and festival sets, the Black Opry Revue showcases the diversity in sound and stories that Black artists offer to these genres. This revue style performance will include Autumn Nicholas, Nicky Diamonds, The Kentucky Gentlemen, Tylar Bryant and Ping Rose. To make the most of your time at the Juneteenth Celebration at the Levitt Pavilion, be sure to bring a lawn chair or blanket for relaxing, snacks and a cooler with beverages, including beer and wine (but no glass containers, please).
Saturday, June 25th
The Black Experience
6 PM - 8 PM at Create Arlington
Now showing in Create Arlington's gallery: The Black Experience. The exhibit is open at Create Arlington until July 4. See the work of six black artists curated and including work by Justin "JUST" Simmons. The artists themselves will be present, and refreshments will be served. The reception will be on June 25th at 6:00 PM!
