Juneteenth 2025: Here's a list of events happening across central NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery in the United States and is considered the longest African American holiday.

On June 19, 1865, federal soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to free all enslaved people in the state, two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Here are several Juneteenth events happening around the Triangle in June:

APEX

Juneteenth Festival
WHEN: Saturday, June 21 from 12 to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Town hall Campus (73 Hunter Street)

This year's celebration will have live music, entertainment, 'Chalk the Walk,' food vendors and Juneteenth stories. For more information, click here.

CARY

Juneteenth Celebration
WHEN: Saturday, June 21 from 3 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Downtown Cary Park (327 South Academy Street)

Head over to the park for a Juneteenth celebration with Historian Darrell Stover. For more information, click here.

CREEDMOOR

3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 from 6 to 8 p.m.
WHERE: Willow Oak Room (116 Douglas Drive)

This free, family-friendly event will have food, music, art and performances that celebrate freedom and culture. For more information, click here.

DURHAM

Emancipation Tours at Stagville
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Stagville State Historic Site (5828 Old Oxford Road)

Take a special guided 90-minute tour exploring the history of emancipation and the first year of freedom at Stagville. Tours are at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. For more information, click here.

Party in the Park: Juneteenth Edition
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Research Triangle Foundation of NC (3150 Elion Dr)

Join Hub RTP for a vibrant Juneteenth celebration filled with music, activity, and community. For more information, click here.

FAYETTEVILLE

Juneteenth Jubilee: Sovereign
WHEN: Saturday, June 14 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Festival Park in Downtown

Juneteenth and the Hari Jones Memorial Lecture Series
WHEN: Monday, June 16 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church (1217 Murchison Road)

Khadija McNair, a public historian and a speaker with the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, will give the annual Hari Jones Memorial Lecture, which commemorates Juneteenth. For more information, click here.

GARNER

K-5th Adventures: Sewing for Freedom!
WHEN: Thursday, June 12 from 4:30 to 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: Southeast Regional Library, 908 7th Avenue

Learn how to sew and make your own embroidered art to celebrate Juneteenth. This is a free library program for kids in kindergarten through 5th grade and their families. For more information, click here.

Juneteenth Celebration
WHEN: Saturday, June 21 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
WHERE: Garner Performing Arts Center (742 West Garner Road)

It's a documentary-style film brought to life with live music, dance, and captivating performances. For more information, click here.

HILLSBOROUGH

Songs of the Freedom Bound: A Juneteenth Celebration and Poetry Reading
WHEN: Wednesday, June 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Burwell School Historic Site (319 N Churton St)

The event will feature scholars Crystal Simone Smith and Dr. Sheila Smith McKoy. For more information, click here.

MEBANE

Juneteenth Jubilee!
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Mebane Public Library (101 S. First Street)

This program will feature a variety of educational and family-friendly crafts and activities. For more information, click here.

PITTSBORO

Echoes of Emancipation: Juneteenth and North Carolina
WHEN: Wednesday, June 18 from 4 to 6 p.m.
WHERE: Chatham Community Library (197 NC Hwy 87 N.)

Chatham Community Library will host "Echoes of Emancipation: Juneteenth and North Carolina" with Khadija McNair of the NC African American Heritage Commission. For more information, click here.

RALEIGH

Capital City Juneteenth Celebration has been CANCELED for Saturday. It was scheduled to be held at Dix Park from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. No word on the other events. You may want to call before heading out.

Capital City Juneteenth, which was scheduled for Saturday, June 14, at Dix Park, has been canceled due to weather.

After Emancipation: North Carolina Education, Past, Present, and Future
WHEN: Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville Street

Explore the history of North Carolina's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a presentation by Dr. Lesa Redmond and Representative Nasif Majeed. For more information, click here.

Voices of Freedom Walking Tour
WHEN: Saturday, June 14. Tours will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
WHERE: Starts at NC State Capitol (1 E Edenton Street) and ends at NC Freedom Park (218 N Wilmington Street)

The guided walking tour will connect the history of the Capitol to people highlighted in Freedom Park. For more information, click here.

JCMP CommUNITY Stories
WHEN: Monday, June 16 from 6 to 9 p.m.
WHERE: John Chavis Memorial Park, 505 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd

Hear from pillars of the community about the importance of belonging, witness pop-up exhibits that display Chavis artifacts over the decades and participate in a walking tour of the park. For more information, click here.

SEE ALSO | Raleigh commemorates Emancipation Day with educational events at Pope House Museum

NC Emancipation Stories
WHEN: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Virtual

Discover North Carolina's rich African American heritage in this virtual library program highlighting cultural sites across NC. This event is hosted by Wake County Public Libraries. For more information, click here.

Juneteenth at Marbles & Moore Square
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
WHERE: Moore Square and Marbles Playway (201 S. Blount Street)

Enjoy free family-friendly activities with performers, artists and storytimes! There will be Black-owned food trucks and vendors. Please note -- museum admission must be purchased separately. For more information, click here.

Juneteenth Day Party
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: John Chavis Memorial Park (505 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd)

Celebrate freedom, community, and summer fun at this family-friendly packed with activities for all ages. For more information, click here.

Open Stu: Proofs of Black Life
WHEN: Friday, June 20 from 6 to 11 p.m.
WHERE: North Carolina Museum of Art (2110 Blue Ridge Road)

Join artists Derrick Beasley and Marcella Zigbuo Camara for Proofs of Black Life, a special edition of their ongoing community series. For more information, click here.

WAKE FOREST

2025 Juneteenth Celebration
WHEN: Friday, June 20 to Saturday, June 21

Wake Forest is holding a two-day celebration with family-friendly fun. For more information, click here.

ZEBULON

Celebrating History by Celebrating History
WHEN: Thursday, June 19 (7 to 9 p.m) and Saturday, June 21 (4 to 7:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Zebulon Community Center and Zebulon Community Park

This two-day event features musical acts and performances, arts, crafts and activities, local vendors, and more. For more information, click here.