Here's How Stamford Is Celebrating Juneteenth

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford will hold its fourth annual citywide Juneteenth celebration in Mill River Park on Saturday, June 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The theme for this year's event is "freedom," according to a news release from event organizers.

The event will begin with a flag raising at the Stamford Government Center at 11:30 a.m. followed by a parade to Mill River Park, led by New York Knicks legend John Starks, who will be serving as the grand marshal this year.

Special guest celebrity radio personality, dj, and producer DJ Clue will be in attendance, and there will be live music, local entertainment, a children's activity tent where Connecticut's elected officials will read children's books to kids, and a local Black art show hosted in the Whittingham Discovery Center. Food and business vendors will be at the park, too.

This is a free event open to the public.

Juneteenth marks the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Texas on June 19, 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation.

Union Army General Gordon Granger delivered the news to those still enslaved in Galveston, Texas, that they were free.

Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday in 2021, and became a state holiday in Connecticut in recent years.