16 Ways To Commemorate Juneteenth In Maryland

Events commemorating Juneteenth, a celebration of emancipation and a reminder of the long struggle for civil rights and equality, are taking shape across Maryland.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced that enslaved people there were free. The announcement came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.

The date became known as Juneteenth, a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth.” It is a nationwide civic and cultural observance, not just a single-day holiday. For generations, Black communities marked the day with gatherings, food, music, prayer, education and celebrations of freedom.

Commemorative events, ranging from large marquee celebrations to local community programming, will be held in dozens of major cities in every region of the country.

Below are just some of the Juneteenth events planned across Maryland:

• June 12 - Juneteenth Food Truck Frenzy, Bowie City Hall
• June 12-14 - Hosanna School Museum Juneteenth Freedom Weekend Festival, 2424 Castleton Rd., Darlington
• June 13 - Juneteenth 2026, Watkins Regional Park
• June 13 - Black Musical Expression & Memory: A Juneteenth Celebration, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
• June 13-19 - 2026 Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival
• June 14 - 5th Annual Run-Up-To Juneteenth 5K Run/1 Mile Walk, Baltimore

• June 19 - Juneteenth Festival at The Square, Rockville
• June 19 - Juneteenth Jamboree, Port Covington Marina, Baltimore
• June 19 - 5th Annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration, National Harbor
• June 19 - SWBA Juneteenth Festival, Woodlawn
• June 19 - Juneteenth at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad
• June 20 - 5th Annual Community Day, Staley Park, 11 West 10th St., Frederick
• June 20 - Annapolis Juneteenth Parade, begins at St. John’s College
• June 20 - Montgomery County Juneteenth Celebration, BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown
• June 20 - Eastern Shore Juneteenth Festival & Parade, Salisbury
• June 27 - Juneteenth in Carroll County, Westminster

Texas made Juneteenth a state holiday in 1980. It became a federal holiday in 2021 and is now observed annually on June 19 by the federal government and many state governments, schools, banks and private employers.

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