Rain Prompts Venue Change For Framingham Juneteenth Fest

Update: Because of the rain, the event has moved across the street from the original location to Barbieri School, also at 100 Dudley Rd. Framingham.

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Framingham is set to celebrate Juneteenth in a couple of ways this weekend, culminating in a townwide celebration.

Juneteenth Fest is scheduled for Saturday from 1 to 6 p.m. at Framingham Farm Pond, 100 Dudley Rd. It will be hosted by Community Vibes Framingham.

The free event features music, food, games and more, and comes as the city itself is set to honor the holiday in a way it never has before.

Framingham officials will raise the Juneteenth flag at the Memorial Building on Friday, the first instance of that flag raising in the city's history.

The Monday, June 19, national holiday commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

"Juneteenth is an opportunity to learn from our past, acknowledge the end of one of our nation’s darkest days and work towards a better future," said Mayor Charlie Sisitsky.

"Embracing Juneteenth means we not only acknowledge the legacy of slavery but celebrate the sacrifice of those that came before us and celebrate the freedoms that we often take for granted."

Massachusetts' acknowledgment of Juneteenth has a direct connection to Framingham. Gov. Charlie Baker made Juneteenth a holiday in 2020 after legislation from former Framingham State Rep. Maria Robinson and State Representative Bud L. Williams.

President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a national holiday in 2021.