Newark Celebrates Juneteenth: Closures, Reparations Rally, Events

NEWARK, NJ — Newark is celebrating the 2024 Juneteenth holiday with festivals, events and city closures.

The city held a Juneteenth Festival last weekend to mark the holiday, which is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. Couldn’t attend? There are two upcoming events that you may want to mark down on your calendar.

COOKOUT – A Juneteenth community cookout that is open to the public will take place on Wednesday, June 19 from noon to 4 p.m. at Harriet Tubman Square, 501-551 Broad Street. The event will include music, art, storytelling and free access to the Newark Museum of Art. The event is free but registration is required. Learn more here.

REPARATIONS RALLY – An annual “Juneteenth March and Rally for Reparations” will return to Newark on Saturday, June 22. It will begin at noon at the Lincoln Memorial, 12 Springfield Avenue. Learn more here.

Meanwhile, there will be several city closures and service changes on Wednesday due to the holiday. The following information comes from the City of Newark:

CLOSURES – “City Hall will be closed and most non-emergency Newark municipal services will be suspended on Wednesday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth. Police, fire and other uniformed emergency services will be unaffected.”

COURT – “The Municipal Court will also be closed. However, a judge will be available to preside over bail hearings for defendants in custody. Residents can make payments on parking and traffic tickets through the website www.njmcdirect.com. To utilize this website, residents will need their summons number, including the prefix, and the City of Newark’s court code, which is 0714.”

OTHER CHANGES – “The Department of Health and Community Wellness’s inspection services, transportation for seniors, and health clinic, will not operate on Wednesday, June 19. In addition, the Bureau of Vital Statistics will be closed. Residents will not be able to apply for permits, birth certificates, name-change certificates, marriage licenses, nor pay water or tax bills at City Hall. However, the Medical Director and Department’s Division of Surveillance and Prevention are on call for medical and public health emergencies.”

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