All The Juneteenth Events In New Brunswick This Weekend

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — Juneteenth commemorates the official ending of slavery in the United States.

While its roots are in Texas, Juneteenth has become a day to celebrate freedom all over the United States. On June 17, 2021 President Joe Biden signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday.

From June 15 to 19, the city of New Brunswick will celebrate the 157th anniversary of Juneteenth.

Wednesday, June 15: Celebrating Freedom: Closing reception for Angela Davis Exhibit at Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, NJ 08901

The Rutgers Zimmerli Museum invites you to bid farewell to the acclaimed exhibition Angela Davis – Seize the Time. Enjoy music by the Charles Tyler Trio and refreshments from Delta's, and take in the exhibition one more time with highlight tours led by co-curators Donna Gustafson and Gerry Beegan at 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m.

Friday, June 17: All invited to come make a street chalk mural! Starting at 9 a.m., all members of the public are invited to come out and create a street-chalk mural at the intersection of George Street and Livingston Avenue adjacent to the Monument Square Park.

Work on the mural starts at 9 a.m. All welcome to participate. Under the direction of artist Louis-Miguel “Louie Blaka” Caraballo.

The art installation is sponsored by the Arts Institute of Middlesex County, New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) and New Brunswick Cultural Center.

Then at 3 p.m. the Juneteenth block party will open with a libation followed by dancing, singing and other performances along with greetings from the mayor and others. The program will culminate in the raising of the Juneteenth flag and a must-see performance by the Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble.

Saturday, June 18: 2022 Juneteenth Community Parade and Festival

Meet at the intersection of George St. & Remsen Avenue in New Brunswick to see the parade.

The festival will be following the parade, at Recreation Park at 7 Pine Street.

At 10 a.m. Saturday, there will be free music performances from two-time Grammy nominated singer SaulPaul and Sugarbelly in a fun-filled music and kid-friendly concert. Sugarbelly features acclaimed blues musician and Grammy nominee Guy Davis.

The parade will include community clubs, various non-profit organizations, dancers, stilt walkers and many others marching from George Street and Remsen Avenue then onto Sanford Street, then to Pine Street, ending at Recreation Park (the edge of the Douglass Campus at 7 Pine Street). The festival occurs at the park after the end of the parade and will feature games, face painting, raffles, various vendors and giant inflatables.

There will also be a youth oratorical competition that will highlight Black excellence, history and the achievements of African-American luminaries.

All week long: Crossroads Theatre Company Celebrates Black Life and Culture for Juneteenth Week 2022 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center

Throughout the Juneteenth 2022 Week, Crossroads Theatre Company will be hosting shows for all ages and economic abilities! They will tell the story of Freedom Riders, the young civil rights activists who boarded interstate buses southbound from Washington, D.C. to challenge the non-enforcement of the US Supreme Court rule that segregated public buses was unconstitutional.