Juneteenth Kicks Off In Ocean City With Celebration

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Juneteenth observances in Ocean City kick off with a local celebration.

Festivities are set for June 17 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Head to Haven Avenue between 7th Street and 8th Street for all sorts of fun.

The event will feature food, live music, vendors, youth activities, African dance, drums, storytelling and much more.

Guest speakers will be Kelly Cornish (mental health, drug addiction) and Michelle Washington Wilson (storyteller in education).

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.

Nearby, Philadelphia is one of the top destinations to celebrate Juneteenth, U.S. News & World Report said in a story earlier this month. Their annual Juneteenth Parade draws more than 25,000 spectators each year. Festivals also mark the event.

• Related: What Is Juneteenth? Celebrating The End Of Slavery

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in Ocean City will be closed Monday.

Garbage and recycling pickup in will not be affected.

Be aware that some businesses in Ocean City may be closed.