Juneteenth Kicks Off In Loudoun With Freedom March, Celebration

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — Juneteenth observances in Loudoun County kick off with a Freedom March and Celebration.

The Wednesday, June 19, federal 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 observances in Loudoun County will kick off with a Juneteenth Freedom March and Celebration in Leesburg. The Freedom March will start in front of the new Courthouse on Church Street in Leesburg, head south on Church Street, turn left onto South Street and right onto Harrison Street before ending at the Orion Anderson Memorial site. A celebration in Raflo Park near the W&OD Trail will include a cultural fair, speakers, music, food trucks and vendors.

Other Juneteenth events in and around Loudoun County include:

• Juneteenth Celebration at Sully Historic Site: June 19, 10 a.m.
• Juneteenth Celebration at Dulles Town Center: June 22, 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• Juneteenth at Oatlands: June 19, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in and near Loudoun County will be closed Wednesday. Many state and local government offices and other services will be closed as well, including:

• Loudoun County government offices
• Town of Leesburg government offices
• Loudoun County Public Library
• Loudoun County Public Schools
• Loudoun County courts
• Loudoun County Sheriff's Office administrative offices (emergency services available)
• Loudoun County Parks, Recreation and Community Services offices, and senior and adult day centers
• Loudoun County Transit's Commuter Bus Service and Loudoun County Courthouse Shuttle. The Local Bus Service and Paratransit Bus Service will run on the normal schedule.
• Department of Motor Vehicles

Town of Leesburg trash and recycling services will be unaffected. Loudoun County park grounds, including trails, gardens, playgrounds, off-leash areas, skate parks, courts, and fields remain open from dawn to dusk. Recreation and community centers, the Round Hill Aquatics Center, the Franklin Park Pool, the Lovettsville Community Pool, and splash pads have normal hours.

Metrorail will run on a Saturday holiday schedule from 5 a.m. to midnight. Metrobus will have a Saturday supplemental schedule.

Related: When Is Juneteenth? What To Know About Holiday Marking Slavery’s End