Juneteenth Kicks Off In Reston With Fairfax NAACP Celebration

RESTON, VA — Juneteenth observances in and around Reston kick off this weekend, with the Juneteenth Fairfax County's third annual celebration, sponsored by the Fairfax NAACP and NOVA parks.

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.

On June 19, 1968, King's Poor People's Campaign held a a Solidarity Day rally on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

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

Since 2005, the District has celebrated Emancipation Day to celebrate April 16, 1862, which was when enslaved people were emancipated in the District.

Also in D.C., the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture will be hosting a number of free indoor and outdoor activities.

Other Juneteenth events in and around Fairfax County include:

• Third Annual Bull Run Juneteenth Commemoration sponsored by the Fairfax County NAACP and NOVA Parks, Saturday, June 15, at 3 p.m., at Bull Run Regional Park, Atlantis Waterpark, 7700 Bull Run Drive in Centreville.
• Juneteenth Fairfax County Celebration: The Black Student Fund presents a festival on Saturday, June 22, from 10 a.ml to 1 p.m., Frying Pan Farm Park at 2709 West Ox Road in Herndon. The event will feature food, entertainment, moon bounce, and cultural expressions.
• Juneteenth Potluck in the Word on Wednesday, June 19, at 6 p.m., at Heritage Fellowship Church in Reston.
• Trivia Nights at Historic Sites: Black History: Friday, June 14, from 7-9 p.m. at the Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden, at 614 Oronoco St. Alexandria.
• Carlyle House's annual Juneteenth celebration: June 19, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices’ Juneteenth Holiday at Market Square: June 19, 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• During Freedom Before Emancipation: Family Days for Juneteenth, visitors to George Washington’s Mount Vernon can learn about Ona Judge, Christopher Sheels and more enslaved people who resisted enslavement and sought freedom before the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Juneteenth Bench Dedication at Charles Houston Recreation Center: June 22, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Juneteenth Brewbilee 2024: A Culture and Beer Fest with the Town of Herndon, celebrating Black-owned business. Saturday, June 15, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Arts Herndon, 750 Center Street in Herndon
• Freedom Before Emancipation: Family Days for Juneteenth at George Washington’s Mount Vernon: June 19 to 22
• Juneteenth at Houston (Charles Houston Recreation Center): June 22, 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices in Reston

Patch will be closed Wednesday. Many state, county and local government offices will be closed or are open but with holiday hour, including:

• Reston Association Offices, including the Central Services Facility and Nature House
• Reston Community Centers at Hunters Woods and Lake Anne will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
• Fairfax County government offices: Closed on Wednesday, June 19
• Fairfax County Public Schools: Students are on summer break, but June 19 will be a holiday for all FCPS employees.
• Courts: The Fairfax County Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court will be closed June 19.
• Department of Motor Vehicles: All DMV customer service centers in Northern Virginia will be closed June 19.
• Fairfax Connector: Fairfax Connector will have holiday weekday service on June 19
• Libraries: On June 19, all Fairfax County Public Library locations will be closed.
• I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill Complex Disposal Center will be open on June 19.
• All regular county trash, recycling, yard waste and special collection services are provided on all holidays except Christmas Day. Customers whose trash and recycling is collected by a private contractor should contact their trash company