Juneteenth Kicks Off In PWC With Parade; Closures To Know

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Juneteenth observances in Prince William County kick off with a parade.

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 will kick off with the Greater Prince William County Juneteenth Parade on Wednesday, June 19 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Prince William Forest Park Visitor Center, 18170 Park Entrance Road Triangle, VA. The event was previously known as Dumfries Juneteenth. Entry to the park is free on Juneteenth. The parade will be followed by Family Day at Prince William Forest Park. Parade spectators are asked to arrive by 9:30 a.m. to arrange the parade route. The event is listed as sold out on Eventbrite.

Other Juneteenth events in and around Prince William County include:

• Juneteenth at Lucasville: June 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 10516 Godwin Dr, Manassas, VA
• Dumfries Juneteenth Celebration: June 19, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. with fireworks at 9 p.m., Garrison Park, 11749 Main Street, Dumfries, VA
• Barnes House Open House: June 19, 5049 Waterway Drive, Dumfries, VA
• Freedom Notes: A Juneteenth Contribution Campaign: June 22, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 15000 Potomac Town Place #140, Woodbridge, VA
• Juneteenth Celebration at Manassas Mall: June 22, 1 p.m., 8300 Sudley Road
  Manassas, VA

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

• Prince William County government offices
• City of Manassas governments offices
• City of Manassas Park government offices
• Prince William County Public Schools
• Manassas City Public Schools
• Manassas Park Public Schools
• Prince William County courts
• Prince William County Public Library
• Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

The Prince William County Landfill and the Compost Facility is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 19. City of Manassas trash collection runs on a regular schedule. Virginia Railway Express will run on an S schedule on June 19

Signal Bay Water Park is open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. SplashDown Waterpark, Hammill Mill Pool, Veterans Park Pool & Waterslide, Graham Park Pool and Birchdale Pool are open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Stonewall Park Pool is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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