This week, thousands in Milwaukee will gather to celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and celebrating the legacy and culture of African Americans.
Milwaukee’s Juneteenth celebration is one of the oldest in the country and is once again expected to draw thousands to an all-day festival on North King Drive.
Here’s what to know about the holiday and celebrations in Milwaukee.
Dancers participate in the 2024 Juneteenth Parade in Milwaukee on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
What is Juneteeth?
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Army soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to tell the last remaining enslaved people in the U.S. that they were free.
The announcement, which was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect in 1863, came late to Texas because of the remoteness of the state and because Confederate troops in Texas were still fighting to uphold slavery, according to Juneteenth Milwaukee.
Today, along with recognizing the end of slavery, Juneteenth celebrates the culture and heritage of African Americans and honors ongoing advocacy for racial justice and equity.
When is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is always celebrated on June 19. This year, it falls on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
When did Milwaukee begin celebrating Juneteenth?
In Milwaukee, Juneteenth celebrations first took place in 1972 — marking one of the oldest celebrations in the country.
According to previous Journal Sentinel reports, the celebration began when Margaret Rogers, a then-staff member at Northcott Neighborhood House in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood, told others in 1971 how much she had enjoyed a Juneteenth celebration in Georgia when she was visiting the state. The following year, Northcott decided to begin similar tradition.
More than 50 years later, the community center is still the main organizer of Juneteenth celebrations in Milwaukee.
Members of the Capitol Drive Bike Club chat as the 2024 Juneteenth Parade begins in Milwaukee on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
When and where is the Juneteenth parade and festival in Milwaukee?
Juneteenth celebrations in Milwaukee will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on and around North King Drive.
Festivities will kick off with the annual Juneteenth parade at 9 a.m., featuring an array of floats, local dance teams and marching bands. The parade will began at North 14th Street and West Atkinson Avenue, continue for about a mile and a half, and end at West Locust Street and North Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, according to the parade route.
The parade route ends right near where more than 400 vendors will be set up for the all-day street festival on North King Drive — including 72 vendors that are new to the festival in 2025, according to the Juneteenth Milwaukee Facebook page. The festival will take over North Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive from West Center Street to West Keefe Avenue.
The festival will also feature special zones for veterans, seniors, teenagers and kids. Find more information here.
Summerfest to celebrate Juneteenth for the first time
For the first time this year, Summerfest is partnering with Northcott Neighborhood House to offer an official Juneteenth celebration after the conclusion of the parade and festivities on King Drive.
On the evening of June 19, line-up of celebrated Black artists, including the Isley Brothers, Gary Clark Jr. and Milwaukee native Eric Benet, will perform at Summerfest. June 19 is also the opening day of three-weekend festival.
The festivities will continue on June 21, when Summerfest is offering a separate ticketed event, “A Taste of Juneteenth,” where attendees can sample food from 10 local vendors. The event has two time slots, 11 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., and tickets are $100 per person.
Participants in the 2024 Juneteenth Parade watch as flaots go down Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Milwaukee on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
Road closures for Juneteenth festival and parade
The parade route and festival area will be closed to traffic from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 19, according to the Milwaukee Department of Public Works.
An approximately two-mile stretch of West Atkinson Avenue and North Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive will be closed: the parade floats will begin assembling West Atkinson Avenue and North 19th Street, and the parade will conclude on West Locust Street and North Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.
On North Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, the roadway will be closed from West Center Street to West Keefe Avenue for the festival.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Juneteenth 2025 celebrations in Milwaukee: annual parade, festival