Historic Athens

2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival is happening NOW until 3 PM! The flag has been raised and the festival is officially open! Come join us for food trucks, artisan market, kids zone, live performances, exhibits, and history education all celebrating African American freedom, joy, and excellence.

Happy Juneteenth!

THE JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL MAP IS HERE!

FREE • FRI JUN 19 • 10:30 - 3 • FAMILY-FRIENDLY • RAIN OR SHINE

Get ready to celebrate Juneteenth with this FREE, family-friendly event in Downtown Athens on Friday, June 19, 2026! Honor the country’s second independence day and celebrate African American joy, freedom, and culture with storytelling, live performances, local history exhibits, interactive activities, food trucks, and bouncy houses, all set in Downtown Athens, Georgia from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM. See below for the day's schedule and go to historicathens.com/athens-juneteenth for more.

DAY-OF SCHEDULE

10:30 AM – March from Hot Corner to City Hall

11:00 AM – Flag Raising & Ceremony

11:30 AM to 3:00 PM – Performances at Main Stage and Street Festival throughout downtown with food trucks, market, community tabling, exhibits, and Kids Zone

1:00 PM – Black Elected Leaders Honorary Signature Ceremony

––––

Hosted By: L.G. Heart of the City

Music Performances By: Blacknerdninja, Ishues, T I K I C A, Dr. Nkululeko “Freedom” Zungu, with line dancing from The Aunties

Spoken Word From: Life the Griot, Celest Divine

Remarks By: Pastor Chekibe Holman of First AME Church, Rev. Dr. Allison M. Henderson-Brooks of Hill First Baptist Church

Featured Speakers: Hattie Thomas Whitehead, Hope Iglehart, Bria Smith

Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival organized by Historic Athens with funding support from ACC Gov.

This year marks the fifth year of Juneteenth as a federal holiday in the United States, but the celebrations are far from new. For more than 150 years, June 19th has been a deeply important observance for many African American communities across the country.

While the Emancipation Proclamation declared freedom for enslaved people in the Confederate states and the Civil War ended in April 1865, freedom didn’t reach everyone. In remote areas, slaveholders made no effort to free those they held in bo***ge. News of emancipation traveled slowly, and for many isolated from Union forces, life continued as though freedom had never come. Over 250,000 enslaved African Americans were unaware of their liberation until military intervention came two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

On June 19, 1865, news of emancipation finally reached the last group of enslaved individuals at the furthest edge of the nation. Union General Gordon Granger with 2,000 Union troops arrived to Texas in Galveston Bay, announcing that all enslaved Black people in the state were free by executive decree:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
–General Order Number 3, June 19, 1865

On December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified and extended the prohibition on slavery beyond the former rebellious states, saying that “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
It took the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the passage of the 13th Amendment to finally bring slavery to an end throughout the United States. The moment when freedom finally reached the furthest corners of the nation became the foundation of Juneteenth.

The first Juneteenth celebrations began in 1866, centered in churches and community gatherings in Texas. These traditions spread across the South and beyond, sustained by newly freed African Americans and their descendants. Juneteenth was finally recognized federally in 2021, observing it as an official holiday.

We’ll see you this Friday June 19th at the FREE Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival in Downtown Athens, Georgia. More info at historicathens.com/athens-juneteenth.

Letter from the 2026 Athens Juneteenth Event Chair & Historic Athens Sr. Dir. of Operations

From the Desk of Denise Sunta– June 17, 2026

Greetings!

My name is Denise Sunta, a proud Athenian born and raised, and the Event Chair of the 2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival. I learned about Athens’ Day of Jubilee before I learned about Juneteenth, but even that wasn’t until I was out of high school. Like many, I grew up learning history from national and state perspectives, but was exposed to very little local history. Being able to connect with local leaders, places, and events of the past changed how I understand Athens and my place within it. That is why I joined Historic Athens in the first place: to help connect our community with each other and with our shared history, particularly the histories that have not always been highlighted as much as they should be.

While Athens observed its own Day of Jubilee nearly a month earlier, Juneteenth has become an important national moment of remembrance and celebration. It gives us the opportunity to honor and celebrate the anniversary of the freedom granted to all Americans under the 13th Amendment, while also recognizing the long and ongoing history of Black leadership, resilience, creativity, and community-building. This year, we are grateful for the opportunity to bring people together in downtown Athens to be a part of that tradition.

The 2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival will begin with a Freedom March at 10:30 AM from the Morton Theatre to Athens City Hall, followed by the raising of the Juneteenth Flag and an afternoon festival in front of and around City Hall. Throughout the day, attendees will experience live performances, storytelling, community vendors, bouncy houses and face painting, food, music, and pop-up history exhibits around Black history in Athens. We are excited to feature a lineup that reflects the culture, diversity, and spirit of our community, from local musicians and poets to organizations and artists whose work showcases the creativity that Athens has to offer.

This year, we have also worked to introduce new elements that connect the celebration more deeply to local history and invite attendees to engage with the past in meaningful ways. At 1:00 PM, we will honor past and present Black elected officials from Athens and hear remarks from author and former State Representative Michael Thurmond at the park next to the Costa Building. The ceremony will conclude with each elected official signing our petition to rename the park after Madison Davis and Alfred Richardson, the first two Black state representatives from Athens. The park will also be the space for interactive activities designed to introduce young people to local Black history, including a “Freedom Garden” seed planting activity and a quilt-making activity in celebration of local folk artist Harriet Powers. Attendees will also be invited to participate in a storytelling booth where they can share their own memories and experiences to be preserved for future generations.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped make this celebration possible. Thank you to the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, Mayor and Commission, the Athens Juneteenth planning committee, Historic Athens staff, our performers, vendors, volunteers, community partners, and every person who has offered their time, ideas, labor, and support.

This day is so much bigger than one event or one organization, but on behalf of Historic Athens, it has been an honor to help plan and execute this year’s celebration. I hope this year’s Juneteenth gives each of us a chance to learn something new, feel connected to one another, and leave with a deeper appreciation for the community we love.

With gratitude,

Denise Sunta
2026 Athens Juneteenth Event Chair & Historic Athens Sr. Director of Operations

The whole family is welcome at Athens Juneteenth! Parents, go ahead and bust out them babies dancing shoes and meet us in the kids zone for a day of celebrating African American joy, freedom, and culture with this free, family-friendly, rain-or-shine festival on Friday, June 19th.

The Kids Zone at 2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival is open 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM, and includes:

⭐️ Bouncy Houses with Rucker Family Amusement Inflatable Rentals
⭐️ Face Painting by Ish N Giggles
⭐️ Juneteenth Kids Guide by the Historic Athens Welcome Center
⭐️ Plant Your Own Freedom Garden Children’s Activity
⭐️ Historical Quilt Making: Celebrating Folk Artist Harriet Powers
⭐️ Custom Button Making

Join us for the full day of live performances at the main stage and street festival with storytelling, music, local history exhibits, interactive activities, food trucks, and more! Full schedule and line-up with more at historicathens.com/athens-juneteenth.

July is National Culinary Arts Month, so for our next History Hour on Tuesday, July 7th at noon, we're welcoming archivist and author Valerie J. Frey for a presentation on her book “Georgia’s Historical Recipes: Seeking Our State's Oldest Written Foodways and the Stories Behind Them."

Valerie Fray is a writer and archivist from Athens, Georgia, with projects focusing on genealogy, social history, and foodways. Her archives career began with a Junior Fellowship in the Manuscripts Division at the Library of Congress, and she went on to serve as manuscripts archivist at the Georgia Historical Society. She later became the education coordinator of the Georgia Archives, where she developed public service programs as well as created resources for educators and their students. She now writes and conducts research full time.

"Georgia’s Historical Recipes" is an exploration of our state’s oldest recipes from the antebellum period through World War II, beginning with a discussion of old recipes as primary sources and what they can tell us about the history and culture of their era and how to bring them to life in modern kitchens. Come learn what those who came before us cooked, what they valued in their diets, and why these traditions still matter today. Books will be available for signing!

History Hour with Historic Athens One Story is a free monthly educational program held at the Lyndon House Arts Center with complimentary lunch from Rashe's Cuisine available on a first come, first serve basis, including vegan options. We’ll see you Tuesday, July 7 at noon!

No RSVP required, but you can let us know you're coming at July History Hour: Author Event– “Georgia’s Historical Recipes" with Valerie J. Frey

THIS FRIDAY celebrate African American joy, freedom, and culture with this free, family-friendly festival on June 19th, honoring Juneteenth with storytelling, live performances, local history exhibits, interactive activities, food trucks, bouncy houses, and more! Rain-or-shine in Downtown Athens, Georgia. Read below for the full schedule and line-up with more at historicathens.com/athens-juneteenth

MARCH TO CITY HALL
Check-in and sign making from 10:00 with march and remarks at 10:30 AM by Rev. Dr. Allison M. Henderson-Brooks of Hill First Baptist Church.

FLAG RAISING CEREMONY
Raising of the Juneteenth flag at City Hall from 11:00 to 11:30 AM with Bria Smith, Hope Iglehard, and Mayor Kelly Girtz.

STREET FESTIVAL
From 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM with an artisan market, food trucks, community tabling, and history exhibits.

MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCES
From 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM hosted by L.G. Heart of the City with musical performances from Blacknerdninja, Ishues, T I K I C A, and Dr. Nkululeko “Freedom” Zungu featuring line dancing from The Aunties with spoken word from Life the Griot, Celest Divine, and Hattie Thomas Whitehead and Jubilee Award for Humanitarianism given at 2:10 PM.

KIDS ZONE
From 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM with activities, bounce houses, face painting, educational exhibits, and more!

BLACK ELECTED LEADERS HONORARY SIGNATURE CEREMONY
At the park next to the Costa Building at 1:00 PM where the last 50 of the 1000 signatures necessary to name the new downtown greenspace as ‘Richardson-Davis Park’, in honor of Alf Richardson and Madison Davis, will be taken via ceremony signing by all living African American elected officials (past or present) with remarks by Pastor Chekibe Holman of First AME Church.

Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival organized by Historic Athens with funding support from ACC Gov

: Learn more about Q***r History in Athens, Georgia this June in honor of Pride!

The Hobbit Habit was a prominent, q***r-owned counterculture bookstore that operated in Downtown Athens from 1969 until the late 1980s. The business was founded by Julia Penelope, who was a UGA linguistics professor and feminist activist, her mother Frances Smith, and co-owner/astrologer Bruce Hamerslough.

The Hobbit Habit established Athens' first "Gay Book" section at a time when the university library carried exactly one book with "Gay" or "Homosexual" in its contents: "The H Persuasion," a 1971 volume claiming to cure homosexuality through the teachings of a New York-based cult called the Aesthetic Realism Foundation.

The store carried politically involved works as well as books that were often considered more radical or psychedelic. The bookstore also sponsored a le***an softball team, "The Hairy Hobbits."

The Hobbit Habit first opened at 146 E. Clayton Street, which is the current site of Onward Reserve and Fab'rik. It later moved to 298 E. Washington Street before closing due to increasing downtown rent prices.

Learn more about q***r history in Athens by checking out the Historic Athens Welcome Center Q***r Spaces Tour at athenswelcomecenter.com/selfguided-tours-of-athens 🌈

📸 : [ Photo 2: Red and Black, 1972. Julia Penelope. Photo 3: Red and Black, 1985. Bruce Hamerslough. Photo 4: Hobbit Habit Bookplate-Mark]

Emancipation Day came to Athens via Union soldiers reaching the city on May 4, 1865, over two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which declared all enslaved people in Confederate states “forever free.” This historic moment freed the county’s roughly 5,000 enslaved people, where they hoisted an American flag up the flagpole in front of Athens Town Hall and celebrated around “the flagpole of liberty.”

Emancipation Day Celebrations in Athens began almost immediately following the end of the Civil War, including parades, speeches from prominent figures, and performances by local children. The first reference to a celebration of Emancipation Day in Athens was in 1895 by The Weekly Banner mentioned a large celebration held at Hill First Baptist Church, where many Emancipation Day festivities were held. The site served as the celebration’s starting place, with speeches and remarks, followed by a march through the city ending at the Morton Theater.

Once reaching the Morton, a parade would commence with brass bands, carriages carrying Athens’ most prominent Black citizens, and performances by students from the Athens High and Industrial School. While the starting place for the Emancipation Day March would shift between Hill First Baptist Church or the Athens High and Industrial School, the celebration always concluded at the Morton with a joyous parade, beautiful songs, and inspirational speeches, all commemorating the fight for the end of slavery and echoed calls for equality in a society which was full of discrimination and racism.

At the upcoming Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival, the community is invited to finish the march of those who came before us. On Friday, June 19, 2026, meet at the Morton Theatre starting at 10:00 AM for the march to Athens City Hall at 10:30 AM and join us in reflecting on the progress and continued fight for equality which is present in our city, state, nation, and world. We invite you to display posters and signage which will commemorate this celebration with flag raising ceremony and street festival to follow immediately after with performances, market, food vendors, and exhibits. Happy Juneteenth!

: A view down Clayton St. from its intersection with Lumpkin St. circa the 1970s!

Do you recognize any buildings or businesses that are featured in this photo?