Celebrate Juneteenth 2026 with community events June 19-20

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State campus and community members will be provided the opportunity to celebrate Juneteenth National Independence Day, a federal holiday, with events to be held on Friday and Saturday, June 19-20, in downtown State College. Penn State officially observes Juneteenth as a University holiday.

Juneteenth — an amalgamation of the words “June” and “nineteenth” — is a national holiday commemorating when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, ultimately learned they were free on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Juneteenth Celebration Weekend is chaired by Leslie Laing, Chiluvya Zulu and Sita Frederick, and hosted by the Borough of State College, the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State and the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau.

‘Roots, Rhythm, and Resilience: Celebrating Our Legacy’ — June 19-20

In downtown State College the celebration weekend — in its seventh year — will be filled with food, music, art, performances and many activities for individuals and families to enjoy.

Arts and Crafts Exhibition Opening Reception — 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 19

Festivities will kick off with drumming at the Juneteenth Art Exhibition Opening Reception, which will take place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Woskob Family Gallery, located at 146 South Allen Street in the Penn State Downtown Theatre in State College. The event will include a panel of six featured artists — three established and three emerging — whose work explores the enduring themes of freedom, justice and equality. Across a range of media, they offer distinctive perspectives rooted in both personal experience and collective history.

Arts and Crafts Exhibition — June 19–Aug. 7

The Art Exhibition at the Woskob Family Gallery, curated by Grace Hampton, will showcase a diverse array of visual art, photography, sculpture, crafts and more by local, national and international artists. The exhibition will be open:

• Every Friday from June 19 to Aug. 7, from 12:30 to 5 p.m. each day.
• Extra hours during the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts include Wednesday, July 8, to Saturday, July 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday July 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Juneteenth Block Party — noon-6 p.m. Saturday, June 20

The Juneteenth Block Party kicks off at noon on Saturday, June 20, and runs until 6 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and 100 Block of South Fraser Street.

The plaza and street will transform into a vibrant hub of Black joy, artistry and solidarity to exemplify the theme this year. The lineup includes musicians, spoken word artists, dancers and cultural performers, said Leslie Laing, director of Adult Learner Programs and Services in Penn State Student Affairs.