Juneteenth, the oldest nationally recognized commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, will be celebrated in Hayward on June 21, with live music, spoken word, dance and drama performances, exhibitions, vendors, refreshments and activities for children. 

The annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration festival will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, at Heritage Plaza, 835 C Street, across from the downtown Hayward Public Library. Admission is free. The festival performance schedule is available online here. 

Throughout the month of June, Hayward Public Library will also commemorate Juneteenth with book displays and special programs. For more information, view the HPL calendar of events here. 

Additionally, at noon on Wednesday, June 18, the City of Hayward will host ceremonial raisings of the Juneteenth and Pan African flags in recognition of the long history of African American liberation efforts, which inspired racial equity and freedom movements around the world. 

Celebrated each year on June 19, Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, is an observance of the effective end of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, almost two and half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, Union Army Major Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the end of both the Civil War and slavery to more than 250,000 enslaved Black people, one of the last groups of slaves to be freed in the United States. While Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in 2021, it has been celebrated in African American communities for more than 150 years. 

Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025

Time: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: Heritage Plaza, 835 C Street, across from the downtown Hayward Public Library.

Cost: Free

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