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With summer comes a slew of holidays and observances, including one central to Black communities across the nation.

This will be the fourth year that Juneteenth is celebrated widely as a federal holiday, but the holiday itself has been celebrated for more than a century-and-a-half.

Here’s everything you need to know about Juneteenth, including when it is and the meaning behind the day.

When is Juneteenth 2025?

The Juneteenth holiday is celebrated this year on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

How did Juneteenth start?

Juneteenth is a holiday commemorating the final end of slavery in the rebelling states just after the end of the Civil War.

While the Emancipation Proclamation freed all African American slaves in the Confederate states in 1863, it was not enforced in areas still under confederate control, according to Britannica. The Civil War ended in April 1865, and on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers delivered the message in Galveston, Texas, that the war was over and the Emancipation Proclamation was now enforceable.

The first celebrations took place the next year in Texas, and eventually spread to other states. Today, celebrations typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with music, food, and dancing.

When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?

Though it has long been celebrated in Black communities, Juneteenth became a federal holiday when President Joe Biden signed a bill on June 17, 2021.

The holiday’s history gained more attention during the summer of 2020, after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd.

Juneteenth celebrations in OKC

Here are several events planned to help you celebrate Juneteenth in Oklahoma City this summer:

Juneteenth on the East

Juneteenth on the East is returning for its fifth summer on Thursday, June 19, through Saturday, June 21. You can find the celebration on Northeast 23rd Street between Kelham and Hood.

While the main event will take place on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. — complete with food trucks, vendors, performers and artists — there will also be a Black Creativity Panel at 6 p.m. June 19 and a 5K at 7 p.m. June 20.

Inclusive Juneteenth Celebration

Put on by Sooner SUCCESS and Supporting Minorities with Disabilities Coalition, the Inclusive Juneteenth Celebration will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 27 at the OKC Innovation Hall.

Attendees can honor the contributions of Black communities with disabilities through music, dance, photography, paintings and other art forms.

Juneteenth Music & Arts Festival

Starting at 7 p.m. on June 13 in Washington Park, OKC Heart & Soul radio station is putting on the Juneteenth Music & Arts Festival. It will be an “unforgettable night of music, art and soul food.”