Gainesville hosts 5th annual Journey to Juneteenth events

Press release from the City of Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The City of Gainesville, in partnership with the community, invites all neighbors to the fifth annual Journey to Juneteenth: Florida Emancipation to National Celebration, a month-long series of events honoring emancipation and Black history.

The celebration launches at a flag-raising ceremony with a proclamation recognizing Florida’s actual emancipation date – May 20, 1865 – when enslaved Africans in Tallahassee first received word of their freedom, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

When: 10-11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20

Where: City Hall Plaza, 200 E. University Ave.

The ceremony is free and open to the public. Journey to Juneteenth is a month-long program of events through June 19th, the date when communities nationwide commemorate the announcement of freedom reaching Texas in 1865.

Additional events include:

• Florida Emancipation Celebration, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., May 24 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, free.
• “Silver Linings” Community Day, Noon-4 p.m. Sat., May 31 at the Harn Museum of Art, free.
• GNV Film Festival, 6-10 p.m. Sat., June 7, free: “When the Music Was Cheap and Darn Near Free” (6 p.m. at the Hippodrome Cinema); “Bridging Troubled Waters: The Life of Coach Jessie Heard: Lincoln High and Buchholz High School” (6:30 p.m. at the Hippodrome Cinema); Black Panther (8 p.m. at Bo Diddley Plaza).
• Honoring the Past, Living in the Present, Building for the Future, Noon-8 p.m. Wed., June 18 at the Santa Fe College Blount Center, free.
• Juneteenth Breakfast and Black Music Month Celebration, 7:30-9 a.m. Thurs., June 19 at the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center, ticketed event ($35).
• “An Evening with Avery*Sunshine” Juneteenth Concert, 6-9 p.m. Thurs., June 19 at Bo Diddley Plaza, free.
• Storytime at Depot Park, 10:30-11 a.m. Fri., June 20 at Depot Park, free.
• Freedom Fest 2025, 3-9 p.m. Sat., June 21 at Bo Diddley Plaza, free.
• Tha Cookout: A Juneteenth & Fatherhood Celebration, Noon-6 p.m. Sun., June 22 (Location TBD).

Sponsoring this year’s event are the City of Gainesville and the Visionaires Club. Additional details about 2025 Journey to Juneteenth events can be found online.