Tomorrow, families from across Orange County and the nation will gather in places like Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana to celebrate Juneteenth – the day slavery ended for all Black Americans over 160 years ago.
Attendees will be able to enjoy live music, food vendors, community booths and children’s activities at the 2025 Juneteenth Festival, which runs from 12 p.m to 6 p.m.
Live music will range from soul, R&B, gospel, hip-hop, reggae and spoken word musicians and feature musicians like Derek Bordeaux, Francis Dean, Jamal Jones, Ultimate Praise, Edward Clarke, Cam Gnarl, K-Nut, Kahlil Nash, Natasha Pierce, Connie Jones, Deborah Wondercheck, Tyrone DuBose and DJ ISZM.
The festival will also feature more than 10 food vendors offering Jamaican cuisine, Filipino-style barbecue, Cajun-style shrimp, Puerto Rican food, other cultural dishes and classic festival fare, such as kettle corn.
Vendors include Island Spice-tingz, Noah Cajun Shrimp, Tatay Ry’s BBQ, Hot Grease, The Cupcake Junkie, Keith’s Kettle Corn and several others.
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Outside of the food and live music performances Shipp emphasized that the most important portion of the festival is the health screening and community booths.
“We serve the community. We’re not into politics,” said Dwayne Shipp, president of the OC Heritage Council. “We’re here for people to take advantage of the free health screening, the wellness resources, the information here and we’re building community involvement.”
Shipp said in a phone interview that the festival exists to serve the small number of African American people in the county that do not get represented in other city events.
Juneteenth commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans were freed on June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
The day was established as a federal holiday after President Joe Biden signed legislation in June 2021 establishing the national holiday.
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The festival has faced some controversy in prior years, both on budget and hosting.
The Heritage Council created and hosted the first Juneteenth independently in 2021, later partnering with the City of Santa Ana in 2022 and 2023 for the annual celebration.
Last year, the festival’s legacy host — the Orange County Heritage Council — moved the celebration to Anaheim amidst controversy surrounding the City of Santa Ana’s decision to select a different host and budget issues.
[Read: Orange County Gears Up For Juneteenth Celebrations]
This year, it’s back in Santa Ana.
“There were some crossed lines, but we’re moving forward because at the end of the day, if we do not do a celebration, the people are the only ones that suffer and miss out,” Shipp said, noting that Juneteenth is a day to value and remember history.
“It’s for the people at the end of the day.”
This year’s festival has a budget nearly half of what’s been spent in previous years, or around $40,000 – featuring a smaller stage.
“It’s going to be a smaller scale, but it’s going to have the same impact as a larger budget,” Shipp said.
The city is sponsoring the stage and location for around $20,000, according to Councilmember Johnathan Hernandez.
“Given that the city is partnering, the cost for the park space and stage are not expenses that they have anymore,” said Councilmember Hernandez.
“With events that have cultural sensitivity, it’s important that policymakers uplift the marginalized communities and allow them to lead.”
Juneteenth Across OC
A host of cities in OC and organizing groups are planning events at local parks or libraries this month to celebrate Juneteenth.
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The City of Buena Park is hosting a Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom at Boisseranc Park on June 19 will have food vendors, children’s games and activities, a guest speaker, praise dancers and a live concert. The event cost $13,000 to organize, according to Mark Sauceda, community services supervisor.
The City of Anaheim is celebrating with a gathering at Anaheim Central Library on June 19 featuring dance performances by Dat Krew Academy, poetry readings, live music and soul food while supplies last. The celebration cost around $2,000 to organize excluding staff time, according to Jason Woods, adult services librarian.
Irvine’s Juneteenth Freedom Celebration organized by BIPOC Orange County is at Great Park on June 21 featuring live performances of music, dance, poetry and other interactive activities as well as food trucks and other local organizations.
The City of Irvine is sponsoring the event by offering a facility space free of charge according to Melissa Haley, the director of communications and engagement, and served as a sponsor of the event since 2023 after co-curating the inaugural event in 2022.
Erika Taylor is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow and photojournalist. Contact her at etaylor@voiceofoc.org or @camerakeepsrolling.
Josiah Mendoza is a Chapman University Scott Marshutz Fellow. Contact him at josimendoza@chapman.edu
Check out was real simple, can't wait for the tote bag