Garland Juneteenth Celebration

Date: June 15, 2024

Time: 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Location(s):

Downtown Garland Square

Join us in celebrating freedom and unity at the City of Garland's annual Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 15, from 5 to 9 p.m. at our new Downtown Square location!

Experience the emancipation commemoration through live entertainment. Indulge in the delicious food of local downtown restaurants, explore the children's activity area, and reflect on the day's historical significance.

Live Music: Wanda King Big Blues Band

Wanda King, the daughter of the late blues Legend and master Freddie King, began singing at an early age, learning from the best music and musicians.

Although her father's passing halted her career, Wanda eventually couldn't resist the urge to sing the blues.

"Wanda’s voice resonates with a ferocity that matches her stage presence. She was personally asked by Dan Aykroyd of The Blues Brothers Fame to open for them at the grand opening of The House of Blues in Dallas and Houston, Texas." - Last.fm

A Series of Firsts: Garland's Black Community Leaders

Visit the Garland Landmark Museum's booth for their featured exhibit, A Series of Firsts: Garland’s Black Community Leaders. The exhibit honors Garland leaders and residents who have made a mark on their community and beyond. The exhibit will be on display throughout the Juneteenth Celebration.

New additions to the exhibit are the following 2024 Exhibit Honorees:

Evan Walker - Lakeview Centennial High School Class of 2017

Walker was the first GISD Rhodes Scholar and the first GISD Black Female West Point Cadet. She graduated from West Point in 2021.

Ricky Pierce - Garland High School Class of 1978

Pierce was the first Black GISD NBA Player, drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1982 NBA draft. He was selected NBA All-Star in 1991 and was twice the NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1987, 1990) while with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Juneteenth Art Exhibit

The City of Garland is proud to present its first Juneteenth Art Exhibit during this year's Juneteenth Celebration. The exhibition spotlights 2D visual artists inspired by Juneteenth. The art will be displayed on Fifth Street day of the event.

After the event, the art will be displayed in both Epiphany Gallery and Fields Rec Center. Viewers are encouraged to visit both locations following the celebration to see the complete exhibition.

Featured Artists

Tee Rose
Leslie Montena
The Artist Dub
Madison Smith
Jaminet Rivera
Danny De Jong
Jeane Elliott Clayton
Khai Vallair
Santiago Rivera Hernandez
April Ross

Diane Min
Natalie Johnson
Jack Powers
Komsamorn (Jiab) Wasserman
Crystal Tucker
Jason Janik
Do na
Will Brigham
Michelle Noah

Booth Vendors

The Gideon Group of North Texas
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Americas Credit Union
Eat Like a King (Larsen Family Enterprises Group)
Dallas County Voter Registration
Kendra Scott
Garland Public Library
Community Multicultural Committee
Garland Landmark Museum

Food Booths

Mr. T's Catfish
Peewee's Crabcakes of Texas
Texas 2 Step Boils
Kona Ice

Parking in Downtown Garland

Looking for a place to park for the event?

Then check out our Downtown Garland parking map!

We've made it easy for you to find convenient parking spots, so you can spend less time searching and more time enjoying the festivities.

ADA parking for the event will be available in the parking garage located behind Garland City Hall. Golf cart rides will also be available and can be accessed near the first floor elevator.

Golf carts will make rounds from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Sponsorship Levels/Opportunities

Gold Partner - $5,000

Name and Logo on Website and Event Flyer
Name/business page listed and tagged in all social media posts
Name and Logo on event signage (including the stage banners)
One free 10x20 booth space
Name shared from stage during the event
Six commemorative t-shirts

Silver Partner - $2,500

Name and Logo on Website and Event Flyer
Name/business page listed and tagged in all social media posts
Name and Logo on event signage (excluding the stage banners)
One free 10x10 booth space
Four commemorative t-shirts

Bronze Partner - $1,000

Name and Logo on Website and Event Flyer
Name on Event Signage (excluding Stage Banners)
Name tagged in a minimum of three (3) social media posts
Two commemorative t-shirts

Friend Of Juneteenth - $500

Name and Logo on Website
Two commemorative t-shirts

Promotional Product Give-Away - $2000

Name and Logo on Website and Event Flyer
Business name printed on (1) Juneteenth Promo Item – Quantity of 500

Bottled Water Sponsor - $1000

Name and Logo on Website and Event Flyer
Business name printed on the label of water bottles – Quantity of 500

Snow Cone Sponsor - $900

Name and Logo on Website
Name on event signage placed by snow cone food truck

Interested in sponsoring? Connect with us at SpeicalEvents@GarlandTX.gov or 972-205-3898.

2024 Juneteenth Celebration Sponsorship Flyer

Bronze Sponsor

NAACP Garland Unit

Scenes from Garland Juneteenth 2022

Garland proudly hosted its inaugural Juneteenth event on June 19, 2022, featuring food, music, and the meaning of this important day.

Juneteenth: Freedom Comes to Texas

The Texas Historical Commission hosted a discussion, in 2022, that retraces how Freedom was spread in Texas.

Why Celebrating Juneteenth is Important

"Juneteenth is important, because it reminds us of what we came through and what we can achieve. ...the reason General Order Number 3 existed and the Union Army fought to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, is because slavery existed. It's important to remember what we went through and that we were able to get out of the bondage of slavery as a nation. It's an important reminder and it’s important that we understand what it took. It's also important that the Juneteenth holiday survives. It allows each generation to reflect what more there is to do. Juneteenth places Black people at the center of the conversation about freedom, it's meaning and manifestation in this nation.

July 4th is about liberty, but it was an imperfect liberty, because slavery still legally existed in the nation. Both holidays should be acknowledged because they are important moments in our shared history.

We should regularly consider the evolution of the meaning of freedom as we look at certain moments in the nation’s past and present. Someone can deeply appreciate why Juneteenth was important for the Poor People's Campaign. Why Juneteenth is important in relation to the events in relation to the disproportionate and unfair deaths of African Americans. Why Juneteenth is important when we think about enforcing our rights to vote and how we define citizenship in this nation.

Juneteenth should really be a rallying call for all of us to think about the meaning of freedom, particularly regarding African Americans, as well as to the nation and the rest of the world."

Mary Elliott

Curator of American Slavery at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC)
Source: "Why is Juneteenth Important”- NMAAHC.si.edu

I think that Juneteenth is a necessary moment of observation because our government and, to a certain degree, our nation and our culture has not really acknowledged the trauma of 4 million enslaved people and their descendants. It hasn’t acknowledged the impact this institution has had on this country and continues to have on this country. There hasn’t been a national accounting, and I think the Juneteenth holiday is kind of a reminder of that. And it will continue to be a reminder and a haunting until we do. It’s necessary, but it isn’t sufficient in terms of what we need to when it comes to acknowledging this history.

Karlos Hill
Professor of African and African-American studies at the University of Oklahoma and author of Beyond the Rope: The Impact of Lynching on Black Culture and Memory.

Source: "Why celebrating Juneteenth is More Important Now than Ever ”; P.R. Lockhart Jun 19, 2018

Category(s):

Events & Festivals

Free Fun

Family Friendly