๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ-๐๐ฝ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ โ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป & ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธโ
Community groups will once more bring an exciting lineup of events to the City of New Brunswick, NJ celebrating the 159th Anniversary of Juneteenthโa day that commemorates the end of slavery throughout the United States.
The Juneteenth Planning Coalition brings together a wide variety of community groups for an exciting series of events to make this year’s Juneteenth celebration one of the most outstanding and impactful period of the year.
The ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ต๐๐ต (which falls on Wednesday in 2024) in front of the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. There will also be a New Jersey Symphonyโs Women in the Arts Juneteenth Event at the State Theater on that day and the New Brunswick Free Public Library will have a read-in for young people. The public is then invited to participate in the popular ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐๐น๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ!
The parade starts from George Street and Remsen Avenue, promenading down Remsen Avenue then onto Sanford Street, then to Pine Street, ending at Recreation Park (the edge of the Douglass Campus at 7 Pine Street). The festival occurs at the park kicking off at the end of the parade.
JOIN IN THE PARADE & FESTIVAL!
Parade Participants/Tabling (Saturday 6/22)
https://tinyurl.com/Juneteenth2024newbrunswick
FESTIVAL VENDORS:
https://tinyurl.com/2024Juneteenthvendors
While its roots are in Texas, Juneteenth has become a day to celebrate freedom all over the United States. Public Juneteenth celebrations have been held in the City of New Brunswick since 2014 with the wonderful annual community parade and festival hosted by the Vulcan Pioneers (the Black Firefighters of New Brunswick) and their community partnersโThe New Brunswick Area NAACP, the Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance, Zakee Bowser Enrichment Foundation, Sharpened Mindz, and the New Brunswick Cultural Center. The New Brunswick African American Heritage Committee, Inc., New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC), The Arts Institute of Middlesex County and Crossroads Theatre Company have been proud to help build this tradition.
Juneteenth achieved federal recognition on the 17th of June 2021, when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, establishing the 19th of June as a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
BRING YOUR LAWN CHAIRS AND SUN UMBRELLAS AND ENJOY THE AFTERNOON FESTIVAL
Vendors (including many food offerings!) and community groups tabling will be set up by midday in Recreation Park, with cultural performances and community presentations on the main stage from 1 PM.
There are activities areas for young children as well as for teenagers. The Zakee Bowser Enrichment Foundation and Sharpened Mindz have a number of gift certificate prizes as well as other items for the winners in a rap contest spelling bee, as well as Double Dutch competitions for parents versus youth in an old school/new school face-off. A high point of the main stage presentations will be an โold schoolโ versus โyoung โunsโ step/stroll showcase by Black fraternity members!
FAQS about the 2024 Juneteenth Parade and Festival
Events will proceed, rain or shine!
THE PARADE
- The Parade begins at 11 am from the intersection of Remsen Avenue and George Street. We will line up on Remsen Avenue between George Street and Welton Street, and proceed up Remsen Ave. to Sanford St. Turn left onto Sanford St. stay on Sanford St. then Georgeโs Rd. until Pine St then Recreation Park, located at 7 Pine Street, New Brunswick.
- Lining up for the parade. You should plan to arrive by around 10:00 am (no later than 10:30 am). Based on our experiences in past years, we will make a final determination of where to place participating groups (to be closer to the head of the parade), depending on who we see actually makes it out on Saturday morning. We will contact those who will be on the floats beforehand.
- Parking for the parade. There will marked parking lots at Recreation Park/Pine Street andย
The Vulcan Pioneers will be running a shuttle, from 9:30 am,ย between the festival grounds (the front of Recreation Park) and the start of the parade (George Street & Remsen Ave.).ย- If you want to park your car at the starting point of the parade, there is on-street parking and there are several parking decks close by, however, you will then end up walking back to New Brunswick if you stay at the festival.
THE FESTIVAL
FESTIVAL PROGRAM
12:15 pm โDrumming Interlude – Black Circle Symphony
12:45 โ 1:15 pmโ Co-Hosts Baruti Miller & Lana Whitehead
โWelcome(s): Robert Rawls & Eddie Lee (Vulcan Pioneers)
โGroup Photo: Vulcan Pioneers & Planning Committee
โInvocation
โLibation Ceremony โ Bill Davis
โLift Every Voice
1:20 pmโ Remarks & Acknowledgement of Visiting Dignitaries
โMayor Jim Cahill
โNB City Council Member Petra Gaskins
โ(Double Dutch Competition Begins Offstage)
1:30 pmโ General Order #3 – AlโJawan Woods Jones & Joel Moody
โโ(5th grade, Blanquita B. Valenti School)
โRev. Tommy Miles – Ebenezer Baptist Church
โDrill Team (Dazzling Doodles)
โKendall Thompson – Poem (8th Grade)
โMichael Richards – โBrightโ by Kehlani
โ2024 Juneteenth Festival Poet โ Herrin Fontenette
2 pmโ Positive Affirmation, Lana Whitehead
โStroll Exhibition – Rutgers Student Groups
โโIota Phi Theta & Lambda Sigma Upsilon/Brandon Fernandez
โLine Dancing (Crystal Balaam)
2:30 pmโ Sharpened Mindz/Zakee Bowser Foundation Youth Showcase
โโJoani Blue, Gooseygangkay
โSpoken Word: Charlene Bush, Mt. Zion Ministries
โRahway Dance Theatre
3:15 pmโ Exit 9 Reunion
Exit 9 is a legendary New Brunswick bandโlocal heroes of the music scene. Last yearโs Juneteenth concert sparked a reunion that continues today! They are an eight piece band with a horn section and also feature a female drummer and a driving rhythm section. E9B for life!
- Organizations/vendors and other participating individuals are welcome to load-in as early as 9:30 am and should be set up by 11:30 am.
- TABLING GROUPS (Community groups and non-profits)
- Tabling groups can pull up to the front parking lot of Recreation Park (7 Pine Street) to drop off their tabling supplies, then you can drive around to the rear parking lot after unloading your supplies.
- VENDORS
- Vendors can load-in as early as 9 AMย โ Vendors should have communicated, with Vulcan Pioneers representative Robert Rawls, about their placement prior to arrival. You will find a welcome team in the front parking lot on arrival where you can reconfirm if needed. Robert Rawls and Traci Cole will be on-site to facilitate.ย
- There is on-street parking around Pine Street in front of Recreation Park. There is also a parking lot in the rear of the park, where vendors can park and unload if they prefer. THERE WILL ALSO BE A RUTGERS LOT AVAILABLE NEXT TO THE PARKโLook for the signs.
- You will find a welcome team in the front parking lot on arrival to assist you.
- Tables will be set up along the walkway connecting the front parking lot to where the main stage will be set up (in the recreation area between the basketball courts and the bathrooms).