Juneteenth Family Day Celebration 2025

The celebration of Juneteenth began on June 19th , 1865, in Galveston TX. Juneteenth is a celebration that commemorates African American Freedom and the ending of slavery in the United States of America. In 2003, Battle Creek started Juneteenth celebrations, initiated by the Battle Creek NAACP. In 2005, Juneteenth became a State of Michigan holiday, designating the 3rd Saturday in June, as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. In 2021, Juneteenth was officially designated as a federal holiday and on March 1, 2022, the City of Battle Creek added Juneteenth as an official city holiday in Battle Creek.

This year, we are continuing a two-day celebration. On Friday, June 20, 2025, we are offering our FREE indoor movie, Mufasa: The Lion King, at 7:00 PM at Washington Heights United Methodist Church and Community. On Saturday, June 21, 2025, our traditional FREE food giveaway of hot dogs, chips, and red pop starts at 11 am until they’re gone. Also starting at 11 AM, come out to support our food, retail and information vendors until the celebration concludes at 6 PM. During the day, we have a program recognizing our community service award recipients, a full day of entertainment with headliners Brandon Fitzpatrick and The Element and saxophonist, the Deon Yates Soul Project. The Kids Korner will be open 12 – 4 PM with ponies, games, bounce houses, face painting, and more. View our Battle Creek Juneteenth Celebration Facebook page or website at https://juneteenthbattlecreek.com/ for updates and shout outs leading up to June 20-21.