Historic Athens

2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival is happening NOW until 3 PM! The flag has been raised and the festival is officially open! Come join us for food trucks, artisan market, kids zone, live performances, exhibits, and history education all celebrating African American freedom, joy, and excellence.

Happy Juneteenth!

Letter from the 2026 Athens Juneteenth Event Chair & Historic Athens Sr. Dir. of Operations

From the Desk of Denise Sunta– June 17, 2026

Greetings!

My name is Denise Sunta, a proud Athenian born and raised, and the Event Chair of the 2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival. I learned about Athens’ Day of Jubilee before I learned about Juneteenth, but even that wasn’t until I was out of high school. Like many, I grew up learning history from national and state perspectives, but was exposed to very little local history. Being able to connect with local leaders, places, and events of the past changed how I understand Athens and my place within it. That is why I joined Historic Athens in the first place: to help connect our community with each other and with our shared history, particularly the histories that have not always been highlighted as much as they should be.

While Athens observed its own Day of Jubilee nearly a month earlier, Juneteenth has become an important national moment of remembrance and celebration. It gives us the opportunity to honor and celebrate the anniversary of the freedom granted to all Americans under the 13th Amendment, while also recognizing the long and ongoing history of Black leadership, resilience, creativity, and community-building. This year, we are grateful for the opportunity to bring people together in downtown Athens to be a part of that tradition.

The 2026 Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival will begin with a Freedom March at 10:30 AM from the Morton Theatre to Athens City Hall, followed by the raising of the Juneteenth Flag and an afternoon festival in front of and around City Hall. Throughout the day, attendees will experience live performances, storytelling, community vendors, bouncy houses and face painting, food, music, and pop-up history exhibits around Black history in Athens. We are excited to feature a lineup that reflects the culture, diversity, and spirit of our community, from local musicians and poets to organizations and artists whose work showcases the creativity that Athens has to offer.

This year, we have also worked to introduce new elements that connect the celebration more deeply to local history and invite attendees to engage with the past in meaningful ways. At 1:00 PM, we will honor past and present Black elected officials from Athens and hear remarks from author and former State Representative Michael Thurmond at the park next to the Costa Building. The ceremony will conclude with each elected official signing our petition to rename the park after Madison Davis and Alfred Richardson, the first two Black state representatives from Athens. The park will also be the space for interactive activities designed to introduce young people to local Black history, including a “Freedom Garden” seed planting activity and a quilt-making activity in celebration of local folk artist Harriet Powers. Attendees will also be invited to participate in a storytelling booth where they can share their own memories and experiences to be preserved for future generations.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped make this celebration possible. Thank you to the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government, Mayor and Commission, the Athens Juneteenth planning committee, Historic Athens staff, our performers, vendors, volunteers, community partners, and every person who has offered their time, ideas, labor, and support.

This day is so much bigger than one event or one organization, but on behalf of Historic Athens, it has been an honor to help plan and execute this year’s celebration. I hope this year’s Juneteenth gives each of us a chance to learn something new, feel connected to one another, and leave with a deeper appreciation for the community we love.

With gratitude,

Denise Sunta
2026 Athens Juneteenth Event Chair & Historic Athens Sr. Director of Operations

THIS FRIDAY celebrate African American joy, freedom, and culture with this free, family-friendly festival on June 19th, honoring Juneteenth with storytelling, live performances, local history exhibits, interactive activities, food trucks, bouncy houses, and more! Rain-or-shine in Downtown Athens, Georgia. Read below for the full schedule and line-up with more at historicathens.com/athens-juneteenth

MARCH TO CITY HALL
Check-in and sign making from 10:00 with march and remarks at 10:30 AM by Rev. Dr. Allison M. Henderson-Brooks of Hill First Baptist Church.

FLAG RAISING CEREMONY
Raising of the Juneteenth flag at City Hall from 11:00 to 11:30 AM with Bria Smith, Hope Iglehard, and Mayor Kelly Girtz.

STREET FESTIVAL
From 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM with an artisan market, food trucks, community tabling, and history exhibits.

MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCES
From 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM hosted by L.G. Heart of the City with musical performances from Blacknerdninja, Ishues, T I K I C A, and Dr. Nkululeko “Freedom” Zungu featuring line dancing from The Aunties with spoken word from Life the Griot, Celest Divine, and Hattie Thomas Whitehead and Jubilee Award for Humanitarianism given at 2:10 PM.

KIDS ZONE
From 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM with activities, bounce houses, face painting, educational exhibits, and more!

BLACK ELECTED LEADERS HONORARY SIGNATURE CEREMONY
At the park next to the Costa Building at 1:00 PM where the last 50 of the 1000 signatures necessary to name the new downtown greenspace as ‘Richardson-Davis Park’, in honor of Alf Richardson and Madison Davis, will be taken via ceremony signing by all living African American elected officials (past or present) with remarks by Pastor Chekibe Holman of First AME Church.

Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival organized by Historic Athens with funding support from ACC Gov

Emancipation Day came to Athens via Union soldiers reaching the city on May 4, 1865, over two years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which declared all enslaved people in Confederate states “forever free.” This historic moment freed the county’s roughly 5,000 enslaved people, where they hoisted an American flag up the flagpole in front of Athens Town Hall and celebrated around “the flagpole of liberty.”

Emancipation Day Celebrations in Athens began almost immediately following the end of the Civil War, including parades, speeches from prominent figures, and performances by local children. The first reference to a celebration of Emancipation Day in Athens was in 1895 by The Weekly Banner mentioned a large celebration held at Hill First Baptist Church, where many Emancipation Day festivities were held. The site served as the celebration’s starting place, with speeches and remarks, followed by a march through the city ending at the Morton Theater.

Once reaching the Morton, a parade would commence with brass bands, carriages carrying Athens’ most prominent Black citizens, and performances by students from the Athens High and Industrial School. While the starting place for the Emancipation Day March would shift between Hill First Baptist Church or the Athens High and Industrial School, the celebration always concluded at the Morton with a joyous parade, beautiful songs, and inspirational speeches, all commemorating the fight for the end of slavery and echoed calls for equality in a society which was full of discrimination and racism.

At the upcoming Athens Juneteenth Celebration & Festival, the community is invited to finish the march of those who came before us. On Friday, June 19, 2026, meet at the Morton Theatre starting at 10:00 AM for the march to Athens City Hall at 10:30 AM and join us in reflecting on the progress and continued fight for equality which is present in our city, state, nation, and world. We invite you to display posters and signage which will commemorate this celebration with flag raising ceremony and street festival to follow immediately after with performances, market, food vendors, and exhibits. Happy Juneteenth!