NYCFeature
Exciting Things To Do & Eat In NYC For Juneteenth
Food festivals, dance parties, comedy and more.
photo credit: DP Jolly
Juneteenth is coming up, and there are plenty of exciting ways to celebrate Black pride and culture on June 19 and throughout the weekend before. Many of these activities involve food, honoring the rich culinary history of the African-American diaspora, and celebrating the Black-owned businesses in our city. Spend your weekend eating food from all over the world while enjoying a variety of performances, parties, and markets.
The Lay Out: Straight Joy, No Chaser
June 18, 10am-6pm
The Infatuation is a proud sponsor at this event from The Lay Out, a collective that creates spaces for the Black community. Spend all Sunday at Fort Greene Park supporting Black-owned brands and artists while eating, dancing, and shopping. The day starts with a guided meditation before a DJ gets things going and the marketplace opens up, where you can eat excellent Habesha food from Makina Cafe or hit the Ginjan Cafe table for some spicy ginger juice. Afterwards, keep the celebration going at their after-party, the Let Out. Check out the full schedule.
photo credit: @brianabalducciphoto
Weeksville Heritage Center
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June 17 and 18, 12pm-7pm
Weeksville Heritage Center, a community-based arts organization, and Black-Owned Brooklyn, a publication spotlighting Brooklyn-based Black-owned businesses, are partnering for their second annual Juneteenth Food Festival. Eat your way through the cuisines of the African diaspora at stalls from 29 different Black food vendors, including some of our favorites like Dept. of Culture and Aunts et Uncles. There’s a great lineup of live performances to keep you entertained while you eat.
June 18, 2pm
On Sunday afternoon, you can drink some cocktails while you get an education in Black history (from people who are also drinking) in Brooklyn. At this popular show, comics Brandon Collins and Gordon Baker-Bone recap the biography of a historical figure with help from guests you’ve seen on MTV and This Week at the Comedy Cellar. Tickets cost $20 in advance or $40 at the door.
June 18, 8pm
Aerial acrobatics, fire breathing, hair-braiding—it’s all happening at House of Yes’s Juneteenth dance party. Incredible live performances are a given at HOY, and you’ll want to bring an offering for the ancestral altar, as there will absolutely be a live ritual there at some point in the night. The event is free, but doubles as a donation-based fundraiser for The Black Box, an organization dedicated to Black people in theater and nightlife spaces. RSVP to the event here.
Juneteenth + One Love Little Caribbean Day
June 18, 12pm-5pm
I Am Caribbeing, a lifestyle collective that showcases Caribbean culture and businesses with events all over Brooklyn, is teaming up with Prospect Park Alliance for an outdoor celebration. They’re going big this year with a live performance by Grammy Award-winning performer Angela Hunte and peer-to-peer gaming by community events collective Fun With Friends. (Also check out I Am Caribbeing’s guide to The Best Caribbean Food In Flatbush.)