Historic Athens will organize the official Athens-Clarke County Juneteenth Celebration and Festival on June 19 in downtown Athens after being selected by ACC People & Belonging to lead the annual event. This marks Historic Athens first official Juneteenth celebration, with community groups like the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement and the Athens Land Trust having spearheaded the city's downtown festival in previous years.
The free community celebration begins at 10:30 a.m. at Hot Corner, where attendees can create signs before marching from College Square to City Hall for the official Juneteenth flag raising and liberation ceremony at 11 a.m.. Festival activities begin at 11:30 a.m. and include live music, dance, spoken word performances, food vendors, artisan booths, exhibits and children’s activities.
Historic Athens will also distribute a Juneteenth Kids Guide and display pop-up interpretive signage highlighting African American history and protest movements in Athens.
The event will include final ceremonial signatures for the proposed Richardson-Davis Park and nominations for the new Jubilee Award for Humanitarianism, recognizing community leadership and service.