Juneteenth Festival

In person at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.
Included with admission. Discounted special event rate.
Kids 12 and under — Free. All other visitors — $17.
Online via Zoom and YouTube.
Free.
Join us this Juneteenth for an all-day, family-friendly festival featuring creative storytelling, engaging conversation, and live musical performances.
Reflect on the nation’s founding ideals of liberty and justice, a promise long denied for enslaved people in early America. Explore how Juneteenth marked a critical turning point in expanding these essential freedoms. Consider how these rights are still complicated by institutions, including the criminal justice system, and how we can work together to imagine and build a more just future.
11:00 am ET — Immersive Family Storytime (In Person)
Open to all. Designed with children ages 5–12 and their caregivers in mind.
Join storyteller Thembi Palmer (Imagine More Story Adventures) for a joy-filled, high-energy storytime experience. Explore Juneteenth’s roots in Galveston, Texas and honor the modern-day activism of Opal Lee who advocated to make Juneteenth a federal recognized holiday. Through music, movement, narrative, and poetry reflect on the legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation and celebrate unity, empowerment, and the enduring spirit of the African American experience.
11:45 am ET — Musical Performance (In Person & Online)
The Black Breath Collective performs part one of their original work “The Contagion of Freedom,” with choral arrangements inspired by emancipation and Juneteenth.
12:45 pm ET — Panel Discussion (In Person & Online)
Justice 101: The History and Meaning of Juneteenth Today
Join Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of History, The Ohio State University) and Kerry Sautner, Ed.D. (President and CEO, Eastern State) for a conversation about the evolution of American freedom and independence through the lens of Eastern State Penitentiary. From the revolutionary spirit of the Founding Era to the transformative promise of Juneteenth, we’ll discuss both history and the ongoing struggle for equity and justice today.
1:45 pm ET — Musical Performance (In Person & Online)
The Black Breath Collective performs part two of their original work “The Contagion of Freedom,” with choral arrangements inspired by emancipation and Juneteenth.