15 Ways to Celebrate Juneteenth 2026 in the Charlotte Area

Our annual Summer Guide is on the way, but before we get there, we have Juneteenth right around the corner. The best way to kick off your summer early is with any of these Juneteenth celebrations spread throughout the greater Charlotte area.

Queen City Juneteenth Cultural Celebration

June 13 • 11 a.m.-2 p.m. • Elevation Church – University City • Free 

With a focus on youth leadership and Black excellence, this event brings together families, educators, artists, historians, and advocates for a day of learning, joy, and cultural pride. Expect live performances, inspiring guest speakers, local vendors and food trucks, community storytelling, giveaways and more.

Gastonia EbonyFest Juneteenth Festival

June 13 & June 19 • times vary • Rotary Centennial Pavilion, Gastonia • Free 

Inspired by the legacy of Highland Fest and revived with the blessing of late Mayor Walker Reid, Gastonia’s largest Juneteenth celebration honors Black heritage while creating space for joy, unity and progress. In honor of America 250, this year’s theme is “Rooted in Resilience: Beyond 250 Years,” featuring a parade through downtown’s Main Street, the EbonyFest #BuyBlack Vendor Market, live performances, cultural exhibits, free community services and a finale with fireworks on June 19.

Matthews Juneteenth Celebration

June 18 • 5-8:30 p.m. • Matthews Community Center • Free 

Each year in Matthews, folklorist April C. Turner hosts an evening of music, dance, history, art, storytelling, food and community. This year’s celebration features a screening of The Language You Cry In, a documentary about how the power of a song carried the story of a family from Sierra Leone to the Gullah Sea islands of South Carolina. Following the hour-long screening, a group of panelists representing African American artistic, cultural and community traditions will discuss ways to activate those connections to create the story of a collective future.

House of Africa’s Annual Juneteenth Festival

June 18-21 • times vary • House of Africa • Free 

Launched in 1998, House of Africa owner Pape Ndiaye is nearing 30 years of hosting his annual Juneteenth celebration in Plaza Midwood, making it one of the longest running observations of the holiday not only in Charlotte but all of North Carolina. Events planned this year include a drum circle, youth culture camp, Gospel Fest and more. A Freedom March is scheduled to start at Skyla Credit Union at Central and Thomas avenues at 11 a.m. on June 19. Beyond that, expect plenty of vendors selling food, beverages, arts, crafts and other goods throughout the weekend in a family-friendly environment.

Juneteenth at The Gantt

June 19 • noon-4 p.m. • The Gantt Center • Free

The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture’s annual Juneteenth celebration allows attendees a chance to check out Beyond Boundaries: Black Abstraction in the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Collection. Spanning three galleries at the Gantt, the exhibit charts a rich trajectory of freedom through modern and contemporary abstraction by Black artists. Also expect a vendor marketplace, a community book club and pop-up hosted by Archive CLT, arts and crafts for kids, and a screening of the PBS documentary Juneteenth Faith & Freedom. And that’s all in the first hour, with live music, arts, panel discussions and other activities scheduled throughout the afternoon.

Cook. Swap. Repeat

June 19 • 4-6 p.m. • CLT Black Owned • $50

The Cook. Swap. Repeat. cookbook club is a partnership between virtual bookstore Red Rice Books and Jenelle Kellam’s Doitforthebites, LLC, a Charlotte-based collective dedicated to collecting history through food, exploring Black culture through food systems and global food sovereignty. This month’s gathering will also serve as a Juneteenth celebration, with a live cooking demo by Chef Quientina Stewart-Morrow. Bring at least two Black-authored cookbooks you’d be comfortable discussing and/or swapping.

University City Juneteenth Art Fest

June 19 • 4-8 p.m. • The Boardwalk at University City • Free

Celebrate creativity, culture and community at The Boardwalk at University City, with local artists, live music, family activities, dance performances and a marketplace showcasing small, minority-owned businesses. Local food vendors will also be serving a range of dishes from soul classics to contemporary cuisine. Visit the website to reserve your spot at the Paint Your Freedom Juneteenth art workshop, a hands-on painting lesson where you can create your own Juneteenth-themed masterpiece with the help of a local artist and take home a piece of the celebration.

Ada Jenkins Juneteenth Celebration

June 19 • 5:30-8 p.m. • Ada Jenkins Center, Cornelius • Free 

The sixth annual Ada Jenkins Juneteenth celebration will be held mostly outdoors, educating folks on the historic African American communities in the Lake Norman area. The free celebration and family day includes musical performances, a vendor market focusing on Black-owned businesses and nonprofits, crafts and activities, free health screenings, dessert stands, a Kids Zone and a free meal.

Freedom Reimagined

June 19 • 6-9 p.m. • Knight Theater • $34.19

Community leader and advocate Dr. Kenny Robinson of Freedom Fighting Missionaries brings together storytelling, culture and community impact with a documentary screening, live performances, and the recognition of local leaders who have made significant contributions to education and social services. ALong with a screening of the Freedom Reimagined documentary, the event will include a Juneteenth-themed dance performance by the Vision Elite Royalty Dancers, a live gospel choir performance, and CMS Board of Education Chair Stephanie Sneed as keynote speaker, amongst other festivities.

Juneteenth Podcast Cookout

June 19 • 6-11 p.m. • Obia Studios • Free 

The Charlotte-based No Advisory Podcast brings the culture, the conversations, the music, the vibes and the food together for a live recording that will become a block party. For a $10 charge, you can sign up to drop a 16 in the Pod N Barz cypher session or just bring some chairs and kickback with community.

Black Town Hall

June 19 • 7-10 p.m. • Dupp&Swatt • Free 

For The Village hosts this event with a goal “to establish a place for us and by us to discover new bonds and strengthen the Black community in Charlotte.” Sound off on whatever topics or issues that affect the everyday lives of Black Americans, whether it’s on a local, statewide or national level.

Lullabies & Life: A Poetic Juneteenth Celebration

June 19 • 7:30 p.m. • Carolina Theatre • $23-$57

The Charlotte String Collective will accompany six of Charlotte’s best poets to bring stories of love, life and resilience centerstage through jazz, soul, blues and hip-hop.

Historic Rosedale Juneteenth Celebration

June 20 • noon-3 p.m. • Historic Rosedale • Free 

As part of its African American Legacy programming, Historic Rosedale follows through on its mission to honor those who once forcibly labored on the property with a day honoring freedom, resilience and community through reflection, storytelling and celebration. This year’s Juneteenth event will feature Deacon Mary B. Starnes of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, a Drums 4 Life drum circle, Moving Spirits Inc. dance company, and Poet Laureate Jay Ward.

For the Struggle’s 7th Annual Juneteenth Celebration

June 20 • 2-6 p.m. • West Charlotte High School • Free

Local community organization For the Struggle follows up on last year’s Ode to West Fest with its seventh celebration of Black unity and liberation in Charlotte’s Historic West End. This year’s event will include free live entertainment, giveaways, a fun-filled Kids Corner, an area dedicated to senior citizens, and all sorts of community, culture, music, food and more.

Belmont Juneteenth Celebration

June 20 • 2-9 p.m. • Stowe Park, Belmont • Free 

Hosted by Elements of Empowerment, Inc., this free cultural festival in the heart of historic Belmont features a thoughtfully curated collection of vendors offering handmade goods, artwork and food that reflect the richness and diversity of the African American experience. Also expect live performances including an African drum circle, steel drum music and an evening R&B and jazz finale concert.