{"id":76368,"date":"2026-05-21T13:22:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=76368"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:57:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:57:37","slug":"celebrate-juneteenth-in-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/celebrate-juneteenth-in-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate Juneteenth in Colorado, a day to mark freedom from slavery \u2014 and freedom for all people"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tony Exum, Jr., a jazz and R & B saxophonist from Colorado Springs who performs around the world, has performed at the Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival in Colorado Springs in recent years. Photo by DeAndr\u00e9 Smith, courtesy of the Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Colorado has a relatively new Juneteenth holiday, and it\u2019s a wonderful time for everyone to celebrate freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJuneteenth is our freedom now and forever,\u201d said Jen Smith, co-founder of the <\/span>Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival<\/span><\/a>, a free event that takes place in Colorado Springs over the weekend following Juneteenth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smith, who helped create the event with her husband DeAndr<\/span>\u00e9 Smith, said everyone is welcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJuneteenth is about everybody\u2019s freedom,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name Juneteenth combines two words: June and nineteenth, and the holiday commemorates June 19, 1865. That was the day when the last enslaved people in the U.S. finally became free.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Emancipation Proclamation was supposed to end slavery throughout the U.S. in 1863, but it took more than two years for Union soldiers to free people in Texas, which had remained a Confederate Territory after the Emancipation Proclamation. Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas on June 19, 1865, and read a decree declaring freedom for more than 250,000 formerly enslaved people in Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Long celebrated in the Black community with parties, barbecues, concerts, parades and more, Juneteenth is now a celebration for people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. And more and more states across the U.S. now celebrate Juneteenth as an official holiday.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Juneteenth became <\/span>a formal holiday in Colorado in 2022<\/span><\/a> and is celebrated in communities across the state on and around that date.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where to celebrate Juneteenth in Colorado<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are plenty of ways to celebrate Juneteenth in Colorado. Here are some of the major Front Range events.<\/span><\/p>\n

Colorado Springs’ Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival<\/b><\/h3>\n

Attend the Southern Colorado Juneteenth Festival<\/a>, which is free and takes place at the Norris Penrose Indoor Event Center in Colorado Springs on June 20-21.<\/span><\/p>\n

The event celebrates cultural diversity and unity through food, music and fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a platform for performances, poetry, dancing, stepping, flipping, break dancing and more. We\u2019ve done rap and R&B,\u201d said Smith, who with her husband owns OneBodyEnt<\/a> and produces the event<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to great entertainment, people will be able to enjoy delicious food.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Red is a special color for Juneteenth, so people celebrate with red foods. <\/span>There will also be barbecue, along with foods from around the world, including Indonesian, Jamaican and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom hearing about emancipation to enjoying good music, speeches from kids and laughter, we\u2019ll have a lot of fun,\u201d Smith said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival<\/b><\/h3>\n

Denver residents have a rich tradition of celebrating Juneteenth. Barbecues, parades and concerts have commemorated Juneteenth since at least the early 1950s in Denver\u2019s <\/span>remarkable Five Points neighborhood<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Dubbed the Harlem of the West, Five Points became a mecca for legendary jazz performers, including\u00a0Duke Ellington<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Billie Holiday<\/a>.<\/span> Five Points is named for the star-like intersection where five streets converge near downtown Denver. Now, Five Points is the place where Denverites gather to celebrate unity and freedom for all people during Juneteenth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Juneteenth Music Festival<\/span><\/a> takes place this year on June 20th.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Denver\u2019s Juneteenth celebration, long known as one of the largest in the U.S., also features <\/span>Denver\u2019s longest-running parade<\/span><\/a>. As many as 5,000 people march in the parade each year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fort Collins’ Juneteenth Celebration<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Juneteenth festivities in Fort Collins<\/span><\/a> begin on the Juneteenth holiday, with a youth night on Friday, followed by concerts and the main celebration on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Fort Collins Juneteenth celebration will feature a vendor market \u2014 led by Black and Brown business owners \u2014 along with food trucks, live entertainment, face painting, educational opportunities, a TikTok dance party and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Longmont 2026 Juneteenth<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The city of <\/span>Longmont hosts its Juneteenth celebration<\/span><\/a> on Saturday, June 20, in Roosevelt Park.<\/span><\/p>\n

Longmont\u2019s Juneteenth gathering focuses on freedom and on celebrating youth and brave new beginnings. The celebration features food, live entertainment and special musical guests.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn more about the history of Juneteenth in Colorado and across the U.S.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Visit Denver\u2019s <\/span>Blair Caldwell African American Research Library, <\/span><\/a>located in Denver\u2019s historic Five Points neighborhood. The library is home to a remarkable collection that documents the history of Black people in Denver and Colorado.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn about the history of Juneteenth in the U.S. <\/span>The Smithsonian\u2019s National Museum of African American History & Culture <\/span><\/a>includes a wonderful collection of original documents and research resources related to Juneteenth. Of course, visitors can see this remarkable museum in person in Washington, D.C. But anyone can conduct research online.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn <\/span>why the color red and red foods are special symbols<\/a> of resilience and joy for Juneteenth<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What happened on the first Juneteenth<\/a> on June 19, 1865?<\/span><\/p>\n

Search records of the Freedmen’s Bureau<\/span><\/a>. During the initial hopeful period following the Civil War, Congress created the Freedmen\u2019s Bureau in 1865 to support formerly enslaved people. Unfortunately, following a period of great hope for newly freed Black people in the 1860s, <\/span>violence and discrimination escalated during Reconstruction<\/span><\/a>, especially in southern states where discriminatory laws took hold during <\/span>the Jim Crow era<\/span><\/a>. It took nearly 100 years after the Civil War for U.S. leaders to deliver the promised civil rights to Black Americans. Some pledges \u2014 <\/span>including the famous broken promise, \u201c40 acres and a mule,<\/span><\/a>\u201d which was supposed to help former enslaved people start new lives \u2014\u00a0never came to pass.<\/span><\/p>\n

Celebrate songs of survival and freedom<\/b><\/h2>\n