Earlier this year, Buncombe County and the City of Asheville voted to make Juneteenth (June 19) an official holiday. With this new public recognition comes an even wider variety of ways to celebrate locally, so we’re breaking down how you can honor this historic occasion all weekend long.
Friday, June 18
From 8 a.m.-12 p.m., MAHEC will kick off the weekend with a virtual dialogue about “The Role of the Black Church in Healthcare.” The goal of the live webinar is to foster dialogue, awareness, and education about current racial inequities in the healthcare system.
The inaugural GRINDfest — a free, 3-day festival that celebrates the official end of slavery, as well as the success of Black entrepreneurs + business owners in Asheville — also kicks off at 7 p.m. at The Magnetic Theatre (375 Depot St.) with the play Savagery, penned by local author and entrepreneur Nicole Lee, along with a poetry slam at 8:30 p.m. ProTip: events continue Saturday and Sunday, so be sure to check the entire schedule here.
Saturday, June 19
The City’s first Juneteenth celebration will take place on Saturday from 12–8 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Park (50 Martin Luther King Dr.). Attendees can expect festivities including music, a bouncy house for kids, vendors + motivational speakers.
GRINDfest continues on Saturday at 8 a.m. in the parking lot across from Grind AVL (346 Depot St.), with a slew of activities including hip-hop aerobics, the Black Wall Street Marketplace, tournament games of spades, dominos, and Uno, a lip sync battle, and more.
Sunday, June 20
There’s also the second annual Juneteenth Soul in the Park concert, which will start at 12 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Designed to honor both living + deceased community members, the event will feature a balloon release,a memorial reading, and saxophone performance, followed by a concert from local funk group Free Flow Band.
GRINDfest goes out with a bang on Sunday with an 11 a.m. yoga class, a fish fry + seafood boil from Chef Clarence Robinson, and community awards.
Looking for more ways to commemorate the holiday? Check out this guide.
