CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A new event, sponsored by the Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs, will be held Monday as part of FestivALL Charleston.
The Juneteenth Celebration begins at 3:30 p.m. at Haddad Riverfront Park in Charleston.
It’s a holiday, also known as Freedom Day, that commemorates the June 19, 1865 announcement of the abolition of slavery in the south.
The event is meant to highlight Charleston’s diverse community.
Brittany Javins, director of FestivALL, said they cover a broad range of events and Juneteenth is one of them.
“That’s always the intention — a wide variety of arts experiences, but also just bringing in different aspects from the community. We’re always open to ideas and this is just one example this year,” Javins said.
People from all over the country attend FestivALL each year, Javins said.
“We’re anywhere from 50,000 to 60,000 people,” she said. “Charleston is still coming out. They’re still enjoying it, which is really important, but we’re also bringing in people from outside the community.”
In 2016, Javins said people from more than 23 states attended FestivALL in Charleston.
Event goers, she said, are able to see a variety of art, music, theater and more during the 10-day event.
“I think it has opened up the arts to be accessible to everyone because it brings it into our community,” Javins said.
Monday’s Juneteenth headliner is Step Afrika! — a dance company from Washington, D.C.
Juneteenth also features live entertainment from Unity in the Community Choir, the MLK Male Chorus, Jean English from Harlem Heights, the W3 Dancers, DJ Woody Woods from 98.7 The Beat, games and much more.