Juneteenth Celebration

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Marietta.com
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The Cobb County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be co-hosting along with Marietta city, the annual Juneteenth celebration in Marietta Square.

Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery.  The celebration of June 19th was coined “Juneteenth” and grew with more participation from descendants. Juneteenth today celebrates African-American freedom while encouraging self-development and respect for all cultures.

The event will have plenty of activities for the family including live entertainment and 150 vendors offering food, music, information booths, voter registration, raffles, health screenings, NAACP Juneteenth t-shirts and memberships, plus family fun, fellowship and networking for the approximately 50,000+ attendees.

Dates:
June 19, 20, and 21, 2026

Friday, June 19, 2026
All White Clothing Themed Evening Under The Stars: Attendees are requested to dress in all white clothing for an evening under the stars from 6 pm to 11 pm.

Saturday, June 20, 2026
Cultural festival including live music, performances, food, vendors, and more family fun from 10 am to 7 pm.

Sunday, June 21, 2026
Salute to Our Heroes – Happy Fathers Day from 2 pm to 6 pm with live music, soul food, and special tributes.

Location:
Historic Marietta Square and Glover Park in downtown Marietta
50 Park Square
Marietta, GA 30060

Admission:
Free and open to the public

Directions:
From Atlanta, take 1-75 North to exit 263. Follow (West Bound) to Marietta. This road will become South Marietta Parkway 120 S Loop. Follow west about five miles to Atlanta Street. Turn right. Marietta Square is two blocks ahead.

Parking:
Marietta Square Parking

Participation Forms
This event is free and no registration is required to attend.
Completed forms are needed for:

The festival organizers request that dogs and other pets be left at home where there is adequate shade and water. There is not a place on the festival grounds to accommodate pets. They can leave waste and many young children are frightened around dogs of any size.

For more information, please call the Cobb County Branch of the NAACP at (770) 425-5757 or email cobbjuneteenth@gmail.com.

About Juneteenth
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, the day Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with 2,000 federal troops to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of enslaved people. Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on September 22, 1862, and took effect on January 1, 1863, it had little immediate impact on daily life for most enslaved people in Texas because the state remained largely under Confederate control. In reality, Juneteenth came two and a half years after emancipation officially took effect in 1863. That gap between law and reality gives the holiday its historic weight. Juneteenth recognizes the moment freedom was finally enforced in Texas, while also pointing to the brutal truth that many enslaved people remained in bondage long after emancipation had been declared. Today, it is observed as both a celebration of freedom and a reminder that justice often arrives far later than it should.
About The NAACP
The NAACP, which stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is one of the oldest and largest civil rights organizations in the United States. Founded in 1909, it works to protect the political, educational, social, and economic rights of Black Americans and to fight race-based discrimination through advocacy, litigation, public policy work, and grassroots activism. The organization played a major role in key civil rights battles, including school desegregation and voting rights, and it remains active today on issues such as education, criminal justice, health, and democracy.

19 COMMENTS

  2. I drove by the square tonight and was hypnotized by the voices and entertainers on the stage. I had to stop and enjoy. Thank you Marietta for always seeking to provide diversity, harmony and music.

  3. In the City wax Studio is looking forward to fun in Marietta Square. We are a new business in this town and I am looking forward to interacting with the townspeople. SEE YOU THERE

    Brittany
    In the City Wax Studio
    thecitywax.com
    b.waxstudio@yahoo.com

  4. I’m extremely pleased with the NAACP with its rich history advocating for others. I’m proud to support them this year as a Vendor. Please stop by Vendor Tent: KITTY’S CORNER – Boutique Clothing/Fashions, Accessories, Decor, Antiques Vintage Items from Then to Now – One of a Kind Designs.
    Ask for Sarah Riddick Sizes 2-22 and up. Character Bears for the children – Affordable Pricing!

  5. Very excited about this event a Marietta Square!!!

    Also, there will be a fun event on Saturday, June 27th at Jim Miller Park. A Car and Bike Show to support youth scholarships. Come out and support a great cause.

  6. I only caught a pop-up add about this event while looking on another site. This event really needs a LOT more publicity. I and my family (and others connected to us) will be attending this event based on the pop-up add. But had I not been on the internet at the time, I would have known nothing about this event.
    Yes this is relative to OUR history which many of us really have no clue about. So I truly hope its fulfilling, that way we as newcomers will look forward to promoting the event in the future. Definitely more advertising…. Facebook, Instagram, radio station websites – are all good sources of advertisement (mostly free); side note, I also could not find information on the main NAACP website.

  8. Are you doing the June 10th Celebration for 2015 . Let me know I have 3 Artist that i represent out of Dallas Texas and we are looking for exposure or please put me in contact with the contact or promoter for the upcoming event thanks…Kevin AleXander 9726975837

  10. Juneteenth is an important event in our country, marking the official end of slavery. However, we all know it too another hundred to make it work. The Klan reared it’s ugly head in the early 1900s.
    Many blacks were killed along the way. Jim crow laws were enacted to make black life even worst than before. M edgar Everson, EnmittTill, many nameless people were hung, raped, and brutalized along the way. Juneteenth is just the beginning. .
    Where do we go from here?

  11. The Juneteenth concert was a HUGE disappointment. Guess we are still not free….we are certainly not free to run a solid, quality event. The singer who sang the Black National Anthem, ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ didn’t even know the words! Then there was an endless parade of sub-standard performers. And when there was finally a glimmer of hope that the entertainment was improving…when the dance area was packed with dancers…and people were jamming with Ultimate Sound, the sound man pulled the plug in the middle of the performance.

    Whoever chose JP Sound, made a big mistake. Since when does a sound man get to insert himself into an event? And especially when he never got the sound right on half the groups and definitely not on Ultimate Sound. I’m convinced JP Sound couldn’t even mix sound in my bathroom shower!

    This was my first Juneteenth concert. It’s sad that we are still not emancipated from mediocrity! Come on NAACP, you got to do better!

  12. I am taken aback and honestly to say that I am proud would be an understatement. Juneteenth on Marietta Square, WOW! Times are-a-changing :)) Now I only remember siting in the Gazebo on Marietta Square, attending KKK rallies, then crossing over the tracks to eat at the Waffle House ;0 “WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER LET NO MAN PUT ASUNDER!” What a “marriage” in history……is that hotdog shop still on the corner of Marietta Square? They had the best shoestring french fries….

  13. I’m very proud of the Cobb County NAACP for celebrating Juneteenth and Honoring our Ancestors! The College Park Study Group is hosting, an Junteenth/Honoring our Fathers Celebration, on Sunday June 19, 2011 from 2pm-6pm, in College Park, Ga. @ The College Park Housing Authority Property 2000 Princeton College Park, Ga. 30337; College View Apartments @ Freeman court. Free food, Free entertainment, spoken words, family friendly atmosphere, and a keynote address by, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’ s Student Minister, Bro. Stanley Muhammad! For more infomation or sponsorship donations call 404.435.7856 or 404.232.5818 email: collegeparkstudygroup@yahoo.com

  14. I would’ve thought Marietta was one of the last places to host a celebration, but I’m VERY glad you’re doing it. I’m disappointed in the City of Atlanta not having one. I found out about the Marietta celebration last year, but didn’t make it over. I’ll definitely be there this year!!! 🙂

  15. I am a long time supporter of the NAACP, attending leadership conferences and serving in the legal redress clinic in Houston in the mid 1990. I am attending the event today in an effort to reconnect. I am a recently called pastor to a local church in Powders Spring, GA.

  16. I went to this event some years ago. It was a nice put together. I will be bring my father to the event this year!!!

  17. At the moment I’m staying here with my daughter who has been living in Marietta for three weeks now. I live in the Netherlands with my husband.
    I read the article in the East Cobb Neighbor. Compliments to Ms Deane Bonner and Cobb NAACP for this Juneteenth event. I am interested in history and found good information on your site about date and why Juneteenth and the end of slavery in the U.S.A. We will be there too.

  18. I am so glad the Cobb County NAACP is having this event in the City of Marietta! I will be there!

    • It is a awesome event, very fun. Come see our Big Grill at Bryant’s Best BBQ Vendor Booth.

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