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When is Juneteenth 2026?
Juneteenth 2026 falls on Friday, June 19, 2026.
About Juneteenth
Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth National Independence Day, falls on June 19 every year and commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The date marks June 19, 1865, when the Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that all enslaved people in the state were free. That came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect on January 1, 1863. The day was made a federal holiday in 2021, the first new US federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Celebrations typically include parades, public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, music, traditional foods and family gatherings.
On June 19, 1865, Major-General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston with around 2,000 Union troops and read out General Order No. 3. It proclaimed that all enslaved people were free and that the relationship between former owners and the formerly enslaved was now one of employer and hired labour. Texas had been the most remote of the Confederate states and the last to come under Union control, which is why the news arrived so late. Juneteenth celebrations have been held in Texas every year since at least 1866, and they slowly spread across the country as Black Americans moved north and west during the Great Migration. Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday, in 1980. By the time of the federal designation in 2021, all 50 states recognised Juneteenth in some form, and the day is now marked nationwide with cookouts, parades, music festivals and educational events.
Frequently asked questions
What does Juneteenth celebrate?
Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States. It takes its name and its date from June 19, 1865, the day Union troops reached Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people there were free. Although President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had taken legal effect in 1863, it could not be enforced in areas still under Confederate control. Texas was the last such state, so June 19, 1865 came to stand for the moment freedom finally reached the most distant enslaved people.
Why is it called Juneteenth?
The name Juneteenth is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. It refers to June 19, 1865, the day the news of freedom reached enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. The word grew up in Texas in the years after 1865 as the community's own name for its annual celebration. It spread gradually with the wider observance of the day, and it is now the official term, used in the federal holiday's full name, Juneteenth National Independence Day.
When did Juneteenth become a federal holiday?
Juneteenth became a US federal holiday in June 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. It was the first new federal holiday created since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. The move followed decades of campaigning, led for many years by activists such as Opal Lee of Texas, and it came amid a wider national focus on racial justice. Federal offices now close on June 19, or on the nearest weekday when it falls on a weekend.
Why did news of freedom reach Texas so late?
The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, but it could only be enforced where Union forces were in control. Texas was the most remote of the Confederate states, with few Union troops and a large enslaved population, some moved there by owners hoping to keep them beyond the reach of Union armies. It was not until the war was effectively over and General Granger arrived in Galveston in June 1865 that the order could be enforced across Texas.
How is Juneteenth celebrated?
Juneteenth is marked with a mix of celebration and remembrance. Common features include parades, street festivals, music and family cookouts, along with public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation and educational events on African American history. Red foods and drinks, such as red velvet cake and strawberry soda, are traditional, with the colour linked to remembrance and resilience. The day is also used to highlight Black culture, achievement and the continuing work for equality. Observances have grown steadily since the holiday gained federal status.