Juneteenth 2026 — How Many Days Until Juneteenth?
About Juneteenth
Juneteenth — observed on 19 June — commemorates 19 June 1865, the date when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced that enslaved people were free. This was more than two years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (1 January 1863), which had legally freed enslaved people in Confederate states but could not be enforced until Union forces had control.
The word "Juneteenth" is a blend of "June" and "nineteenth." The day has been observed in African American communities since 1865 — initially in Texas and spreading as Black Texans migrated across the country. It has long featured family gatherings, music, food (red foods like strawberry soda and red velvet cake are traditional), and civic events.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday on 17 June 2021 when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act — making it the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. The holiday is increasingly observed with reflection on the history of slavery, ongoing racial inequities, and African American culture and achievement.
- Juneteenth marks 19 June 1865 — when the last enslaved people in the US were informed of their freedom
- It became a US federal holiday in June 2021 — the first new federal holiday in nearly 40 years
- Texas was the first US state to make Juneteenth an official state holiday, in 1980
- Red foods — strawberry soda, red velvet cake, red beans and rice — are traditional Juneteenth foods
- All 50 US states and Washington D.C. now observe Juneteenth as a state or territory holiday