Celebrate Juneteenth in Long Beach
Founded in 2021 by Carl Kemp, Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration has quickly become a signature summer event in Long Beach and one of the largest Juneteenth festivals in Southern California. Featuring a full day of performances, activities, art, and food, this year’s fifth annual festival takes place on June 14, 2025, and carries on Long Beach’s tradition of commemorating the end of slavery in the United States and honoring Black history.
PERFORMANCES
Headlining this year’s Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration is Grammy-winning R&B singer-songwriter Lalah Hathaway, daughter of the legendary soul artist Donny Hathaway. The stage will also host other talented singers, DJs, and a Black Greek step show featuring local African American fraternities and sororities.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES
Largely a volunteer effort, Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration organizers take pride in making the event feel like a family reunion, with large groups gathering for connection and celebration under Long Beach’s summer skies. Beyond the stage, festival goers will be able to enjoy family activities in the children's village, including face painting, arts and crafts, games, and more. Bring the whole family to enjoy the good vibes.
FOOD & DRINKS
As in years past, local food trucks and Black-owned restaurants will be on hand serving up delicious food and refreshing drinks throughout the festival. Attendees are welcome to bring low-back lawn chairs to enjoy their picnic on the green.
TICKETS & LOCATION
The Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration will be held on June 14, 2025, at Rainbow Lagoon Park (400 E Shoreline Dr) from 10:30 AM to 8 PM. Parking is available in the Marina Green Parking lot across Shoreline Drive. Admission is free, but you must reserve tickets through Eventbrite. VIP tickets are also available, getting you a reserved seat near the stage. For more updates, follow @lbjuneteenth on Instagram.
Touching history
As in years past, the celebration will also present and honor the history of the Black experience. To give the community, Kemp said, “an up close and personal look at Black history while at the same time celebrating our potential.”
The oldest nationally celebrated observation of the ending of slavery in the United States, Juneteenth commemorates Union soldiers, on June 19, 1865, landing at Galveston, Texas and announcing the Civil War had ended and that the enslaved were now free. This was two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, which had little impact in Texas due to the small number of Union troops located there to enforce it. However, with the surrender of Confederate forces in April, 1865, the additional Union troops in Texas were now able to overcome resistance to the Proclamation.
In 2021, President Joe Biden established June 19 as Juneteenth National Independence Day, a federal holiday, calling it “one of the greatest honors I will have as president.”
Explore More
Southern California’s premiere Juneteenth event returns on June 14 with a day-long celebration of Black history and culture featuring live music, family activities, food trucks and more.
June 14
400 E. Shoreline Dr.
Long Beach, California 90802
Website
Long Beach Juneteenth Celebration400 E. Shoreline Dr.
Long Beach, California 90802
