Juneteenth 2023: Here Are the Concerts, Events You Need to Add to Your Calendar

We know you probably have your own Juneteenth cookout planned, but just in case you don’t want to go through all the trouble of cooking, cleaning and hosting, there are some really cool festivals happening around the country. Many of them feature concerts headlined by superstars, including, Jennifer Hudson; Method Man; Jazmine Sullivan; and Kirk Franklin.

In horror movies, for some particular peculiar reason, Black characters always seem to get killed first. But what happens if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black? Then who dies first? Directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like a Man, Barbershop) and written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, The Blackening finds a hilarious and thoroughly entertaining way to answer that very question—with a little help from Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Jay Pharoah, and Yvonne Orji.

There’s the spades, there’s the Electric Slide, and it’s quite possible The Blackening will become required viewing at the next Black Card induction ceremony. So please don’t get yours revoked and make sure you check out what could end up being the best movie this summer when it hits theaters on June 16.

If you’re looking for a cool place to celebrate Black culture, look no further than Los Angeles’ Leimert Park Village. This year’s Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival will be headlined by Grammy-winner Jazmine Sullivan. The fifth annual event takes place Monday, June 18 and will be live-streamed from 7 p.m. - 12 a.m. ET/4 p.m. - 9 p.m. PT on Prime Video and Amazon Music’s Twitch channel.

The event also features a main-stage screening of Generational Queens. These short films from Amazon Music star an Black, all-female cast and centers around “the first lady of hip-hop, Queen Latifah, and her groundbreaking, respect-demanding feminist anthem ‘U.N.I.T.Y.’”

CNN is once again presenting the Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom concert, which airs live Monday, June 19 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CNN and OWN. Musical directors Adam Blackstone and Questlove will be joined by performers Miguel, Kirk Franklin, SWV, Davido, Coi Leray and Jodeci.

I love belting out “Weak” as much as the next person, but considering all the drama we’ve seen from the group lately, is SWV still expecting to perform on a big show like this?

Curated by Kamasi Washington and Herbie Hancock, and hosted by the incomparable Arsenio Hall, summer’s biggest block party makes its triumphant return with the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival set to kick off on Saturday, June 17. And with a lineup that includes Bell Biv Devoe, Samara Joy, Ledisi, and the West Coast Get Down featuring Leon Bridges and Raphael Saadiq, you’d be a fool to miss out on what promises to be a spectacular event.

This Saturday, June 17, Houston’s Emancipation Park Conservancy welcomes everyone to its annual Juneteenth Celebration at Emancipation Park. Featuring a fun run and music festival, the free event commemorates the day that Texas’ enslaved population learned of their freedom and the founding of Emancipation Park by freedmen just seven years later.

The park’s celebration kicks off at 7 a.m. with the inaugural Freedom Walk & Run, which weaves a two-mile path through the neighborhood encompassing Emancipation Park. The festivities continue at 3 p.m. with a music festival featuring performances by dynamic gospel, zydeco and R&B artists, including V. Michael McKay, Step Rideaux, Lakeside and The SOS Band.

If you’re a musical theater fan, this is the Juneteenth concert you’ve been waiting for. Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth is scheduled to take place in Times Square on Sunday, June 18 from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET, rain or shine. However, if air quality issues persist in the northeast, things could change. Black artists from various shows including, A Beautiful Noise; Chicago; Harry Potter and the Cursed Child; MJ The Musical; New York, New York; SIX; Some Like It Hot; and Sweeney Todd will perform. But the big headliner is a sneak peek of the Broadway revival of The Wiz.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden will host a concert celebrating Juneteenth on the South Lawn of the White House on June 13. Announced performers include Jennifer Hudson; Audra McDonald; Method Man; Colman Domingo; Ledisi; Patina Miller; and Step Afrika!

Because I love when worlds collide, I need to see hip-hop legend Method Man and six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald sing a new version of his classic “All I Need.” And since they co-star as Shug and Mister in the upcoming The Color Purple movie musical, I’m expecting to get a duet between Jennifer Hudson and Colman Domingo.

The National Juneteenth Foundation will be running back its 3rd annual Freedom Festival this weekend. The festivities are set to begin on Thursday, June 15, with an HBCU President’s Forum. Afterward, expect performances from Ashanti, Ja Rule, and others, in addition to a black-tie event that will recognize industry legends such as Chuck D. and Herbie Hancock, as well as community leaders like Tameka Mallory.