HOUSTON — On Saturday, the first day of the Juneteenth Culture Fest at Avenida, kicked off with dozens of people in attendance. The event celebrating Juneteenth as the end of slavery featured a pop-up market with arts, food, music and it’s a chance for small business owners to interact with the crowds.

The streets of Third Ward came alive today as Houstonians gathered for the 52nd Annual Juneteenth Parade, a vibrant celebration of freedom, resilience, and Black history.

The Stockton Juneteenth Celebration is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, 1658 S. Airport Way. The event includes poetry, historical presentations, food vendors, and live entertainment.

In honor of Juneteenth and Black Music Month, the Third Ward Cultural District will be offering a bus tour of the Third Ward.

On Jan. 1, 1863, nearly two years into the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of “all persons held as slaves” in the still rebellious states of the Confederacy. But it didn’t mean immediate freedom.

Juneteenth commemorates the events of June 19, 1865, in Galveston, Texas when the last Black slaves of the Confederacy were ordered free.