Just a few years after Juneteenth was officially named a federal holiday, San Francisco is celebrating with spirited events and activities across the city, from street fairs to film screenings. Are you ready for an amazing weekend? Read on to discover everything that’s going on during Juneteenth 2025 in San Francisco.
1. Juneteenth Parade
SF’s third annual Juneteenth Parade will proceed down Market Street this Saturday, heading westbound toward Civic Center and City Hall. Watch performers and local neighborhood organizations celebrate Juneteenth in exuberant San Francisco style.
🗓️ Date: June 22, 2025 at 11am
📍 Location: Market Street, starting at Spear Street and ending at 8th Street
🌐 Learn more: Livable City – Juneteenth Parade
2. City Hall lighting
SF City Hall always goes all-out on lighting every June for Juneteenth, Pride, the Trans March, and more. This year, City Hall will be illuminated in red, green, and black in honor of Juneteenth on June 19th and June 22nd.
🗓️ Date: June 19 and 22, 2025 after sunset
📍 Location: San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl, San Francisco, CA 94102
3. Black Gold: Stories Unfold at Fort Point
This temporary exhibition at Fort Point presents the work of 17 contemporary artists and collectives, who tell the story of African American resilience in California from the Gold Rush in 1849 to the Reconstruction Period of 1877. Learn about how Black entrepreneurs fought for legal rights in this “free” state, shaping the cultural and social environment of the time.
🗓️ Dates: June 6 – Nov. 16, 2025
📍 Location: Fort Point National Historic Site, 201 Marine Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129
🌐 Learn more: FOR-SITE
4. Juneteenth with SF Public Library
In honor of Juneteenth, SF Public Library has curated a list of insightful literature that delves into African-American excellence and the significance of Juneteenth. From fascinating biographies to examinations of the holiday itself, consider checking out a few books from their reading list.
🌐 Learn more: SF Public Library
5. I Was Born This Way screening with Frameline49 and MoAD
The Museum of the African Diaspora collaborates with Frameline49 to present a screening of I Was Born This Way by filmmakers Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard. Learn about the story of Carl Bean, a gay, Black gospel singer with an unbelievable story of resilience.
The MoAD is temporarily closed for renovations, but you can visit their website to see other off-site and virtual events.
🗓️ Date: June 19, 2025
📍 Location: The Commons at KQED, 2601 Mariposa, SF
🌐 Learn more: Frameline
6. Isaac Julien: I Dream a World exhibition at the de Young Museum
Renowned artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien presents ten major video installations in his first retrospective in the United States. These works delve into post-colonial themes surrounding race, class, gender, and sexuality. The de Young will also feature Julien’s immersive piece Ten Thousand Waves in Wilsey Court, which is open to the public at no cost and does not require museum admission.
🗓️ Dates: April 12 – July 13, 2025
📍 Location: de Young Museum – 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
🎟️ Tickets: Isaac Julien requires special admission tickets to the de Young Museum.
7. Free concerts at the Bandshell
The Golden Gate Park Bandshell is in the midst of its 2025 season of Illuminate Live, which runs all the way through mid-November. These weekly free and family-friendly concerts are some of the most beloved events in the park. Catch over 100 performances in a variety of genres, including R&B, soul, jazz, funk, big band, strings, indie, rock, reggae, salsa, electronic, and EDM.
🌐 Learn more: Golden Gate Park Bandshell lineup
8. National Park Service free entrance day
In honor of Juneteenth, the National Park Service will host one of this year’s six free National Park Days. Save money on parking, entrance fees, and museums all over the country, including at nearby NPS sites like the Pinnacles, Muir Woods, and even the SF Maritime National Historic Park.
🗓️ Date: June 19, 2025
🌐 Learn more: Read our article about this week’s free NPS day
Past events
Juneteenth Bayview Father’s Day Festival
A Juneteenth Father’s Day Festival takes over Gilman Park with live performances, amusement rides, food, a car show, giveaways, and more. The event runs from 12:00 to 6:00 pm and is a great way to celebrate while enjoying food and live music.
🗓️ Date: Passed – June 15, 2025
🌐 Learn more: Bay View SF Juneteenth
Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
This enormous celebration takes over 8 blocks in the Fillmore District on the Saturday before Juneteenth. It will include live music and performances, a fashion and hair show, a classic car show, dozens of food trucks and booths, a 21+ beer and wine garden, FREE unlimited carnival rides, games, and an obstacle course.
The SF Human Rights Commission usually hosts a kickoff celebration before the festivities at City Hall.
🗓️ Date: Passed – June 14, 2025
🌐 Learn more: SFMTA – Juneteenth Freedom Celebration
A brief history of Juneteenth
June 19, also known as Juneteenth, Emancipation Day, or Freedom Day, is a day that signifies the end of slavery in America. Over 150 years ago, on June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to break the news that the Civil War had ended and that all those who were enslaved were now free, according to Juneteenth.com.
President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had gone into effect on January 1, 1863, and declared every enslaved person in the Confederate States was now legally free. But, Texas, the furthest west territory, was still under Confederate control at the time. So, enslaved people there did not receive emancipation until the end of the war nearly two years later. The day celebrates the triumph, of course, but also shows how long it took for that freedom to be implemented in the far reaches of the Confederacy.
During the post-emancipation period of Reconstruction (1865-1877), most formerly-enslaved populations were left without possessions, land, or resources to begin new lives with. Yet after 200 years of slavery, these populations immediately worked to reunify families, run for office, establish schools, and even sue their enslavers for damages.
The U.S. Senate passed a bill on June 16, 2021, making Juneteenth a federal holiday.
By Jamie Ferrell and Dana Flynn