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.
Washington DC, White House
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.
Los Angeles, Leimert Park
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.’”
Hollywood, Greek Theatre
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?
New York City, Times Square
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.