Iowa Juneteenth Events 2026

June 19, 1865. That’s the day enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, got word that slavery in the United States had been abolished two entire years prior, in 1863.

There must have been grief and anger in that delay, and yet there was also joy. Their celebrations were so memorable that we now replicate them more than a century and a half later. Celebrate Juneteenth in your community and choose joy, too.

Sunday, June 14-Friday, June 19
2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom
West Branch

Wednesday, June 17
Juneteenth Kickoff Concert
6 p.m.
First Christian Church, Keokuk

Thursday, June 18
Crossroads: Celebrating Juneteenth
11:45 a.m.
Plymouth Congregational Church, Des Moines

Thursday, June 18
Juneteenth Jubilee
5 p.m.
State Historical Museum of Iowa, Des Moines

Thursday, June 18
Juneteenth Parade
6 p.m.
Keokuk

Thursday, June 18-Sunday, June 21
NAACP of Black Hawk County 31st Annual Juneteenth Celebration
Waterloo

Friday, June 19
Juneteenth Celebration
5 p.m.
NelsonCorp Field, Clinton

Friday, June 19
Juneteenth and the Civil War
10 a.m.
State Historical Museum of Iowa, Des Moines

Friday, June 19
Juneteenth Poetry Jam & Open Mic
8 p.m.
xBk Live, Des Moines

Friday, June 19
History Retold: The History of Black Culture
5:45 p.m.
Multicultural Family Center, Dubuque

Friday, June 19
Juneteenth Celebration
1:00 p.m.
South District Market Parking Lot, Iowa City

Friday, June 19
Juneteenth Forum
6 p.m.
Belle Center, Mount Pleasant

Friday, June 19
Sioux City NAACP Juneteenth Celebration
5 p.m.
Sanford Community Center, Sioux City

Saturday, June 20
Juneteenth Celebration
12 p.m.
DeEdwin & Gladys White Park, Burlington

Saturday, June 20
Neighbor's Day Celebration
12 p.m.
Western Gateway Park, Des Moines

Saturday, June 20
Picnic in the Park
12 p.m.
Jackson Park, Dubuque

Saturday, June 20
African American Museum of Iowa Juneteenth Festival
12 p.m.
AAMI, Cedar Rapids

Saturday, June 20
Quad City Juneteenth Festival
11:00 a.m.
Downtown, Davenport

Saturday, June 20
Juneteenth 5K
8 a.m.
Rand Park, Keokuk

Saturday, June 20
5th Annual Ottumwa Juneteenth Celebration
12 p.m.
Central Park, Ottumwa

Saturday, June 20
Juneteenth Community Film
9:30 a.m.
Impact Church of Hope, Waterloo

Saturday, June 20
Juneteenth 2nd Annual Car Show & Vendor Fair
11 a.m.
African-American Historical & Cultural Museum, Waterloo

Sunday, June 21
Prayer & Praise: Juneteenth Event
11 a.m.
Multicultural Family Center, Dubuque