Juneteenth Celebration

Click here for photos from the 2026 Juneteenth Cookout

The Village is hosting its annual Juneteenth community cookout from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 13.

Start the day with the Village of Oak Park at our Juneteenth Cookout, featuring two comedians, two bands, a DJ, line dancing, games, activities, food, and plenty of community joy.

Connect with neighbors while enjoying delicious eats. Don’t miss out on a day full of smiles, stories and soul food.

Anyone planning to attend is encouraged to reserve a spot so organizers can have an accurate count for the free, family-friendly event.

Reserve a spot

Click here for photos from the 2026 Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony

The Village's annual Juneteenth celebration will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10 at Village Hall.

Join us as we raise the Juneteenth flag in honor of freedom, resilience, history, and the continued pursuit of equity. The evening will include light bites, poetry, music, and opportunities to learn more about Oak Park’s history, the significance of Juneteenth, and the continuing legacy of freedom and civil rights in our community and across the country.

Anyone planning to attend is encouraged to reserve a spot so organizers can have an accurate count for the free event.

Reserve a spot

Forest Park Juneteenth Pool Party

After the cookout on June 13, head over to Forest Park and keep the celebration going at their Juneteenth Pool Party from 7 to 9 p.m., where there is always food, fun, and fellowship. 

Oak Park and Forest Park are proud to collaborate in giving this remarkable day the attention, energy and celebration it deserves.

History Bike Tour: Stories of African American Oak Parkers

Celebrate Juneteenth with the Oak Park River Forest Museum and learn about the contributions and influence African Americans had on our two villages.

Grab your helmet and your water bottle and ride your bicycle over to Oak Park River Forest Museum for a bicycle tour led by Executive Director Frank Lipo on Thursday, June 18. We’ll meet in front of the museum, 129 Lake St., and the tour, expected to last about two hours, will begin at 6 p.m. The tour will stop at several of the sites included in Black History Bike Tour booklet, including Oak Park Village Hall, Julian Middle School and the former Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.

More information and registration

Juneteenth has long been recognized as an important day among many Oak Parkers, and the Village Board made it official in 2020 when it voted unanimously to support a proclamation to formally observe the holiday every June 19.

Juneteenth has since been recognized as both a state and federal holiday.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when a U.S. Army general read orders in Galveston, Texas that all previously enslaved people were free.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation had formally freed them almost two and a half years earlier, and the American Civil War had largely ended with the defeat of the Confederate States in April, Texas was the most remote of the slave states, with a low presence of Union troops, so enforcement of the proclamation had been slow and inconsistent.

Through the years since, Juneteenth has offered an opportunity celebrate freedom and equal rights in the United States.

Learn more about Juneteenth in this 2003 segment from VOP-TV in which Community Relations Director Cedric Melton provides background about the holiday: