Where to Celebrate Juneteenth With Great Food and Drinks in Austin

Juneteenth — the holiday memorializing the end of Black slavery on the date when, two years after the fact, President Abraham Lincoln’s declaration finally reached Galveston, Texas in 1865 — takes place this weekend on Sunday, June 19. To commemorate the day (also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day), there are several food and drink events happening around the Austin and Central Texas region.

Friday, June 17 to Saturday, June 18

• KUTX show the Groove Temple is throwing a two-night Juneteenth-pegged music event with lots of DJs at wine bar LoLo, which will serve up bottles and glasses, plus snacks. Free RSVPs are recommended. It runs from 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday and then from 5 p.m. to midnight on Saturday. (1504 East Sixth Street, East Austin)

Saturday, June 18 to Sunday, June 19

• Stay Black & Live includes a community kickback on Saturday, June 18, and a festival on Sunday, June 19. The Saturday event runs from noon to 4 p.m. and includes educational programs, live music, and complimentary food for the first 300 people. The Sunday concert runs from noon to 9 p.m. and features food from Black-owned food trucks. (at the Carver Museum, 1165 Angelina Street, Central East Austin)
• Texas Farmers Market is hosting a two-day event for Juneteenth. There will also be cooking demonstrations by Sheena’s Pickles’s Sheena Moore and the Cook’s Nook’s Joi Chevalier on Saturday at the Lakeline location. The Lakeline and the Mueller events also feature live music and a grilling bag raffle. Lakeline runs from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday; Mueller runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. (Lakeline: 11200 Lakeline Mall Drive, Cedar Park; Mueller: 2006 Philomena St. at the Branch Park Pavilion Austin, TX 78722)
• Downtown club Cheer Up Charlie’s will be the site of the two-day Juneteenth Jubilee Celebrating Black Excellence event, full of musical artists and DJs, plus food available for purchase by catering company One’s People’s Kitchen. It runs from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m each day. (900 Red River Street, Downtown)

Saturday, June 18

• Several food trucks will gather at Huston-Tillotson University for the Soul Food Truck Fest on Saturday, June 18. The event will feature food like cupcakes and burgers, live music, live cooking demos, retail pop-ups from Black-owned businesses, and more. Buy tickets online.

Sunday, June 19

• The Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group is donating the proceeds on June 19 from all of their restaurants (Canje, Kalimotxo, Emmer & Rye, Hestia, TLV, Henbit, and Ladino in San Antonio) to the Neill-Cochran House Museum. There was also a dinner with Wisconsin chef Adrian Lipscombe at Canje on June 12 benefitting Black Mamas ATX.
• Juneteenth Central Texas is hosting a parade and park festival on Saturday, June 18. The festival features food vendors, live entertainment, and a fireworks show. It goes from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Chestnut House, 1183 Chestnut Avenue, Chestnut)
• The Juneteenth Foundation, Inc. is hosting a charitable barbecue cook-off for the day at San Marcos Plaza Park on Friday, June 17 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, June 18 from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (206 N C M Allen Parkway, San Marcos)
• Nonprofit Bastrop Juneteenth Celebration has a recognition dinner and dance on Friday, June 17 starting at 6 p.m. at the Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center as well as a street dance with food trucks on Maine Street on Saturday, June 18 starting at 7 p.m.
• The Black Families of Hutto Friends is throwing its third-ever Juneteenth event on Saturday, June 18, with a march, speakers, and a festival with vendors and food trucks. The march will end at 1:30 p.m. at Adam Orgain Park, with speakers beginning there at 1:30 p.m. and the festival from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (1001 Co Rd 137, Hutto)
• Music venue and bar the Volstead is hosting a Juneteenth edition of its Bodega Nights event from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. with live music, art, and poetry performances and free burgers starting at 6 p.m. (1500 East Sixth Street, East Austin)

Update, Tuesday, June 14, 1:40 p.m.: This guide, originally published on June 7, has been updated to include additional Juneteenth events.