Juneteenth Santa Barbara invites the community to its first-ever Juneteenth Block Party. The celebration marks the fifth year of formally gathering in the city to mark the historical commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.

The free celebration will be noon-5 p.m. Sunday, June 19 in historically Black Santa Barbara, also known as the Funk Zone, 200 block of Gray Avenue.

The event includes free food for up to 200 people at Shalhoobs Funk Zone Patio, local live performances, the return of the Black/African American Artisan Market, and a kids zone with Princess Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog.”

As the celebration coincides with Father’s Day, the event will acknowledge the caregivers in our lives through the theme, Caring For the People. 

Onstage for the event is local Black talent, Vivian Storm, Miriam Dance, Talitha Garbielle, The New Vibe, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, DJ Tim Stone, and MC Jacquelyn Chin. The Black Artisan Market includes: Aiku Apothecary, Angela Cantu, Baked by the Hoods, Cali Moss LLC, COVID-19 Mobile Vaccine Clinic, Elf Kraft, Gateway Educational Services, Healing Justice SB, Healing Space (UCSB), High Resonance Rocks, MLK Jr. SB, Mo Sama, NAACP Santa Barbara, R-Evolution: Dialogues in the Diaspora, The Sea League, UCSB Black Grad Association, Valley in Film, and Warrior Mother Essential Oils & Blends.

Organizers request that social distancing rules apply to this outdoor, in-person event given the nature of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Juneteenth will also feature a collaboration with the city and the architects of Page and Turnbull, who have been working with Juneteenth SB and Healing Justice SBorganizers to preserve and archive local Black history.

The city, through a grant from the California Office of Historic Preservation, has developed a Draft Santa Barbara African American and Black Historic Context Statement that explores the themes, events, people, and places important to the African American and Black community in Santa Barbara.

The goal is to further recognize and understand the history and contributions of the African American and Black community to the city, and identify landmarks and sites of significance.