Juneteenth is fast approaching. Here are some places to celebrate in Pierce County

Pierce County residents can participate in a number of Juneteenth celebrations this year.

Tacoma Ceasefire, a local nonprofit organization that focuses on violence reduction and community mobilization, will kick off the celebrations with its fourth annual Juneteenth 253 event Saturday, June 17, at Wright Park from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This year’s theme is “We ain’t free, until we all free”.

Candace Wesley, founder of Tacoma Ceasefire, said, “We have to free up our thinking. We have to free up those unhealthy habits that we have that hold us back as people.”

Attendees will be able to enjoy Tacoma Ceasefire’s Juneteenth 253 second annual parade, performances from five local artists as well as food from local vendors, horse rides, a dog show and many other activities.

“We will be having anything that’s going to promote laughter and happiness and that’s what we try to center it around,” Wesley said.

People can also participate in various activities such as karaoke and a co-ed 3v3 basketball tournament that is sponsored by Game Time, a local nonprofit basketball organization that focuses on mental health awareness.

This event is free and open to everyone in the community to join.

“All community members are invited, all ethnicities, all cultures are always welcome to come and celebrate in the festivities,” Wesley said.

The Juneteenth celebrations will continue on Monday, June 19, at Stewart Heights Park, where Metro Parks Tacoma will be hosting a festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The festival will be produced in partnership with WayOut Kids, a local organization that educates kids through multimedia.

The festival will be headlined by R&B singer J. Holiday and gospel singer-songwriter Crystal Aikins. It also will feature eight local R&B, hip-hop and gospel artists.

The festival will host Pierce County’s first Miss Juneteenth Pageant for girls in grades 9-12 . Contestants will have the opportunity to be crowned Miss Juneteenth and win a $1,000 scholarship.

“This is something we wanted to bring back to our community to support our young girls and encourage them to move forward,” WayOut Kids CEO Jerome “JD” Davis said.

The festival’s theme this year is “A road to economic freedom”.

“Our goal is to create an opportunity for economic growth within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) community,” Davis said.

Over 50 vendors will participate in the festival and will include local businesses, trade associations, financial institutions and MultiCare.

There will be people there to help people who want to start businesses, get into trades, find housing and jobs, Davis said.

Along with the live music and vendors, there will be food trucks, a kids play area and face painting.

This Juneteenth festival is just one of four community festivals that will take place this year and that was voted on by the community and funded by Tacoma Creates.

Those interested in being a vendor or a sponsor for Juneteenth 253 event can email all inquiries to juneteenthcelebration253.com.