Preparations underway for the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration-

With Juneteenth just a few days away, the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration Committee is making their final preparations for the weekend-long community event.

Starting Friday there will be events throughout Gulfport celebrating the day in history which signifies the end of slavery, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Saturday morning, the entire community is welcome to attend the Freedom Parade along MLK Boulevard followed by a Freedom Festival at the Amos Croutch Senior Ball Fields which will feature local foods, craft vendors, live musical performances, and dancers.

The three-day celebration will also be a tool to educate the entire community about the meaning of Juneteenth. Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration Committee VP Terri Tyler said, “We want the community to come together. We’re doing this so all– not just North Gulfport– all communities in the Gulfport area come together. We’re also going to talk about Juneteenth so there will be knowledge. Everyone doesn’t know what Juneteenth is. So, we will also be explaining that. We will have acts. The children will get involved. We have the children. We have the youth. We have the adults. We have something for everybody.”

In case of rain on Saturday, Tyler says the committee has a plan B for all of its events.

Check out the Gulfport City-Wide Juneteenth Celebration Facebook page for a full list of events and times.