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Celebrate Juneteenth in Savannah

By Brittany Howard

From the Weeping Time Monument to Laurel Grove Cemetery, the echoes of freedom reverberate throughout Savannah.

The most jubilant time of year is almost here! Celebrate culture and community during Juneteenth 2026. Enjoy dancing, music, dining, storytelling, family, laughter, and pure joy during this vibrant celebration of heritage and history. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Savannah reflects on the voices and perseverance that continue to define the nation.

All are welcome to join Savannah’s Juneteenth celebrations. Find out more below.

Savannah Juneteenth Youth Fine Arts Festival

May 30 - June 18

May 30, 2026

2026 Dreams Fulfilled Scholarship Gala (Sold Out!)

The 3rd Annual Dreams Fulfilled Scholarship Gala welcomes guests to the grand ballroom at Hyatt Regency Savannah for an elegant Black Tie evening rooted in history, purpose, and celebration. The night begins with red carpet arrivals, followed by an exclusive VIP hour, a curated seated dinner, live music, and a signature auction—all supporting the next generation of young women through the Miss Savannah Juneteenth Scholarship Pageant.

June 10, 2026

Freedom Passed Down: Protecting Our Legacy Through Heirs Property - 2026 Lunch & Learn

Understanding heirs' property, family land ownership, wills, probate, protecting inherited homes/land, and preserving Black family legacy after emancipation and through generations. As part of the 2026 Savannah Juneteenth Fine Arts Festival, their Lunch & Learn Series continues as a meaningful space for education, reflection, and community connection.

June 13, 2026

Savannah Art Museum's Annual Juneteenth Celebration

The Savannah African Art Museum is hosting its annual Juneteenth celebration. The event will honor the past, celebrate progress, and reflect on the cultural significance of Juneteenth through art, storytelling, and shared experiences. Queen Janiqwa Nganga, owner of Isis Moon and Queen of the African Diaspora for the BaTeke people of Congo | DRC | Gabon, will perform a libation ceremony to begin the celebration.

June 18, 2026

Jubilee Impact: Black Voices Shaping the Future - 2026 Lunch & Learn

An engaging conversation centered on voting, advocacy, policy, youth leadership, community organizing, and the continued work of freedom movements within Black communities. This Lunch & Learn will explore how past struggles for justice continue to shape modern leadership, civic engagement, and community impact today.

The Day of Jubilee: Echoes of Freedom

This event honors the spirit of Juneteenth and the long journey from bondage to liberation. Long before the news reached Texas on June 19, 1865, many enslaved people already believed freedom was on the way. They held onto that hope through prayer, song, and faith. When the word finally arrived, it was a moment of awakening. We will use this production to remember that day, and the echoes it left behind.

Fireworks in the sky. — Unity in Fireworks - Juneteenth Day

June 19 - June 20

June 19

Juneteenth Walk To The River

Honor Juneteenth in Savannah with the annual Juneteenth Walk to the River, a meaningful community procession from Wells Park to Martin Luther King, Jr. Park celebrating freedom, remembrance and resilience. Guests are encouraged to gather along the route as Savannah commemorates this important moment in American history.

Telfair Museum’s Juneteenth Free Family Day

The Telfair Museum is hosting its 19th annual Juneteenth Free Family Day Celebration. This event is free for residents from Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, Liberty, Bulloch, Jasper and Beaufort Counties, including free admission into both the Telfair Academy and the Owens-Thomas Slave House & Slave Quarters. Free admission to the two sites from 10 am to 5 pm. Festivities kick off at 1 pm with a “libation ceremony” by Dr. Jamal Toure, who will once again channel the African Spirit on the Jepson Center's front steps.

Jubilee Sky Of Freedom - Fireworks Show

Provides a meaningful setting for Savannah's Juneteenth Fireworks Show—one rooted in the spirit of Jubilee: freedom realized, burdens lifted, and joy restored. For generations, this historic park has served as a gathering place, a place of reflection, and a place of celebration for the community. On Juneteenth, Daffin Park becomes a living expression of Jubilee, where legacy is honored, freedom is affirmed, and the night sky shines as a symbol of renewal, hope, and shared joy.

City of Port Wentworth's Annual Juneteenth Celebration

This celebratory event is free and open to the public and will feature a fun-filled evening for the whole family. With a meaningful blend of education and entertainment, emceed by Pat Gunn, the evening will include food trucks, vendors, historical storytelling, a children's area, and performances by Kwanzaa 365, Kimberly Gunn, Dadd's Productions' corporate band with Tamekha, and The Mary Davis Experience.

June 20

Savannah Juneteenth Festival

Celebrate culture, community and freedom at the Savannah Juneteenth Festival in Wells Park. This vibrant gathering honors Juneteenth with live entertainment, local vendors, food, music and family-friendly experiences commemorating an important chapter in American history.

Jubilee Pour of Liberation

(A ticketed event)

There's going to be something powerful about celebrating freedom on this land — where history meets joy, and legacy flows through every glass.

A Signature Experience of the Savannah Juneteenth Fine Arts Festival, Jubilee Pour of Liberation is an elevated culinary and spirits experience celebrating Juneteenth through Black excellence in food, wine, and craft beverages. Designed for guests 25 and older, this curated gathering will bring together featured chefs, live cooking demonstrations, select wines and spirits, and live band entertainment in a refined, welcoming atmosphere.

Savannah Beyond the Cobblestones

Most visitors don’t realize that Savannah was home to Underground Railroad spaces hidden beneath First African Baptist Church and Second African Baptist Church. Months before Washington, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered an early version of “I Have a Dream” inside Second African Baptist Church.

The Weeping Time Monument marks one of the largest sales of enslaved people in American history, where families were sold beneath relentless rain to settle another man’s debt. The Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters still preserves the realities of forced labor today. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, but many of the stories connected to that history were unfolding in Savannah long before then.

Continue the Journey

From walking tours and museums to storytellers and historic churches, Savannah's African American history is deeply woven into the city’s past and present. Discover more below.