Philadelphia to celebrate Juneteenth with parade and festival on June 21: Here's what to know

On Sunday, June 21, the city of Philadelphia will host its annual Juneteenth Parade and Festival.

The celebration, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States – more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued – is set to bring thousands of people, hundreds of vendors and musical acts to West Philadelphia.

Juneteenth is a federally recognized holiday and will be officially observed on June 19, 2026.

Here's what to know about this year's parade and festival, as well as road closures and parking restrictions for the weekend.

Juneteenth parade and festival start times

The Juneteenth Parade will begin at 12:30 p.m. at 52nd and Parkside Avenue, near the Highmark Mann Music Center, and continue to Malcolm X Park in West Philadelphia, where the festival will take place.

The festival begins at 11 a.m.

Both the parade and festival are rain or shine events, but the weather doesn't look to be a problem this year; temperatures are forecast to be in the upper 80s with mostly sunny skies.

Juneteenth festival road closures and parking restrictions

The following street will close at 7 a.m. Sunday:

• South Concourse Drive between 52nd Street and West Memorial Hall Drive
• West Memorial Hall between Avenue of the Republic and South Concourse Drive

The following streets will close starting at 11 a.m. on Sunday and remain closed until the conclusion of the parade:

• Parkside Avenue between 53rd Street and Belmont Avenue

The following street is closing at noon and remaining closed until the conclusion of the parade:

• 52nd Street between Parkside Avenue and Cedar Avenue

The following streets will be closed from 6 a.m. Sunday until about 10 p.m.

• Pine Street between 53rd Street and 51st Street
• Larchwood Street between 53rd Street and 51st Street 
• 52nd Street between Pine Street and Cedar Avenue 
• 51st Street between Larchwood Street and Pine Street
• Osage Avenue between 53rd Street and 52nd Street
• Addison Avenue between 53rd Street and 52nd Street 

All of the streets listed above will be marked as temporary "No Parking" zones from 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. Sunday.

If your car is towed from any of these locations, contact the police district covering the area where the car was parked.

SEPTA detours during Juneteenth celebrations

Two SEPTA bus routes, the 40 and 52, will be detoured from their normal routes on Sunday. Specific changes can be viewed on SEPTA's System Status Page.