Thousands expected as Pittsburgh's Juneteenth celebration continues to grow

Preparations are underway for Pittsburgh's 2026 Juneteenth celebrations.

Friday marks the day when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were freed, two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The people celebrated then. Now, 161 years later, those celebrations continue.

Margo Marshall and her husband, B. Marshall, are the organizers of the three-day Juneteenth festival in downtown Pittsburgh this weekend.

 It's one of the biggest in western Pennsylvania, fitting for a city whose waterways provided a path to freedom.

"This backdrop shows us some of the safe houses. This backdrop shows what happens before there is a Juneteenth. The fact that enslaved individuals had no real options in order to pursue their freedom other than self-liberation, running away, taking their freedom, or trying to find places where they could find sanctuary or remaining in bondage," explained Alonna Carter with the Heinz History Center.

In 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday. Margo Marshall said Pittsburgh has been celebrating that freedom for more than 10 years, and it keeps getting bigger.

"It's been about 13 years, and no, we did not expect this," Margo said. "It makes us feel really good because we started out very humbly, so we're very proud that we have grown so much organically."

The event brings in thousands of people. There will be more than 100 vendors, performances by Lloyd, Musiq Soulchild, Fabolous, and more.

The free festival will take place throughout Market Square, on Liberty Avenue, and in Point State Park.