Juneteenth celebrations in the United States typically include prayer and religious services, speeches, educational events, family gatherings and picnics, and festivals with food, music, and dancing.

Juneteenth celebrates the day on which those in Galveston found out about their freedom, but there are other states across the country, such as New York, Ohio, Mississippi and Florida, that have their own emancipation days. While Juneteenth has become the most prominent emancipation celebration, it is not the only one.

Also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the day in 1865 when Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce the Civil War was over, informing enslaved people in Texas that they were free.