SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Communities across the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry are preparing to celebrate Juneteenth with festivals, live music, food, cultural performances, family-friendly activities and programs honoring Black history and freedom.

Juneteenth, observed June 19, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

This year’s celebrations include events in Savannah, Port Wentworth, Hilton Head Island, St. Helena Island and Jasper County.

Below is a guide to Juneteenth events happening across the region.

Event details

SAVANNAH, GA

Savannah Juneteenth Festival

Date: Saturday, June 20

Time: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Location: Wells Park, Savannah

Details: Free festival featuring live music, cultural performances, food vendors, community resources, a kids zone and family activities. Special guest Jimmy Lloyd Brown of Brick & JD Music.

Roots and Rushes: Juneteenth Free Family Day

Date: Saturday, June 13

Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Location: Telfair Academy and Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters

Details: Basketry demonstrations, workshops, family art activities, specialized tours and presentations celebrating Black craftsmanship and Gullah Geechee culture.

PORT WENTWORTH, GA

Fourth Annual Juneteenth Celebration

Date: Friday, June 19

Time: 5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Location: Behind Port Wentworth City Hall, 7224 GA-21

Details: Free community celebration featuring food trucks, vendors, historical storytelling, a children’s area and live entertainment. The city will also present the Frances Bright Johnson Humanitarian Award to Sen. Derek Mallow.

Entertainment Includes:

• Kwanzaa 365
• Kimberly Gunn
• Dadd’s Production’s Corporate Band with Tamekha
• The Mary Davis Experience

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C

Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park Juneteenth Festival

Date: Saturday, June 13

Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Location: 40 Harriet Tubman Way

Details: Live music, Gullah foodways, cultural performances, arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, youth performances, dance contests, karaoke and family activities.

Headliner: Stokley of Mint Condition

Admission: $10; children 10 and under free

Juneteenth Campfire, Conversation & Sleepover

Date: Thursday, June 11

Time: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Location: Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park

Details: Historian Joe McGill leads an evening of storytelling, Gullah-inspired cuisine and discussions about Lowcountry history.

Children’s Drum Camp

Date: Friday, June 12

Time: 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Location: Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park

Community Drum Circle

Date: Friday, June 12

Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Location: Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park

Juneteenth 5K Run & Walk

Date: Friday, June 19

Time: 9 a.m.

Location: Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park

ST. HELENA ISLAND, S.C.

Penn Center Freedom Day Celebration

Date: Friday, June 19

Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Location: Penn Center

Details: Free food, live music, museum admission and cultural programming at one of the nation’s most significant Gullah Geechee historic sites.

JASPER COUNTY, S.C.

Seventh Annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration

Date: Saturday, June 13

Time: Noon – 5 p.m.

Location: Mitchellville Community, 128 Mango Drive

Details: Community celebration featuring food, music, vendors and family activities.

Theme: “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future”