“As a kid, state Sen. James Coleman associated Juneteenth with the food and festivity: turkey legs, candy and grabbing a new shirt from one of the many vendors who lined the street in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. “It was like our Fourth of July,” Coleman said. As he grew up, and especially as he … [Read more…]
“Organizers of the Juneteenth Music Festival and Parade in the Five Points neighborhood expect more than 50,000 people to come out over the course of the weekend, and are working with vendors and city leaders to have crowd control and security measures in place. Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery in the United … [Read more…]
“Five Points has roots deep in Denver’s Black history. By the 1930s, 75% of Denver’s Black population lived in Five Points. Alongside tense and violent racial realities, music once again acted as a buoy for the neighborhood spirit; a beacon of culture and joy for the vibrant community. Sometimes called the “Harlem of the … [Read more…]
“Denver Arts & Venues has announced a return of the live festival on June 4, 2022, and is now accepting applications for 2022 performers and proposals for a 2022 festival producer. “After two long years with no physical festival, we’re thrilled to announce the return of an in-person Five Points Jazz Festival – the … [Read more…]
“Juneteenth is the newest federal holiday, but it’s been celebrated in Colorado for decades. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas — two months after the Confederacy had surrendered. That was also about 2 1/2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed … [Read more…]
“Norman Harris III stopped every minute or two along Welton Street to chat. “That was my son, Brenden,” Harris said during a lunchtime, three-block walk in which he also greeted business owners, residents and friends in the Five Points neighborhood, Denver’s historic center of Black culture. Fist bumps and smiles welcomed him amid the … [Read more…]
“Denver’s Juneteenth Music Festival is back with a hybrid 10th anniversary celebration. Guests can visit Denver’s Five Points neighborhood and/or Levitt Pavilion to enjoy live music, dance, food, vendors and more. Denver7 is a proud sponsor of the Juneteenth Music Festival. Juneteenth celebrates the day African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom two … [Read more…]
“The in-person presentation of the 2021 Five Points Jazz Festival will be delayed due to the combination of health concerns and economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, Denver Arts & Venues announced Thursday. The festival, traditionally held in May in Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood along Welton Street, has a storied history in showcasing … [Read more…]
“For Norman Harris, Juneteenth has always been a family affair. But this year, Harris is also a new father in the middle of a pandemic and a surge of anti-racism and police brutality protests. While the celebration will look a little different, he’s bringing the same energy he gets from black leaders in Denver … [Read more…]
“Every year, June 19 marks the late emancipation of slaves in the United States, otherwise known as Juneteenth. Here in Denver, Juneteenth has been commemorated for the past nine years by the Juneteenth Music Festival, taking place in Five Points. It has become one of the largest Juneteenth celebrations in the country. Though coronavirus … [Read more…]