Recap: The 2023 Juneteenth Food Festival

Thank you, community, for joining us at our second annual Juneteenth Food Festival.

It was a magical two days of uplifting Black food and culture in the sacred space of Weeksville that keeps us rooted to our history. We ate, we danced, we laughed and we communed in a way that only we can. Thank you for showing up, showing out, and supporting Brooklyn’s Black owned businesses. Photos by Curt Saunders, Kwesi Abbensetts and Alex Bershaw.

Extending a huge thank you our partner Black-Owned Brooklyn and to all the Black businesses, artists and performers who lent their talents to the festival. Also a special thank you to our funders, who made this event possible: Con Edison, JETS Foundation, NYC Department of Transportation, Office of Senator Roxanne J. Persaud, the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. View the Photo Gallery →

FAQs

What is the Juneteenth Food Festival?

Extending a huge thank you our partner Black-Owned Brooklyn and to all the Black businesses, artists and performers who lent their talents to the festival. Also a special thank you to our funders, who made this event possible: Con Edison, JETS Foundation, NYC Department of Transportation, Office of Senator Roxanne J. Persaud, the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Why a Food Festival to commemorate Juneteenth?

Food has been a part of Juneteenth since the holiday was first observed in 1866. Reflecting this history, the Juneteenth Food Festival features a curated collection of food businesses offering African American fare traditional to the holiday, such as barbecue, fried fish, crab boil, red beans and rice, red drinks, red velvet cake, pies and ice cream. Reflecting Brooklyn’s diverse Black community — a mix of cultures with African roots and shared histories of emancipation — the celebration also offers flavors from regions of Africa and the Caribbean. 

What is Weeksville Heritage Center?

Weeksville Heritage Center is a historic site and cultural center in Central Brooklyn that uses education, arts, and a social justice lens to preserve, document, and inspire engagement with the history of Weeksville, one of the largest free Black communities in pre-Civil War America, and the Historic Hunterfly Road Houses. Learn More →

What is Jummy’s Picks by Black-Owned Brooklyn?

Black-Owned Brooklyn is a publication and Instagram spotlighting local Black business, history and culture, run by husband-and-wife team Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa. Under their Jummy’s Picks banner, they curate selections of high-quality local brands and produce large-scale events — taking Black-Owned Brooklyn from the digital page to immersive community experiences. Learn More →

We encourage you to share photos from the event! We simply ask that you credit the photographers as listed below, along with @weeksvilleheritagecenter and @blackownedbklyn

Photos by Curt Saunders, @curthoranesaunders

Photos by Kwesi Abbensetts, @KwesiAbbensettsarts

Photos by Alex Bershaw, @alexbershaw