The Galveston Juneteenth parade on June 19, 2025
History

Juneteenth in Galveston

On June 19, 1865, Union troops in Galveston announced that all enslaved people in Texas were free. The Freedom Walk takes you past the places where it happened in about 30 minutes without stops, and the island marks the date with events through June.

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The Freedom Walk
Checked October 29, 2026Freedom Walk 1.5 mi2027 program not yet published

Galveston Juneteenth parade, 2025 · Photo: 2C2KPhotography / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 · Credits

June 19, 1865

Why Juneteenth began here

The Emancipation Proclamation took effect in 1863, but only where Union troops were in control could it be enforced. In Texas there were too few of them, and in places enslavers kept the news from the people they held. So when the Civil War ended, most enslaved people in Texas still didn't know they were free. That changed once Union troops reached Galveston. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 from his headquarters in the Osterman Building on the Strand. It told the people of Texas that "all slaves are free".

Reedy Chapel A.M.E. Church in Galveston
Reedy Chapel AME Church on Broadway, believed to be the last place the order was read in 1865.Reedy Chapel, 2013 Broadway · Photo: Farragutful / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Soldiers, many from the United States Colored Troops, read the order out and posted it around the city. Galveston has remembered and celebrated the date almost every year since. In 1980 Texas became the first state to make Juneteenth a holiday, and on June 17, 2021 it became a federal holiday.

Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the former Confederacy. The 13th Amendment, ratified in December 1865, abolished it in the whole country.

Sources: Galveston Historical Foundation, Visit Galveston: Freedom Walk, Absolute Equality mural, National Park Service: Juneteenth origins

Self-guided

The Freedom Walk

Today's Freedom Walk joins up five Juneteenth places. The first four follow the route the order is believed to have taken in 1865, and Ashton Villa was added later as a place of remembrance. The route is about 1.5 miles: around 30 minutes on foot without stops, longer if you spend time at each one. You're outdoors at most stops, so in June bring water and something for shade. Download Visit Galveston's Freedom Walk map; its guide also has short recordings by local historians.

  1. Pier 21 and the Middle Passage

    Marker at the Galveston Historic Seaport Museum, Pier 22

    Granger's troops landed at this port. The marker remembers the enslaved Africans brought to Galveston, and in 2018 the port was recognized as a Middle Passage arrival site.

  2. Juneteenth marker and Absolute Equality mural

    22nd St and Strand

    Close to where the Osterman Building stood, the Union headquarters that issued General Order No. 3. The Texas Historical Commission put up the marker in 2014.

  3. U.S. Customs House

    502 20th St

    The troops took over this 1861 building. Today a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation hangs by the door.

  4. Reedy Chapel AME Church

    2013 Broadway

    The order is believed to have been read here last in 1865, and the first Juneteenth marches walked here from the courthouse.

  5. Ashton Villa

    2328 Broadway

    Not a stop in 1865 but a later place of remembrance. The order is read here each year at a prayer breakfast, and The Legislator statue honors Al Edwards.

Prefer a guide?

See it with someone who knows these streets

Walking the route on your own is free. With a local guide the places come alive, with the history behind each stop and the stories that don't fit on a plaque. The Juneteenth and Beyond van tour stops at Reedy Chapel AME Church, Ashton Villa and the Strand in 90 minutes, in an air-conditioned van, which counts for a lot in June.

Juneteenth and Beyond van tour
Photo: Juneteenth and Beyond via Viator

Juneteenth and Beyond

5.0 (113 reviews on Viator)

Juneteenth and Beyond van tour

90 minutes · Morning and afternoon

On June 19, 1865, freedom was announced in Galveston and Juneteenth was born. Ride with a local guide to Reedy Chapel AME Church, Ashton Villa and the Strand and hear the island's African American history where it happened.

A Black-owned business, small groups and a guide who knows these streets. A tour you'll be telling people about at home.

  • Air-conditioned van
  • Morning and afternoon tours
  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before

From $50 on Viator

Check Prices & Availability
Good to know
  • Meets: Old Central Cultural Center, 2627 Avenue M
  • Admission to Reedy Chapel and Ashton Villa isn't included
  • Not wheelchair accessible
June 1 to 30, 2027

Juneteenth celebrations

Juneteenth events run through the whole of June 2027. For what to expect, the table further down has the main events of June 2026.

June 19, 2027 falls on a Saturday, in the middle of beach season, so book your room as soon as your dates are set. Two hotels close to the events.

Source: Visit Galveston: Juneteenth 2026. Current events

Juneteenth celebration at Wright Cuney Park, June 19, 2025
Juneteenth at Wright Cuney Park, where the parade ends, on June 19, 2025.Wright Cuney Park, Galveston · Photo: 2C2KPhotography / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Where to stay

Two hotels for a Juneteenth visit

Downtown you can walk to the historic sites; on the Seawall you get the beach as well as the celebrations. The Tremont House is a block from the mural and Nia Cultural Center, and the Grand Galvez is on the Seawall, about seven blocks east of Menard Park. Each hotel's guide has the full details, cruise parking included.

The Tremont House on Mechanic Street with its marquee sign
A block from the mural

Photo: Expedia

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Photos: ExpediaCheck prices on Expedia
Strand district, downtown

The Tremont House

Stay a block from the Juneteenth marker, the mural and Nia Cultural Center, and walk to Reedy Chapel and Ashton Villa in under a mile. Back at the hotel, the rooftop bar looks out over downtown.

Where
2300 Ship Mechanic Street in the Strand district. The rail trolley stops at Strand and 23rd Street
Parking
Valet $36 a night + tax
Pets
Up to 40 lb, $100 fee, not refundable
Pool
None

Good for

  • Starting the Freedom Walk at the hotel door
  • Museums and restaurants downtown

Skip if

  • You want a pool, or the beach outside
Check prices on ExpediaFull hotel guide

Sources: Tremont House FAQ, Marriott overview, Tremont House, Port of Galveston page

The historic facade of the Grand Galvez Resort
On the Seawall near Menard Park

Photo: Expedia

1 / 7

Photos: ExpediaCheck prices on Expedia
Seawall, east end

Grand Galvez Resort

Stay on the Seawall about seven blocks from Menard Park, where the 2026 music festival and fireworks were held. You get a pool, a spa and the beach, and can walk to the evening events.

Where
2024 Seawall Blvd, on the east end. Cross the boulevard for the beach
Parking
Valet only, $35 a day
Pets
Two pets per room, each up to 15 lb, $150 per stay
Pool
Yes, with a swim-up bar

Good for

  • A beach stay with the celebrations nearby

Skip if

  • You want to start the Freedom Walk on foot from the hotel; the Strand is more than a mile away
Check prices on ExpediaFull hotel guide

Sources: Grand Galvez, Marriott overview

Other areas are in where to stay in Galveston and the Strand.

Any time of year

Places to visit

Downtown you pay for parking by the hour, and the lot next to the mural charges a day rate. Rates and payment are in the Strand guide.

  • Nia Cultural Center

    Where2217 Strand, Suite 101What it isHome base and gallery of the Juneteenth Legacy Project, where exhibits by local Black artists change regularlyOpenTue–Fri 10 am–3 pm, Sat–Sun noon–6 pm, closed Mon

  • Absolute Equality mural

    Where22nd St and StrandWhat it isReginald C. Adams' 5,000 sq ft mural on the Old Galveston Square buildingOpenOutdoors, so any time

  • And Still We Rise… exhibit

    WhereAshton Villa carriage house, 2328 BroadwayWhat it isThe Galveston Historical Foundation's hands-on Juneteenth exhibitOpenClosed for now for rehabilitation work, with no reopening date

  • Reedy Chapel AME Church

    Where2013 BroadwayWhat it isThe oldest AME congregation in Texas, founded in 1848; the present church dates from 1886OpenA working church. Look at it from outside, or call (409) 762-2016 to ask about going in

  • Galveston & Texas History Center

    WhereRosenberg Library, 2310 Sealy AveWhat it isBooks, manuscripts and photographs on Juneteenth for researchersOpenTue–Sat 10 am–5 pm; best to book on 409-763-8854 ext. 126

Sources: Nia Cultural Center, Galveston Historical Foundation: And Still We Rise, Visit Galveston: Reedy Chapel. Rosenberg Library. Guided tours: Juneteenth and Beyond runs private Juneteenth Freedom Trail tours by appointment, with a guide riding along on your bus or shuttle. Its Freedom Van Tour costs $50 per adult plus 8.25% tax (phone 409-509-6868); the company doesn't say how long it takes.

June 2026

The main events in 2026

Until the 2027 program is out, this is what happened in June 2026.

Parade and picnic
June 19, 2026, from 26th St and Ball Ave to Wright Cuney Park (41st and Ball)
Music festival and fireworks
June 19, 2026, at Menard Park, 2222 28th St. Free, with the city's fireworks after dark
Emancipation march and family day
June 19, 2026, at Reedy Chapel AME Church
Reading of General Order No. 3
Every year at Ashton Villa, with a prayer breakfast and reenactment
Exhibits and talks
In 2026 these included a Buffalo Soldiers encampment at the Menard House, poetry at The Bryan Museum and a Pullman Porters exhibit at the railroad museum