Two Okaloosa County cities will host Juneteenth celebrations on consecutive days this weekend, beginning with Crestview’s fifth annual event Friday and continuing with Fort Walton Beach’s celebration Saturday at the Landing.
The Crestview Juneteenth Celebration will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 19 at the Crestview Community Center. Dr. Karen Brown, who organizes the event, said this year’s gathering will feature roughly 52 indoor vendors with additional vendors set up outside, a kids corner, a light show on the stage provided by Florida Power and Light, and the debut of a new Crestview Juneteenth Museum.
The celebration’s signature feature is its outdoor Walk Through History, a trail experience that uses live actors to teach visitors about the holiday’s origins.
- “What makes us a little different from any other Juneteenth celebration that you’ll attend is that we have live actors, and you will walk a trail and learn the history of Juneteenth,” Brown said.
She said the trail covers more than the federal holiday’s roots, encompassing “not only Black history, but American history, military history, world history, and Florida history.”
Crestview Mayor JB Whitten said the city was the first in Okaloosa County to host a Juneteenth celebration. Brown said the event has grown sharply since year one, when about 375 people attended. Last year’s celebration drew more than 1,200 attendees, including visitors from Georgia, Alabama and South Florida, she said.
“We are expecting even more this year,” Brown said.
The City of Fort Walton Beach will host its Juneteenth Celebration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 20 at the Fort Walton Beach Landing, with more than 20 vendors on site. Food vendors will offer wings, chicken dinners, hot dogs and burgers, alongside ice cream and sno-cone stands. A gemologist, informational vendors and local representatives from fraternities and sororities are also expected.
Programming at the Fort Walton Beach event will include water slides, activities and games for children, a historical reading, a fashion show and a line dance group. DJ Mike Ice will provide music, and the Juneteenth Community Dance Team will perform.
City officials encouraged attendees to bring lawn chairs and plan to spend the day.
