May 18, 2026 Submitted By The Hingham Unity Council (Photo Credit To Daniel Davis)
The Hingham Unity Council (HUC) and our community partners are excited to announce the sixth annual Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration on Friday, June 19, 2026, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. All are welcome to meet us at the bandstand at Hingham Harbor to enjoy live music, engaging activities, offerings from artisan vendors, craft beer, and good food at this free community event. Once again this year, mostly all of our event vendors are BIPOC-owned.
A fun line-up awaits!
Activities start at 4:00 followed by presentations, performances, and live music until 7:00.
Regie Gibson, Massachusetts Poet Laureate
For kids:
- Face painting
- Balloon art by A Dawning Experience
- Relay races presented by Duxbury For All
- Sensory station presented by Abington ASPIRE and First Parish of Norwell
For everyone:
- Musical entertainment by The Woo Factor Band, a premiere Boston-based band made up of longtime friends and top-tier musicians, and Beats, Rhymes & Life, a Hip-Hop Therapeutic Activity Group at Children’s Services of Roxbury (CSR) that specializes in creating engaging and interactive experiences for adolescents
- A display of Freedom Posters made in collaboration with local historians and South Shore Historical Societies including Hingham, Norwell, and more
- Artisan market featuring offerings by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) vendors
- Tunes spun by DJ Jeff 2X
- Student performers including a spoken word artist and vocalist
- Black National Anthem sing-along
- Presentation of the 2026 Juneteenth Student Art Contest winners
For refueling:
- Beer Garden serving craft brews from local favorite Vitamin Sea Brewing
- Cafe Juice Up
- Lemon Lush
- Murl’s Kitchen
- Shea Butter Smoothies
- Rhythm Knights Catering
- Ruby’s BBQ
Artisan Market
Once again this year, the event will feature an array of amazing offerings from various local BIPOC-owned businesses including earth-friendly, non-toxic candles and on-site candle making by Candle Lux; sustainable, eco-friendly beach apparel from Scituate Surf Co.; artwork by fine artist Robyn Thompson-Duong of Hanover, who designed the 2023 Juneteenth commemorative t-shirt; home decor and textiles from Ankhara by Luciana; and beautifully curated jewelry by LBM Jewelry and more.
Thank you to our partners
We are partnering with other South Shore community organizations for planning and executing this event. Thank you to Duxbury For All, Abington ASPIRE, and First Parish Church of Norwell.
Learn more about Juneteenth
What is the Black National Anthem?
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a hymn affectionately referred to as “the Black National Anthem,” based on a poem written in 1900 by James Weldon Johnson. In the 1920s, it was adopted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as the official Negro National Anthem.
What is Juneteenth?
On June 19, 1865 (“Juneteenth”), Union soldiers enforced President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and freed all remaining enslaved people in Texas, two months after the South’s official surrender in the Civil War and two and a half years after the proclamation went into effect. Also known as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day, Juneteenth originated as a Texas holiday to celebrate the end of slavery throughout the United States.
Why celebrate Juneteenth?
No matter who or where you are, Juneteenth is worthy of celebration. It has been celebrated since 1866, mostly by Black Americans, but it is important for every American to recognize it as a turning point in our nation’s history in forming a more perfect union.
Don’t miss it!
Juneteenth Freedom Day Celebration
June 19, 2026
4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Bandstand at Hingham Harbor
Free and open to all. No advance registration required.
Learn more at: https://hinghamunity.org/event/6th-juneteenth-celebration/
For more information about this and other upcoming events and initiatives, join the Hingham Unity Council email list and follow Hingham Unity Council on Instagram and Facebook. Questions can be emailed to info@hinghamunity.org.
Formed by members of the Hingham community in the fall of 2019, the Hingham Unity Council is part of the South Shore Unity Council, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.