NEWSLETTER
The signature event brings 31 Black food vendors to Weeksville Heritage Center for a daylong celebration of diasporic food traditions, community and culture
Brooklyn, NY — On Friday, June 19, Black-Owned Brooklyn and Weeksville Heritage Center present their 5th Annual Juneteenth Food Festival, a daylong celebration bringing together 31 Black pop-ups, restaurants and food trucks. The festival runs from 12–8 PM at 158 Buffalo Avenue, offering a cultural experience that’s part cookout, part block party.
Food has been central to Juneteenth since its earliest celebrations in Texas. The Juneteenth Food Festival carries these traditions into a distinctly Brooklyn context: African American, Caribbean, African and Latin American foodways converge — from Southern fried catfish, barbecue ribs and red velvet cake to Nigerian suya, Haitian patties and Puerto Rican vegan pernil — reflecting the borough’s rich Black diaspora.
Now in its fifth year, the festival has become one of Brooklyn’s largest and most anticipated Juneteenth gatherings. Nominated by USA Today for “Best Cultural Festival,” the event draws thousands to Historic Weeksville each year to honor the holiday.
This year’s lineup features both established favorites and rising culinary talents:
MAINS
Miss Holly’s Smokehouse • Rogers Burgers • GG’s Fish & Chips • Soul Bites • Black Rican Vegan • La Donna Re’s • 2 Girls & a Cookshop • Jase’s BBQ • The Crabby Shack • Trini Bites • Ms. Spudz • Bon Pâtés • Secret Garden • Coco Bred • Mac Shack • Makina Cafe • Brooklyn Suya • Lakou Cafe • Picklejuice • Sassy’s Fishcakes • Angie’s Delightful Bites
DESSERTS & BEVERAGES
Crème & Cocoa Creamery • Doc’s Cake Shop • The Salty Heifer • Patsy’s Rum Cake • Brownstone Cheesecakes • Island Pops • Brooklyn Tea • Hibiscus Brew • Happy Cork • Brooklyn Blend
Beyond food, the Juneteenth Food Festival showcases culture and community, including BEM | books & more, a bookstore dedicated to Black food literature; performances by the champion double dutch team Jazzy Jumpers and Brooklyn United, a celebrated youth drumline group; and line dancing led by choreographer Kendra J. Ross. The day’s soundtrack will be curated by a roster of renowned selectors, including the father-son duo Saint James Joy, DJ Tara, Donwill and DJ Monday Blue.
Event Summary
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What: Juneteenth Food Festival, presented by Weeksville Heritage Center and Black-Owned Brooklyn
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When: Friday, June 19, 2026 | 12 – 8 PM
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Where: Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
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Admission: Free and open to the public; food and drink for purchase
About 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.
About Black-Owned Brooklyn
Black-Owned Brooklyn is a digital platform dedicated to documenting and preserving local Black history and culture. Through social storytelling, community events and documentary film, husband-and-wife team Tayo Giwa and Cynthia Gordy Giwa celebrate the people, places and traditions that shape Black life across the borough.
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