Hundreds gathered in Germantown, PA, on Saturday, June 17, to celebrate Juneteenth with music, dancing, art, food and branded merch.

The 17^th-annual Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival was held at the Johnson House Historic Site, a station on the Underground Railroad. The event attracted around 300 people and 21 sponsors, several of whom were giving away promo products that included mugs, bubbles and more.

Beaded necklaces, flags, pins and magnets were among the merch available at the Philadelphia Juneteenth Festival.

Juneteenth celebrates the official day – June 19, 1865 – when slavery was made illegal in the United States. All around Philadelphia, from Malcolm X Park to Cherry St. Pier, people celebrated the national holiday with festivals, parades and other gatherings. In fact, Philadelphia holds the largest Juneteenth parade in the country, according to 6abc news.

Remembering and honoring history was an important part of the festivities.

“My great grandparents, Jack and Julia, were brought in chains to Philadelphia in 1692 by way of Barbados,” said Robert F. Houston, one of the vendors at the Germantown festival.

Houston is a Civil War reenactor with the Third Regiment Infantry colored troop, which strives to educate the public about the 200,000 Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. “People don’t tell you about this in school,” he said. “I learned about this at home with my family, just like how I learned about the Bible.”

A key feature of this year’s celebration was the unveiling of the first Juneteenth mural in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia’s first Juneteenth mural was unveiled during the festival.

“Philly is a mural town,” said Jania Daniels, a volunteer with Germantown ArtHaus, a community-centered creative hub for the arts.

Painted by Keisha Whatley, founder of the ArtHaus, the mural features African patterns and design elements, broken chains and Black soldiers. Written on the chains in bold letters are the words, “Family, Freedom, Power and Liberty.”

Capital One handed out free water bottles, notebooks, granola bars and sunglasses.

Capital One Bank sponsored the mural reveal. The financial institution had two large tents set up at the festival entrance and gave out logoed coffee mugs, water, cookies and water bottles. Other vendors included the AARP, CBS Philadelphia, Jefferson Hospital, Gift of Life and Germantown Family School.

Equally Informed Philly, a local nonprofit focused on community-based solutions journalism, shared information about the organization, newsletters, maps and infographics – along with crayons, coloring books and bubbles for children.

Music was a huge part of the festival, with gospel singers and tribal drummers among the performers.

Music was another key feature of the festival. Rhythmetrix, a local wellness program that focuses on mindfulness through drumming and movement, had two performers stationed next to the mural to play tribal drums. Along with the percussionists, there were several gospel singers, a saxophonist and African dancers.

Jamaican food, funnel cake, locally crafted beer and homemade cupcakes were among the food options at the Juneteenth festival. Traditional Mexican foods like street corn and agua frescas served in pineapples were also being prepared.

Throughout the Germantown Juneteenth festival, people were dancing, children were painting, and neighbors were catching up while window shopping through the various products and handmade jewelry. Everyone in attendance had one thing in common: an appreciation for American history.