‘Our history is American history’: Juneteenth festival returns to Ogden
Participants pose with NAACP Ogden Branch President Betty Sawyer at the 36th annual Juneteenth Festival. Courtesy of Project Success Coalition, 2025
The 37th annual Utah Juneteenth Festival returns to the Ogden Amphitheater on Saturday, June 20, a free celebration offering performances, vendors, and community while honoring African American history.
Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas learned they were free more than two years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. The holiday was first officially recognized in Utah two years ago, though celebrations in Ogden date back nearly four decades.
Organizers said the festival aims to celebrate African American culture and create space for community and education.
The event goes from noon to 8 p.m. and will feature activities throughout the day, including tug-of-war, sack races, dominoes and spades tournaments, and more.
“The theme of this year's Juneteenth is family reunion,” Project Success Coalition (PSC) Program Director Amir Jackson said. “So we were trying to keep in line with that idea of what kind of activities would be present during a family reunion that would get the family together and build community.”
The festival will also host vendors and local artists from the African American community across Northern Utah. Organizers said highlighting local Black businesses and artists allows community members to increase visibility and spark conversations surrounding identity.
Live music will play throughout the event, featuring genres including hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and gospel alongside performances from local bands, artists, and youth groups.
“It’s a wonderful way for us as a community at large to come together and just celebrate,” PSC community health worker Tashelle Wright said. “Especially during times like this where there’s a lot of division.”
NAACP Ogden Branch President Betty Sawyer, who helped lead efforts to establish Juneteenth as a federally recognized holiday, encouraged community members of all backgrounds to attend, saying the celebration offers an opportunity to recognize African American history as Utah’s broader story.
“Our history is American history. Our history is Utah history,” Sawyer said. “Come be a part of writing that history.”
Photos A father and mother pose with their daughter at the Ogden Amphitheater, where the annual Juneteenth Festival is held; A man waves a balloon animal in front of kids at the 2025 Juneteenth festival in Ogden, Utah; A group of individuals walk past a group of booths at the Ogden Amphitheater during the Juneteenth festival in Ogden Utah, 2025; Ms. Juneteenth recipient poses with others at the 26th annual Juneteenth Festival; An artist poses in front of a colorful art booth at the 26th annual Juneteenth festival held in Ogden, Utah, 2025; A barber points to their customers' hair after cutting it at the 2025 Juneteenth Festival in Ogden; Three individuals talk during the annual Juneteenth Festival in 2025; Three cooks, working at a food vender, pose as they sell food to customers at the Juneteenth Festival in Ogden, Utah; A family poses in front of a food vendor at the Ogden Amphitheater during Utah’s 2025 Juneteenth Festival; A small group poses at the Ogden Amphitheater during the annual Juneteenth Festival in 2025; A juvenile rests on a djembe drum as music blares throughout the Ogden Amphitheater during the annual Juneteenth Festival. Photo courtesy of Project Success Coalition