Downtown is coming alive Friday with the fifth annual Juneteenth Jubilee.
It’s the city’s celebration of a federal holiday, held from 5–11 p.m. at Festival Park.
“Curating this significant cultural celebration is both a great responsibility and a tremendous honor,” Ashanti Bennett, president and chief executive officer of the hosting Cool Spring Downtown District, said in a news release. “The opportunity to gather our community in unity and love and amplify the positive contributions and indefatigable joy of the Black community in our history and today is deeply meaningful and resonant.”
Bennett said you can look for nationally touring singing headliners, local performers, food trucks, small-business and corporate vendors, artists and artisans, games, and an evening of entertainment.
Keynote speakers Sheila Cuffee and April Mata take the stage at 7 p.m.
Cuffee is in her second term as an appointee to the N.C. Human Relations Commission and is a past chair of the Fayetteville Cumberland County Human Relations Commission, according to the release. She also serves on the Arts Council of Fayetteville | Cumberland County’s board and is part of the Community Engagement Council for the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine.
Mata is creative manager for the arts council. She is co-founder of Black Artist Forward, a nonprofit dedicated to creating equity in the arts for Black artists in the community.
Juneteenth Jubilee Musical Entertainment
Misha Fair opens the musical entertainment at 9 p.m. Fair is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known for traditional country, alternative country, and Americana song and songwriting. She describes herself as “deep-fried” in folk, gospel, and bluegrass music. Fair spent her early years working in studios with the late Isacc Hayes and members of the S.O.S. Band.
The jubilee musical headliner is Kirby.
Don’t be confused here. I’m not the marquee musical guest for the Juneteenth Jubilee.
The distinction belongs to Kirby Lauryen Dockery, a singer, songwriter, and native of Memphis. She’s worked with noted musicians, including Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Brandy, and Timbaland, and has songwriting credits with Kayne West, Ariana Grande, and Beyonce.
Kirby’s latest release is “Miss Black America,” which is short for Mississippi Black America. The release can be heard on tracks such as “Thick n’ Country,” where the artist, according to the release, pays homage to curvy women like herself.
Kirby is scheduled to perform at 9:45 p.m.
Epilogue
There you have it.
“It’s an opportunity for us to reflect on our past, celebrate progress and unite in our ongoing journey towards a more inclusive and equitable future” Mayor Mitch Colvin said in the news release.
The stage is set for the city’s Juneteenth celebration, with Cool Spring Downtown District organizers telling CityView on Tuesday they are anticipating 20,000 to attend.
On Saturday, the Juneteenth Celebration 5k takes over downtown streets from 7:30–10:30 a.m. The event sold out in 2025.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
