Hattiesburg Juneteenth Festival

About this event

The Hattiesburg Juneteenth Festival is a free two-day celebration of freedom held at Vernon Dahmer Park, named for the civil rights leader who gave his life registering Black voters in Mississippi. The festival opens June 19 with a flag raising ceremony, a citywide parade beginning at the Hattiesburg Police Department, gospel, blues and R&B performances, and a fireworks show that evening. Saturday brings a car show, softball, cornhole and pickleball tournaments, a kids zone with rides and swimming, and rows of food, art and craft vendors. The Pine Belt's signature Juneteenth gathering draws thousands across Forrest County and South Mississippi.