The Healing Rhythm of the Drums

About this event

The Healing Rhythm of the Drums is a cross-cultural Juneteenth ceremony held at the African Burying Ground Memorial Park in downtown Portsmouth on Friday, June 19, 2026 at 11:00 AM. The gathering opens with a Native American blessing, continues with the public reading of the names of Portsmouth's enslaved Africans interred at the site, and culminates in African drumming and dance honoring ancestors. Free and open to all, the ceremony is one of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire's signature Juneteenth observances and typically draws community members from across the Seacoast region. The African Burying Ground was rediscovered in 2003 during a street project and consecrated as a memorial park in 2015.