Sandy Springs plans interactive, educational Juneteenth activities

Sandy Springs will present its free, family-friendly 2025 Juneteenth Celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. on June 19 at City Springs with a mix of live performances, educational experiences, and immersive art exhibits.

Collaborations with local arts and educational organizations will include Namari Dance Center, LIQUID Arts & Productions, and the Fulton County Public Library. Organizers will curate contributions from students and community partners to reflect the cultural diversity and historical significance of the day. Highlights include:

Namari Dance Center’s professional artists and students will present “IMANI” — Swahili for faith — a powerful production that tells how spiritual faith sustained enslaved Africans through bondage and into freedom on June 19, 1865. The show traces a journey from enslavement to liberation through dance, vocals, live painting, choir, and spoken word. The production will appear in Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center’s Byers Theatre.

The Juneteenth STEAM Digital Art Exhibition, created through LIQUID Arts and Productions’ STEAM program, will feature immersive digital and augmented reality artworks by local eighth-grade and high school students, on display in Byers Lobby. Students receive training on digital drawing and painting, animation, and more to create a piece that responds to the question: How does knowing history shape our path to peace and harmony?

The City Green will host an outdoor celebration with interactive and educational activities. While several performers and organizations return this year from attending the 2024 celebration, new this year will be a Juneteenth Scavenger Hunt. Other exhibits will include:

Genealogical Research Exhibit, run in partnership with Family Search and the Metro Atlanta Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society.

West African Community Drum Circle, which the release said would be an energizing and joyful Community Drum Circle where all are welcome to bring drums, shakers, tambourines, or any percussion instrument to join in a vibrant, rhythmic celebration of freedom, unity, and culture.

The Juneteenth schedule includes:

• Outdoor Celebration on City Green
• LIQUID Arts & Productions’ Digital Art Exhibition and Experience (Byers Lobby)
• Food trucks, music, games, and activities for all ages
• City of Sandy Springs & Namari Dance Production (Byers Theatre)

This year’s Juneteenth Celebration is presented by the City of Sandy Springs in partnership with the City of Brookhaven and City of Dunwoody.

Sponsorships for the celebration are being provided by Asbury Automotive; Inspire Brands; The Law Offices of Lokey, Mobley and Doyle, LLP; Mercedes-Benz USA; Sandy Springs Together; and The Law Offices of Villard Bastien, LLC. In-kind support for the event is provided by RoughDraftAtlanta.com, KISS 104.1, Family Search, Create Dunwoody, Fulton County Library- Sandy Springs Branch, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), Healthy Youth Foundation, Chef Rob’s Café, Chick-fil-A Northridge, Namari Dance Center, Namari Productions, Djoli Kelen, and Liquid Arts and Productions/PeQue.

For more information and event updates, visit SandySpringsGa.gov/Juneteenth  or follow @CityofSandySprings on social media.

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