Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival Returns For Its 4th Annual Festival
Today, Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival —Los Angeles’ annual, free celebration of Black culture and community—announces its return to Leimert Park Village this June 18th for its fourth year. Organized by Still Rising Corp., the 2022 edition of the South LA tradition will once again unite the community with a curated lineup of art, music, food, and educational activities dedicated to honoring Black freedom, history, and culture.
Kicking off at 12:00 p.m. PT to 9:00 p.m. PT, the festival will feature a number of other live performances, including Overdoz, DJ Battlecat, Alex Isley, Kenyon Dixon, Cocoa Sarai, Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation, Six Sev & Pray For The Hood, and Thurz & Party In My Living Room. Other official partners of the event include Motown Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc., LA Metro, Def Jam Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc., Los Angeles Times, Union + Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival, the ECWA Neighborhood Council, LACMA, SESAC, Chase, Tec Leimert + GOAT, Virgin Orbit’s Black Alliance Movement (BAM) + Astronaut Lab.
Rotation, the hip-hop/R&B brand from Amazon Music, is excited to support the mission of Still Rising Corporation by curating ‘Live on Leimert,’ the main stage of the festival. Coinciding with the third anniversary of the launch of Rotation, the lineup for the stage honors the next generation of hip-hop/R&B artists, including Buddy, Masego, and Smino. This collaboration is just the latest effort of “Credit The Culture,” the ongoing celebration of Black Music Month from Rotation and Amazon Music. Throughout the month of June, Amazon Music will release new Amazon Originals from artists like Coco Jones, BLEU, and more; debut new playlists serving up music across hip-hop, Afrobeats, and R&B; and livestream some of the most important events happening during Black Music Month.
DJ Qwesscoast, one of the organizers of the event, added, “The Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival is the largest event in the history of the area, celebrating all things that elevate Black culture.”
“Leimert Park Rising is special. Every Juneteenth, the festival has been an essential celebration of Black freedom and the culture that has grown from it,” said Tim Hinshaw, Head of Hip-Hop and R&B for Amazon Music. “In the spirit of Black Music Month, Rotation is honored and humbled to be a part of this annual celebration, and we hope that the stage we’ve curated with the festival helps bring together the Leimert Park community.”
“I’m proud to support this year’s festival,” said Herb Wesson, Councilman for City District 10 and the 2nd African American to ever serve as Speaker of the California State Assembly. “Juneteenth is not only a day of celebration for freedom and emancipation but a day of pride for so many communities. It’s time to reflect and re-dedicate ourselves to action.”
Every year since June 19th, 1865, the Black community has come together in the spirit of freedom—a freedom that still prevails despite systemic threats to existence. Forty years ago, Robert Leonard began the tradition of Juneteenth in Leimert Park Village, which has been celebrated in varying ways in the years since. In 2018, a few dedicated creatives came together to put on the first-ever Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival. True to the essence of Leimert Park, this event continues to celebrate Black freedom by honoring the ancestors and our community through art, music, food, and education and has continued to be a cornerstone of the community.
For more information, please check out Leimert Park Juneteenth Festival @LeimertParkJuneteenth on Instagram or (leimertparkjuneteenthfestival.com)
