What's Open and Closed for Juneteenth in NH, ME, MA

For the first time on Monday, Juneteenth will be recognized as a federal holiday.

This day commemorates June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to ensure that all enslaved people became free due to the Emancipation Proclamation. It celebrates the end of slavery at the closure of the Civil War, and is sometimes referred to as the nation's second Independence Day.

Juneteenth was first recognized as a holiday by states starting with Texas in 1980, and since then, the day has widely grown. Maine is celebrating Juneteenth as a state holiday for the first time this year. Massachusetts made Juneteenth a state holiday in 2020, and it was celebrated for the first time in 2021.

New Hampshire designated Juneteenth as an "observance" in 2019, which requires the governor to issue a proclamation to "observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities commemorating the abolition of slavery."

In June 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill proclaiming June 19 the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act federal holiday. If the day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it will be celebrated on the closest Friday or Monday.

It is a paid holiday for federal employers and an optional holiday for private employers. The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans said 30% of private employers reported that they are offering Juneteenth as a paid holiday in its Employee Benefits Survey.

Juneteen celebrations on the Seacoast include:

Sunday: Uproar: A Celebration of African American Creativity at the African Burying Ground Memorial on State Street in Portsmouth from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m., organized by the Black Heritage Trail of NH. It is a high-energy performance of music and dance to show how enslaved people used stepping for communication, self-expression, and joy.
Monday: The Art Of Erasure: Gone But Never Forgotten in the parking lot of People's United Bank on State Street in Portsmouth starting at 8 a.m..

What's open and closed on Monday for Juneteenth:

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