Thousands crowded Pine Bluff’s Main Street on Friday evening, dancing and enjoying live music in celebration of the nation’s newest federal holiday, Juneteenth.
It was the city’s second annual Juneteenth in the Bluff: Arts & Culture Festival in what’s now dubbed the Delta Rhythm and Bayous Cultural District at Third Avenue and Main Street.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff joined in the festivities, which were also sponsored by the city of Pine Bluff and the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission.
The event was free and open to the public with the crowd estimated at 2,300.
“Juneteenth in the Bluff is more than a festival — it’s a tribute to freedom, resilience and the African American cultural experience,” said George Cotton, UAPB vice chancellor of institutional advancement.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We were blown away by the support in 2024 and thrilled that our partners were just as eager as we were to do it again this year, bigger and better,” Cotton said.
The event included live music, a Cub Club Kids Zone with carnival rides, giveaways, merchandise, food vendors and more.
In addition, there was the HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) Line Dance Challenge. Dance teams, clubs, instructors, sororities, fraternities, colleagues and other enthusiasts were invited to sign up and create the largest gathering of line dancers.
Michelle Corbin, UAPB athletic academic adviser, was manning the UAPB table Friday and was excited by the turnout.
“It’s going very well,” Corbin said.
Prince Holliday V, of Coils Crystals & Culture, was offering his hand-wrapped jewelry and enjoying the crowd, while a few feet away, young Caleb Jones tried the climbing wall.
He made it halfway up the approximately 40-foot wall before losing his footing, but fortunately, he was harnessed.
Undeterred, Caleb said, “It’s fun. I’ll try it again.”
For siblings Kayla and Xavier Clark, who were visiting family, it was a chance to see what Pine Bluff had to offer.
“We’re enjoying it,” Kayla Clark said.
Juneteenth, short for June 19th, commemorates the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally learned of their freedom, about two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
Notably, Juneteenth occurred only seven years before the founding of Branch Normal College, now UAPB.
