Juneteenth celebrations are back in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - President Joe Biden has signed legislation marking Juneteenth a U.S. federal holiday. Most federal government employees across the country will have Friday off, but there's a three-day celebration planned this weekend in Colorado Springs.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States and commemorates the day African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

The Colorado Springs Juneteenth Festival is a free three-day event that aims to celebrate people of all races, nationalities, and religions. The festival begins Friday, June 18, and goes on until Sunday at America the Beautiful Park near downtown Colorado Springs.

There will also be mobile vaccination clinics at Juneteenth Celebrations in Pueblo, Colorado Springs and in Denver. This is a statewide effort to bring the vaccine to the people.

Schedule of the celebrations in Colorado Springs:

Friday - 1 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Saturday - 10 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Sunday - 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.