National Harbor Celebrates Juneteenth with a Marketplace, Live Entertainment and a Digital Passport to Black-Owned Businesses

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Contact: Vicki Bendure
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National Harbor Celebrates Juneteenth with a Marketplace, Live Entertainment and a Digital Passport to Black-Owned Businesses

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md., June 11, 2024––National Harbor will hold its third Annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration on Wednesday, June 19 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Juneteenth commemorates the ending of slavery when the emancipation proclamation was finally enforced in Texas on June 19, 1865.

The event at National Harbor will kick off at 11 a.m. with a Black-owned marketplace in the Capital Canopy (151 National Plaza). Vendors range from clothing to accessories to skin care and home products. Partner, Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council will feature a painting experience inside Arts’tination (162 Waterfront St.) and will present a drummer’s circle performance on the Belvedere (outside and adjacent to 153 Waterfront St.).

At 5 p.m., there will be a cultural showcase on the Plaza stage (150 National Plaza.) Hosted by Micheline Bowman, various performances include Secret Society Band, Eleanor Roosevelt High School step team, and Prince George’s Poet Laureate among others.

A Juneteenth Black Biz digital passport experience will encourage guests to visit National Harbor’s 13 Black-owned businesses. When guests visit these retailers and restaurants, they’ll be required to enter a code to show proof of visit. Those who visit at least three stores will be entered into a raffle for numerous prizes. The Black Biz digital passport experience runs from Saturday, June 15 to Friday, June 21 and can be accessed at www.nationalharbor.com/black-biz-pass/.

"We are excited to host our third annual Juneteenth celebration,” said Lauren Fells who is the marketing content manager and is coordinating the event for National Harbor. “This is a great event to showcase diversity and unity in our community.” National Harbor has a number of African American owned businesses, many of these are women owned and three are veteran owned. “National Harbor is recognized as a great location for African American entrepreneurs that have successfully opened their businesses.” said Fells.

“This event aims to not only celebrate the significance of Juneteenth, but also provide a platform for local artists to showcase their talent and promote dialogue around important social issues," added Rhonda Dallas, CEO and chief curator of the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council.

The Juneteenth Freedom Celebration is free and open to the public, welcoming individuals, and families from all backgrounds to participate in this cultural celebration.

For more information, click here, or visit www.nationalharbor.com/events and search for “Juneteenth.”


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About the National Harbor
Now celebrating its 16th year. The property, situated on the banks of the historic Potomac River and just minutes from the nation’s capital, National Harbor is a waterfront resort destination unlike any other. National Harbor is home to two of Maryland’s Four Diamond rated hotels—Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the East Coast’s largest non-gaming hotel and convention center and has almost 2,000 hotel rooms and 660,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and MGM National Harbor, an integrated luxury casino resort with renowned chef-driven restaurants, a 3,000-seat state-of-the art theater and one of the largest gaming floors outside of Las Vegas. The vibrant Waterfront District features boutique shops, restaurants and entertainment options along picturesque promenades. The iconic Capital Wheel, a 180-ft observation wheel, Tanger Outlets’ 85 designer brands, and a robust calendar of events round out this destination that welcomes more than 15.2 million visitors a year. For more information, visit www.nationalharbor.com.

About PGAHC
As the legislated local arts agency for Prince George’s County, PGAHC fosters and expands art opportunities for all County citizens and visitors to create a world-class cultural environment where high-quality arts and humanities programs are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. PGAHC leverages its partnerships to support and provide various arts and cultural programming opportunities, art-centered economic development programs, grants as well as advocacy initiatives for legislative support of the arts on the County and State levels.