Hundreds of community members turned out for the sold-out Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 on Thursday.
The event, presented by Hella Creative, invited the community to gather in celebration of Black freedom, creativity and legacy. The joyful celebration featured food vendors, a Black Vine wine-tasting experience, two stages of live music, art and vendors.
RELATED: Oakland has a unique relationship with Juneteenth. So does Mayor Barbara Lee.
The expanded VIP experience included curated drink tastings and exclusive access to the Town Fare Sun Deck, where food by local celebrity chef Michelle McQueen was served. Also featured was the Cookout Plate, spotlighting beloved local Black chefs and restaurants.
Nationally, President Donald Trump honored Juneteenth in each of his first four years as president, even before it became a federal holiday. He even claimed once to have made it “very famous.”
But on this year’s Juneteenth holiday on Thursday, the usually talkative president kept silent about a day important to Black Americans for marking the end of slavery in the country he leads again.
Trump has previously sought to end diversity, equity and inclusion policies across the country. In 2021, Congress designated Juneteenth, which celebrates the end of slavery following enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas, as a federal holiday.
Wesley Park, 3, of Oakland, dances during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
People listen to DJ Lexapeel during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Jasmin Canfield, of Oakland, gesture as she displays her t-shirt during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Bernice Watkins, of San Francisco, left, dances with others during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
D.J. Lexapeel spins tunes during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Charmayne Sterling and her son Ajani Sterling, of San Pablo pose for a photo during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A barbecue chicken plate is served during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
D.J. Lexapeel spins tunes during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
People dance to DJ Lexapeel during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Tanefer Camara, of Oakland, shops at a vendor booth during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
People gather on the lawn during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Voleine Amilcar, of Oakland, right, dances with others during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
People watch from the upper level during the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Juneteenth Festival 2025 in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 19, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
