Photos From Buffalo’s 50th Anniversary Juneteenth Festival

After 50 years of dedication and months of preparation, Juneteenth in Buffalo has had its golden anniversary, and throngs of people found their way into the famous Olmsted Park, which has been named in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

After civic and community leaders like New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Juneteenth Buffalo President Carrone Evon Crump, and more spoke, and the festival was introduced to the 2026 Juneteenth Malik (King) and Malika (Queen), Wan’ye R.F. Rhodes-Carter, and Alliah L. Agostini, the parade got underway.

Thousands of people lined the streets with thousands more waiting inside the park for the parade of community groups, dance teams, and organizations important to Buffalo to make its way down Genesee Street, onto Best Street, and into MLK Jr. Park.

Once on Fillmore Ave and inside the park, the community was greeted with a festival filled with smiling faces, great music, good food, and amazing displays of Black American culture.

You can’t create a future if you don’t know what they had in the past. Our strength is standing on the shoulders of our ancestors. You cannot forget who paved the way. You cannot forget.
-Gail Wells

If you missed the parade, festival, or other activities that marked and celebrated 50 years of Juneteenth in Buffalo, you can check out all the photos below.

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