The Juneteenth SF Freedom Organization brought thousands to the Fillmore District on Saturday for its 80th annual block party — free, eight blocks, CAMEO and the Bar-Kays on three stages. The citywide parade follows on June 20.

The 80th annual Juneteenth Freedom Celebration took over eight blocks of the Fillmore District on Saturday — free admission, three stages, a lineup anchored by funk-soul veterans CAMEO and the Bar-Kays, and crowds that stretched from Geary Boulevard to Fulton Street along Fillmore. The Juneteenth SF Freedom Organization, which bills the event as the nation's second-longest-running Juneteenth celebration, ran it from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with street closures through midnight.

The setup: 50-plus vendors, soul food and ethnic cuisine, a 21+ beer-and-wine garden, a Kids Zone with inflatables and pony rides in the Safeway parking lot, and a Classic Car Show — plus Rocko the Don and Young Joc rounding out the music bill. This year's theme was "Celebrating Joy, Preserving Our Freedom," and organizers wove in conversations about the corridor's future alongside the party. Community organizer Rico Hamilton has been pushing to make the Fillmore a destination again — leaning on its history as the "Harlem of the West," the jazz and soul hub that anchored Black San Francisco through the mid-20th century.

The celebration carried on without co-founder Pia Harris, who died in December 2024; her name still appears on the event's materials.

Juneteenth itself is Thursday, June 19. The separate 4th Annual SF Citywide Juneteenth Parade, organized by Livable City, is scheduled for Friday, June 20. Check livablecity.org for route and timing closer to the date.