'The more we celebrate, the more welcoming we are:' Pittsburgh celebrates Juneteenth
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's a busy weekend in Pittsburgh and a big part of this weekend was the Juneteenth celebrations downtown at Point State Park.
The festivities kicked off on Saturday morning.
A huge crowd lined up through the city for the Grand Jubilee Parade where many waved American flags and watched with excitement as cool cars and floats made their way through the city along with Mayor Ed Gainey.
"This is to celebrate the heritage, [to] come together, and a form of unity," Mayor Gainey said. "I believe this is what we need more and more in our country to make sure that all ethnicities come out and celebrate one another."
Juneteenth, officially June 19, is a federally recognized holiday marking the moment in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to announce that all enslaved people were free.
"It shows us all coming together and celebrating each other's history," Gainey added.
Marpessa Adams said she made sure to make her way to the city from Ambridge with her kids and grandkids to celebrate.
"You never stop really learning, to get to know about our roots, our heritage," she said.
The city invited everyone to join them as live entertainment, plenty of vendors, and food are available.
"It's a wonderful atmosphere, it's very welcoming," said Ruta Reckart, one of the vendors.
"The more we celebrate, the more welcoming we are," Mayor Gainey said.
On Monday night, there will be Juneteenth fireworks starting at 9:30.