JUNETEENTH EXPERIENCE to Return to Miami and Fort Lauderdale with Hued Songs

Hued Songs will present The Juneteenth Experience 2026, a month-long series of free cultural programming from May 23 through June 20, 2026, across Miami-Dade and Broward counties, celebrating Juneteenth through music, dance, spoken word, visual art and community gathering.

The series builds toward Hued Songs' signature Mainstage Performance, which will be presented in Miami Beach on June 19 and Fort Lauderdale on June 20. 

Now in its sixth year, The Juneteenth Experience has grown from a single sold-out performance at the Miami Beach Bandshell in 2021 into one of South Florida's most anticipated cultural traditions. What began as a one-night performance has evolved into a month-long, multidisciplinary, multi-venue celebration designed to engage audiences throughout the weeks leading up to Juneteenth. 

This year's series unfolds under Hued Songs' 2025-2026 season theme, “We, Too, Sing America,” inspired by the Langston Hughes poem. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the series asks what America sounds, looks and feels like when all of its voices are present, counted and celebrated. 

“The Juneteenth Experience is more than a single performance,” said Kunya Rowley, executive artistic director and executive producer of Hued Songs. “It is a month of artistic and community-centered programming that creates space for reflection, joy and connection while honoring the depth and legacy of Black expression.”

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The Juneteenth Experience 2026 programming includes:

Florida Emancipation Day Celebration

May 23, 2026 | 4:30-9 p.m.
Ali Cultural Arts Center, Pompano Beach | Free

The series opens with a vibrant, family-friendly celebration honoring May 20, 1865, the date Florida's enslaved people received word of their freedom. The event will feature workshops led by Alana DaCosta, a community block party, live DJ, free catered bites by Sidecar Catering, creative placemaking stations, a pop-up market of local vendors and a featured outdoor performance with Wilkie Ferguson III, Miriam King, Arsimmer McCoy and Inez Barlatier. 

Community Workshop

June 6, 2026 | 2-4 p.m.
African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Fort Lauderdale | Free

As part of Hued Songs' two-year performance residency with the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, this free intergenerational workshop invites participants to engage with the themes of The Juneteenth Experience through hands-on artistic practice led by  Pangea Kali Virga — inviting community into a shared act of creation that honors the past, holds the present, and gestures toward a freer future through a collective Emancipation Flag craft experience.

Where We Stay — Exhibition Opening Reception

June 11, 2026 | 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Daisy Arts Center, Fort Lauderdale | Free

Hued Songs will present Where We Stay, a visual art exhibition curated by Tayina Deravile, featuring nine South Florida based artists. The exhibition explores themes of home within Black communities while honoring the history of the Sistrunk neighborhood and the legacy of Dr. James and Daisy Sistrunk. The exhibit runs through the end of August.

The Juneteenth Experience | Mainstage Performance

Friday, June 19, 2026 | 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Miami Beach Bandshell | Free

Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 7-9 p.m.
African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Fort Lauderdale | Free

The series culminates in The Juneteenth Experience Mainstage Performance, Hued Songs' signature concert-theater production and the emotional centerpiece of the festival. Presented in the same full production across two locations, the work will be performed in Miami Beach on June 19 and Fort Lauderdale on June 20, expanding access to audiences in both counties. 

The production asks a bold question: Who is America, and who gets to say so? Through gospel, blues, R&B and classical traditions, original spoken word, live music, choreography and visual storytelling, the performance honors Black artistic tradition as central to the American story. 

This year's mainstage performances also carry added significance. Following the loss and rescission of funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Hued Songs considered whether the production could continue. In the spirit of Juneteenth and the perseverance it represents, the organization chose to move forward. 

The cast, creative and production team includes Kunya Rowley, executive artistic director and executive producer; Clinton Harris, choreographer and dancer; King Friday, musical director; Miriam King, gospel and soul vocalist and writer; Erron Cooper, gospel vocalist; Wilkie Ferguson, III, Broadway performer & vocalist; Eric Nelson, technical and lighting director; Sandi Stock, production stage manager; and Quincy Knowles, sound and projection technician. 

About Hued Songs

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