Special thank you to our presenting sponsors:

All are invited to the Santa Fe Plaza to gather and enjoy great, FREE live music together in the 400-year-old historic heart of Santa Fe.

-Feel free to bring chairs to the concert.

-This is an alcohol-free event.

-Bring your water bottle—we will have water stations on site.

-There is a city parking garage on West San Francisco Street across from the Lensic.

Santa Fe Juneteenth Celebration 2024

Jazz + Blues + Hip Hop + African Drum + New Orleans Brass!

8 piece New Orleans brass band - Hot 8 Brass Band!

Staciawa Abbott & Friends, SpaceMob SpaceCadets, Brotha Love & The Blueristocrats, 

Soriba Fofana and friends. (West African Drum & Dance from Guinea), DJ Sol

+ vendors, food, poets, and more.

 June 15, 3-9 pm at the Santa Fe Plaza.

Juneteenth (considered the "longest-running African-American holiday) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. 

3-5 Vendors / Food / Setup
4-4:45 Opening / Welcome / DJ
4:50-5:20  Staciawa Abbott & friends (Drum, bass, guitar) - Jazz
5:20-5:30 Simesha (History of Juneteenth)
5:30-5:50 SpaceMob SpaceCadets (Hip Hop)
5:50-6 Reading of the Juneteenth Proclamation
6-6:40 Brotha Love & The Blueristocrats (Blues)
6:40-6:50 Announcements
6:50-7:10 Soriba Fofana + Friends (West African Drum & Dance from Guinea)  
7:10-7:25 DJ Sol
7:30-9 Hot 8 Brass Band

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

HOT 8 BRASS BAND

New Orleans-based Hot 8 Brass Band headlines Juneteenth, bringing the big horn sounds of Crescent City all the way to Santa Fe! For over 20 years, one of the most popular and visible funk-style brass bands in community parades and funerals has been the Hot 8 Brass Band. In 1996 sousaphone player Bennie Pete was instrumental in merging two former Fortier High School student groups, the High Steppers and the Looney Tunes Brass Bands, to form the Hot 8. The players grew up together and maintain strong, family-like bonds and regular membership. Most of them were born between 1975 and ’87 in a generation that grew up hearing mainly modern-style brass bands in community functions. The band can be larger than many younger groups often featuring ten members, including three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, bass drum, and snare drum. As is common among some more modern groups, the Hot 8 uses only one reed player and like most of the younger bands, the Hot 8’s funk style is a blend of influences from the Dirty Dozen and Rebirth, with more elements of contemporary R&B, rap, and its local variation, “bounce.” The uniqueness of their sound is mainly due to a steady stream of creative original songs and ideas composed or introduced by various band members. Since the Dirty Dozen, the sousaphone has had a more prominent role in brass bands as a feature and solo instrument; it frequently sets up and maintains short rhythmic (often melodic) grooves that dominate and propel most songs in the band.

Join us to celebrate Juneteenth, also known as “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day.” This federal holiday, considered the “longest-running African-American holiday” in the United States, commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Brought to you by Santa Fe’s Juneteenth Committee (a coalition of various members of Santa Fe’s vibrant African American community) in partnership with Lensic 360 and the City of Santa Fe. Join us for live music, poetry, vendors, food, and a joyful celebration on the Plaza as we honor this important moment in history and the ongoing journey toward freedom and equality.