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Community members from across the Metroplex gathered at Levitt Pavilion on Saturday for an early Juneteenth celebration, highlighting diversity and Black culture within North Texas.

Juneteenth was recognized by the federal government as a national holiday June 17, 2021, commemorating the day slaves in Texas were officially freed.

Saturday’s celebration was hosted through a partnership between Levitt Pavilion, Service First Initiatives Incorporated and the Arlington chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

The event featured live music and various vendors, offering everything from lemonade and tacos to toys, trinkets and memorabilia.

The live music kicked off with a prayer and an acapella performance of the national anthem by the Truth Acapella group. Afterward, the critically acclaimed music group Celestial Clockwork took the stage.

As the group began their performance, their hypnotic sound of funk and R&B flooded the lawn. Many attendees stood up to dance and sing along, while others watched in contentment.

Omar Roberson, member of Phi Beta Sigma, said events like these help educate the community on the history of these celebrations.

“I didn’t know anything about Juneteenth until I was grown, and so I’m 43, but I did not know about this,

it’s celebrating that, celebrating us, celebrating our culture and making sure that we empower each other,” he said. ”We have our freedom, but we know that there’s a cost of being free.”

Roberson said working with Levitt for the past three years has been a wonderful experience because it relates to their mission of mentoring youth and making the world better.

“Whether that’s health and wellness, you know, financial literacy, just community service in general and just furthering education, whether it’s formal or non-formal, just celebrating us,” he said.

Roberson said now that we have Juneteenth as a national holiday, it shows that we are being honest about our history, and gives people the opportunity to celebrate and elaborate together.

“Diversity means having empathy for everyone’s experience and I think that we’ve seen more of that,” he said. “Obviously, there’s probably more work to be done and, you know, the work is never finished, right? It’s never finished but it’s all about the journey and progressing forward.”

Tina Myles, a local vendor at the event, has been celebrating Juneteenth since her childhood.

Free concerts at Levitt Pavilion Arlington at 100 W. Abram St. will run June 1-30, 2024, with most concerts starting at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and a sprinkling of Sundays.

The Levitt’s free concerts are also livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.

 Levitt Arlington’s summer lineup features a robust diversity of music genres, including country, rock, Tejano, jazz, R&B, and Americana, in a variety of genre flavors.

Highlights of the summer series include:

•  Arlington Juneteenth Celebration (June 15), co-produced with the Arlington chapter of Phi Beta Sigma and featuring a headline performance by national gospel/soul act The Sensational Barnes Brothers.
•  The War and Treaty (June 21), an ACM/CMA/Grammy nominated husband-and-wife duo appearing courtesy of the 2024 Levitt National Tour. (The War and Treaty are the first Black duo to be nominated for CMA and ACM “Duo of the Year” awards.)
•  Light Up Arlington (June 29), the City of Arlington’s Independence Day celebration (including free fireworks display) happening at and around the Levitt and other Downtown venues; the Levitt will feature a concert headlined by Donovan Keith, an Austin-based, SXSW alum known for high-energy R&B/soul performances.

 Other noteworthy acts on the Levitt summer calendar include Grammy-nominated Texas singer-songwriter Hayes Carll (June 7); popular Southern rock tribute band Lone Star Skynyrd (June 22); and legendary country artist pioneer Gary P. Nunn (June 30), whose signature “London Homesick Blues” was the theme song for “Austin City Limits” for nearly three decades.

 The final leg of the Levitt’s 2024 season kicks off Labor Day weekend, runs through mid-October, and includes the Hispanic Heritage Celebration (October 5), National Life Group Do Good Fest Texas (Oct. 12), and the Asian Heritage Celebration (Oct. 19).

 In addition to the free concert series, other popular Levitt staples continue this season, such as the Levitt food truck fleet (including Mr. B’s Gumbo and Mo, Holy Frijole, and Lovin’ U BBQ, as well as beer, wine, and spirits from J. Gilligan’s), and North Texas-area artists appearing as opening acts, courtesy of Levitt Arlington’s Share The Stage initiative. The venue has also added a new feature for 2024: Levitt Spotlight, which features DFW-area student musicians (school-age and college) performing two songs before opening artists on Friday nights.

 “The Levitt summer lineup is so amazing that I feel confident in saying that we’re worth a spot on your calendar every single weekend,” said Letatia Teykl, the Levitt non-profit and venue’s executive director. “We guarantee you’ll experience a high-production quality concert featuring a popular or up-and-coming national, regional or local act each night, performing songs you know and love and songs you’ll fall in love with.”

 Generally, opening artists take the stage at 7:30 pm and headliners go on at 8:30 pm; however, this schedule is subject to change or variation. Visit the Levitt website or socials for up-to-date details.