Newsflash • Buffalo City Hall will be closed Wednesday,

Buffalo, NY – Mayor Byron W. Brown today reminded Buffalo residents that Buffalo City Hall will be closed on Wednesday, June 19 for the official observance of the Juneteenth holiday.

Mayor Brown said, “In 2020, I was very proud to announce that Juneteenth would be added to the city’s list of official holidays in honor of the many ways a diverse and inclusive community enhances and enriches the lives of all our residents. We must continue to work together to end racial injustice not just one day, but 365 days a year. On Wednesday, June 19, I am calling on city employees, Buffalo residents, and our city’s businesses and institutions to think once again about what they can do to further ensure that Buffalo is a place of support, of mutual respect and love.

Making Juneteenth a paid holiday for city employees is part of Mayor Brown’s ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive Buffalo and celebrate the diversity of our city. Buffalo City Hall Summit and BuffaloLIT attendees will be lit in red, black and green, the colors of the Pan-African flag, on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 18-19 to mark the Juneteenth holiday.

Earlier this month, on June 7, Mayor Brown hosted a Juneteenth Festival Flag Raising Ceremony in Niagara Square as part of the kickoff of Juneteenth activities. This weekend, Saturday, June 15 and Sunday, June 16, at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, supporters, organizers and participants will mark the 49th celebration of the Juneteenth Festival and Parade, one of the largest celebrations in the United States.

The Buffalo Police Department has recalled a number of street closures that will take place Saturday and Sunday for Juneteenth festivities.

Saturday June 15 – 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Genesee Street will be closed from Bailey Avenue to Best Street; Best Street, from Genesee to Fillmore Avenue; Fillmore Avenue, from Genesee to East Utica Street. The parade starts at 10:00 a.m.

Saturday and Sunday June 15 and 16 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Fillmore Avenue will be closed, through MLK Park, Best Street to Northampton.

The parade and associated festivities are organized by the Juneteenth Festival of Buffalo, Inc., a nonprofit organization that works to preserve and promote a broad spectrum of African American heritage through educational and cultural activities benefiting the community as a whole.