DENVER — Denver’s annual two-day Juneteenth Music Festival will be scaled back to a single day this year because of declining sponsorship.
JMF Corporation, the nonprofit that puts on the festival, said several long-time sponsors have reduced funding or dropped out amid President Donald Trump's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rollbacks.
Norman Harris, executive director of JMF Corp., said donations are down more than 60% from last year's commitments. According to Harris, the nonprofit is $80,000 short of being able to pay for even the smaller, one-day festival.
"Right now, I'd say it's over 60% of what was committed the year before are just not there or have decommitted their sponsorships this year. These are organizations we've had partnerships [with] for some over 10 years," said Harris.
- Watch our coverage of last year's Juneteenth Parade in the video player below
The festival will be on Sunday, June 15, in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood and will remain free.
The event draws thousands of people to Denver to celebrate and honor Black liberation through music, art and community. Organizers said the festival will still feature live performances, the Juneteenth Parade, youth zone, health zone and a showcase of Black-owned businesses.
Juneteenth marks the day when the last enslaved African Americans found out about their freedom — June 19, 1865. This was two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which ended slavery for those in the Southern Confederate states.
JMF Corp. has launched a community fundraising campaign. You can learn more and donate through this link.
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