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With the scent of barbecue in the summer air, the gold and green of kinti cloth decorating the booths, those sweet tones of the Berkeley High Jazz Band and Pete Escovedo’s red hot salsa sounds, Berkeley will remember the freeing of the slaves at its annual Juneteenth celebration. 

The festival specifically remembers the liberation of the Texas slaves, who didn’t get official word of emancipation until two and one-half years after Abraham Lincoln’s Jan. 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation. 

Juneteenth is celebrated around the country and has been a state holiday in Texas for 20 years. Berkeley will celebrate its 14th Annual Juneteenth Festival on Sunday, the oldest Bay Area Juneteenth Festival in the Bay Area. The celebration takes place between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Adeline Street, between Alcatraz and Ashby avenues. 

Sam Dyke, president of the Adeline-Alcatraz Merchants Association, heads up the Berkeley event. “We have an awesome musical lineup,” Dyke said, noting that there will be two stages, one whose music will appeal the older folks and one that will jazz the younger set. 

In addition to Escovedo, performers include celebrated local jazz pianist Ed Kelley, Beverly Watson’s Blues Band, John Handy, the Berkeley Steppers and more. 

“It’s a family thing,” Dyke said, adding that there are pony rides and face painting for the very young and a hoops contest for youth. Members of the Golden State Warriors basketball team will make an appearance. Food booths will represent Berkeley’s multicultural community, with a choice of Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, French, Mexican, and African food. 

“We keep the political speakers out,” Dyke says. Entry to the festival is free. Dyke reminds people that parking is limited. “Take BART,” he says.