The Home Depot Backyard, Atlanta, Georgia, United States: Juneteenth: A Celebration of Black Culture through the Arts

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With more than 10,000 tickets claimed, The Home Depot Backyard’s 2023 Juneteenth celebration, on June 17, paid homage to the excellence of Black culture and positioned to promote prosperity throughout the local African American community. This free entry, family-friendly experience celebrated the magic of black culture with the inclusion of art, live entertainment, local vendors, music, an outdoor movie screening of the 1978 classic The Wiz, a Juneteenth-themed laser works show, food, dance, and fun for all ages. We also partnered with local and regional performers of color to curate stage programming that highlighted the various forms of artistic expressions contributed by Black culture over the years. Those performances included opening choir performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – more commonly known as ‘The Black National Anthem’, a capoeira martial arts exhibition, a spoken word poetry performance, and a theatrical rendition of the Wiz by True Colors Theater Company, a local Black-owned theatre in the Atlanta area.

Among the other activations was a kid’s zone for all ages highlighted by inflatables, the Atlanta Falcons Street team and team mascot – Freddie the Falcon, as well as bear stuffing tent. There was also a multitude of corporate and community activations – including the Apex Museum exhibit, informational booth from the Center for Civil and Human Rights, and a Sweetwater Beer Garden featuring a newly launched beer from Black-owned, and Atlanta based brewery Atlantucky Brewery. The celebration also featured Juneteenth specific activations such as a live interactive muralist, t-shirt giveaways, and photo opportunities for the thousands in attendance.

Additionally, we strategically partnered with black-owned businesses to promote economic equity throughout the event. As a result, the event featured a robust vendor village and lineup of food trucks, while also showcasing black artists, producers, and creatives – circulating nearly $70,000 into local black-owned businesses by producing this event.

To culminate the Juneteenth Celebration, a Juneteenth themed laser light show was on display during the evening, which was projected onto Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The laser light show was in sync with a carefully crafted playlist that celebrated the diversity and range of black music.

Laser Light show sample.mp4(Laser Light Show sample)