Juneteenth at The Desert Botanical Garden

Archwood Exchange and the Desert Botanical Garden are partnering for the first-ever Juneteenth Evening Festival, a family-friendly event that will celebrate Black culture and excellence through storytelling, history, art, performance, community discussion and entrepreneurship.

Juneteenth, observed annually on June 19, recognizes the date in 1865 when tens of thousands of enslaved Africans in Texas were emancipated, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Lincoln. Initially a Texas state holiday, Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday on June 17, 2021.

The Juneteenth Evening Festival will feature over 20 different local, Black-owned vendors that offer a marketplace of cultural goods, music performances, dance, food trucks, a live painting experience and more interactive activities.

“We are honored to partner with the Desert Botanical Garden to highlight and continue to give exposure to Black businesses at the Buy Black Marketplace,” said Ali Nervis, Archwood Exchange Co-Founder. “Our mission is to help tell the true history of Juneteenth by supporting this educational and social engagement. It is in our hearts to carry on the legacy of entrepreneurship as a direct pipeline to financial freedom in the Black community.”

Established in 2016, Archwood Exchange provides current and future Black business owners coaching, mentoring, workshopping, resources and a community that provides an opportunity to see potential and create a robust economic base of Black entrepreneurs in Arizona.

Attendees can engage in an evening filled with shopping and live music that celebrates Black businesses and culture in Phoenix. The festival will also feature Black-owned food trucks offering cuisine from across the African diaspora as well as an opportunity to explore the Desert Botanical Garden.

The Desert Botanical Garden, an Arizona icon for more than 84 years, features 50,000 desert plants amid the red rocks of the Papago Buttes. The Garden has grown into a compelling attraction and desert conservation pioneer, offering worldly plants, vibrant trails, world-class exhibitions, events and more.

The event is one of many taking place at the Garden’s six-day Juneteenth celebration that takes place from June 14-19.

Archwood Exchange will also host a number of other special events to recognize the holiday including the Juneteenth Edition Market on Saturday, June 17 from 12-4 p.m at their new indoor location: 850 PBC (ASU) Building, 850 N 5th Street, Phoenix.