History Unfolding

7 inspirational Juneteenth events in Austin, from festivals to retreats

Some of Austin's leading Black history institutions, like the George Washington Carver Museum, are hosting celebrations and workshops.

Photo courtesy of George Washington Carver Museum

Although Juneteenth has been a state holiday in Texas since 1980, the United States only declared it a federal holiday in 2021. Americans are still figuring out how to observe it. There are already viral celebratory missteps floating around this second year: corporations slapping cute graphics on cookout disposables, promised ragers vacant of purpose. These seven Austin events will be some of the best-produced of the weekend, led by Black community members taking into account education, activism, rest, and joy. Some are quintessential summer celebrations, while some are special iterations of indoor events that happen all year. All center opportunities to bring leaders, creatives, and their beneficiaries together.

Central Texas Juneteenth Parade
In some ways the default Juneteenth event in Central Texas, this parade starts June 18 at 10 am on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and ends in the Rosewood neighborhood for a festival at the park. There will be live performances and food, clothing, and informational vendors from noon to 9:30 pm, followed by a fireworks show. More information about the parade is available at juneteenthcentraltexas.com, including a parade map.

Stay Black & Live
Produced by two of Austin’s leading Black history organizations — Six Square and the George Washington Carver Museum — “Stay Black & Live” is a huge weekend festival June 18 and 19. This third annual festival brings musical performances (Ivy Rootz, Charmin Greene, Mama Duke, others), a genealogy presentation, a quilt making workshop, and bites by local chefs (for the first 300 attendees) and food trucks. Kimberly Holiday emcees, and Riders Against the Storm host the music festival. Find more information at juneteenthatx.com.

Genealogy at the George Washington Carver Museum
The George Washington Carver Museum, a year-round champion of African American history, is busy Juneteenth weekend. Along with the “Stay Black & Live” festival, it’s offering a free genealogy workshop led by kYmberly Keeton, “Where Were Your People in 1865?” The beginner to intermediate adult program will lead visitors through the basic steps of piecing together a family story, in two hour-long workshops on June 18 from 10 am to 11 am, and 1 pm to 2 pm. RSVP for the free event on Eventbrite.

Austin Area Urban League’s Freedom Fest
The expansive list of festivities by the Austin Area Urban League focuses on fun and culture. “Freedom Fest” on June 18 includes a barbecue competition, music and Slingshot showcases (the vehicle, not the projectile), food trucks, and children’s activities. There will also be a golf tournament June 16 (starting at $200) and a young professionals brunch June 19 ($50). The common theme throughout: “an opportunity to connect with the very people that make up the essence of the Eastside.” More information is available on aaul.org, with RSVPs on Eventbrite.

Juneteenth Retreat at the Cathedral
A June 19 “retreat” at co-working and events space The Cathedral creates space for introspection and rest in partnership with Reclamation Ventures and RSTRMVMT. Activities from noon to 6 pm include archival and clay-making workshops, restorative yoga, and portrait sessions. There will be a backdrop of curated art, refreshments, and performances in the restored 1930s East Austin church. Half of ticket sales benefit the collective Black Trans Leadership Austin. RSVP on Eventbrite.

Dining with Emmer & Rye
Led by one of Austin’s leading chefs, Tavel Bristol-Joseph, Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group is hosting two nights of purpose-led dining this month. On June 12 at Canje, Bristol-Joseph teamed up with Chef Adrian Lipscombe of the 40 Acres & a Mule Project, to raise funds for Black Mamas ATX. On June 19, the group is hosting a percentage night at all locations (Canje, Emmer & Rye, Hestia, Kalimotxo, TLV, Henbit, and Ladino in San Antonio) benefiting Austin’s Neill-Cochran House Museum. More information and reservation links are available at emmerhospitality.com.

Hotel Vegas and Volstead Lounge Juneteenth showcases
For those with their own day plans on the 19th, sister bars Hotel Vegas and The Volstead Lounge (both age 21 and up) are hosting special musical showcases in the evening. From 8 pm at Hotel Vegas, guests can see Ladi Earth, Chief Cleopatra, Jonny Jukebox, DJ Lefty ($10). From 5 pm at The Volstead, performances include DJ Zeeweed, Norman Ba$e, DJ Kilo 2 Posh, plus live music, art, and poetry (no cover). Free burgers will be served at 6 pm. Full lineups are available at texashotelvegas.com and on Facebook.

concerts barbecue museums education lunch music east-austin festivals charity city-news-roundup chefs downtown dinner

millennial magnet cities

Austin has fallen out of favor with millennials for 2025, report shows

Downtown Austin, state capital, Congress Avenue

Photo by Justin Wallace on Unsplash

Don't worry, you'll still find plenty of millennials on scooters downtown.

Millennial Austinites may be growing tired of the city's consistently changing landscape: Austin has once again fallen out from the coveted No. 1 spot in SmartAsset's annual report of "Cities Attracting the Most Millennials" in 2025.

In fact, Austin barely scraped into the top 10 and ranked No. 9 this year, just like it did in SmartAsset's 2023 report.

The 2025 study dug into data from the U.S. Census Bureau 1-Year American Community Survey to determine the number of millennials who moved to 271 U.S. cities in 2023 (where the most recent data is available). Rankings were determined by the percentage of the total population of millennials who moved into each city in 2023.

A total of 103,738 millennial transplants landed in the capital of Texas in 2023, according to the study's findings, bringing the city's total millennial-age population to 395,776. That means about 41 percent of the city's entire population is made up of people aged between 25 and 44.

Breaking that down further, the report found that the number of millennials who moved to Austin from elsewhere in Travis County was more than double those who moved from other Texas counties: 55,591 and 21,403, respectively. In addition, 19,890 millennials moved in from a different state, and 6,854 moved in from abroad.

SmartAsset also unveiled that the average household income of a millennial Austinite is $91,501 annually, and their total median housing costs add up to $1,828 per month.

While the report doesn't give a reason why millennials favored other cities over Austin, the city's housing prices, job market, and family planning prospects can all have an influence.

"Millennials are often in their prime earning years, and many have young families, which may significantly impact the communities they join and leave," the study said.

In a separate 2024 report by commercial real estate platform CommercialCafe, Austin was crowned the No. 1 city for millennials.

Alexandria, Virginia, is the No. 1 millennial magnet for 2025 with the highest proportional influx of millennial transplants in 2023, at 12.67 percent. For context, Austin's share of new millennials was only 10.69 percent.

Austin was the highest ranked Texas city in the report, with Houston ranking second statewide but 51st overall. Houston had a far higher influx of millennial newcomers in 2023, at nearly 177,000 transplants, but the share of new millennials that moved in as a percentage of the total population was lower than Austin's, at just 7.7 percent.

The top 10 magnet cities for millennials in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Alexandria, Virginia
No. 2 – Cambridge, Massachusetts
No. 3 – Denver, Colorado
No. 4 – Sandy Springs, Georgia
No. 5 – Seattle, Washington
No. 6 – Sunnyvale, California
No. 7 – Santa Clara, California
No. 8 – Arlington, Virginia
No. 9 – Austin, Texas
No. 10 – Orlando, Florida

austin millennials reports smartasset