Downtown Tempe's Juneteenth Block Party Celebrates Black Culture and History Through Music, Food, Art, Dance, and Immersive Experiences
Jul 3, 2025
Downtown Tempe Authority (DTA) invites the community to celebrate Juneteenth at an evening block party on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at CenterPoint Plaza. This free, family-friendly event will transform Downtown Tempe into a lively celebration of Black culture, featuring live performances, dance battles, immersive art installations, local food and drink, and community-centered experiences that honor both history and joy.
Live Entertainment
Soulful vocalist Teri Tobin returns as emcee and performer, keeping the crowd lifted alongside DJ Panic and DJ Akshen, whose high-energy sets will fuel the open dance floor and showcase battles by Furious Styles Crew. Spoken word artist Urban Poet brings raw truth through poetry, while the SouthWest Steppaz blend R&B, country, and cultural rhythm to reimagine classic line dancing.
What started as a one-night Hip-Hop Barber Battle during the 2024 Juneteenth Block Party has since leveled up into a full competition series. After earning major crowd love, the battle returned as an official bracket-style event, with qualifying rounds held at each 2nd Sundays on Mill from November 2024 through April 2025. Now, it all comes to a head at this year's Juneteenth Block Party, where the semifinals and finals will go down live. The final four — Elite on Mill, Tod the Barber, Borrosos Barber Studios, and True Blends Barbershop — are all repping Tempe and ready to battle for the Downtown Tempe Barber Battle Champion Medallion.
The atmosphere will be electric with even more ways to engage — including a retro pop-up roller rink hosted by the Zoni Girls, classic games like spades and chess, a free PixDMe 360 photo booth, and the RichKat Mobile Cigar Lounge.
Immersive and Interactive Experiences
New this year, the event features a lineup of immersive, interactive experiences:
Traveling While Black – A critically acclaimed virtual reality documentary that explores the challenges faced by Black Americans navigating public spaces. Guests will board a public bus for this immersive, 20-minute experience, which places them inside historic settings like Ben's Chili Bowl to hear real stories about race, mobility, and safety in America. Presented by IDIA's The Hive. Participation is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Porch – An immersive installation rooted in the Southern tradition of front porch storytelling, where elders and community leaders have long shared powerful truths of segregation, resistance, and resilience. This space honors their voices and calls us to carry their legacy forward—not only in remembrance, but through action.
The Light We Carry – A glowing, collaborative art installation led by local artist Zybrena Porter. Guests are invited to reflect on the "light" they carry within and contribute written flame cutouts to a large trellis of suspended lanterns and lampshades. The result will be a luminous, evolving display that uplifts individual stories and collective strength.
There's something for every pace of celebration. Families can enjoy a dedicated Kids Zone featuring oversized games, sidewalk chalk, hula hoops, and other kid-friendly activities. For guests looking to relax, two rest areas — The Lounge and The Stoop — offer spots to take a break and enjoy the atmosphere. Tables will be scattered throughout the event, inviting attendees to play classic games like chess, dominoes, and spades at their own rhythm.
Food and Beverage Options
The food lineup features bold, crowd-pleasing options from Black-owned vendors including Kingpin BBQ, Randizzle's Burgers, Spice Queens, Big Mama's Desserts, Maui Wowi, and Flav-Oh's Ice Cream Truck. Guests 21 and over can purchase alcoholic beverages at the bar, which will serve a selection of Crown Royal canned cocktails and locally brewed beer from Pedal Haus Brewery. Valid ID is required to drink, and 21+ guests will receive a wristband upon check-in at the bar. Water will be available for purchase at the bar and information tent, and our sponsor, Polar Seltzer, will be on-site handing out free cans of sparkling water to help guests stay cool while they celebrate.
"We reimagined this event because we knew it had the potential to be more — more vibrant, more joyful, more connected to culture," says Tamar Burch, Event Manager at Downtown Tempe Authority. "The new Block Party format let us step into that vision, and what came out of it is something that truly reflects this community."
That commitment to community runs through every DTA event — from the food on your plate to the art on display. Downtown Tempe Authority intentionally highlights local creatives, ensuring that the artists, musicians, barbers, and vendors shaping our culture are front and center. Many of the visual pieces created during these events are later showcased in The Vault, DTA's pop-up art gallery inside the 100 Mill building, offering a space where the public can engage with rotating works from artists of all backgrounds.
The 2025 Juneteenth is free and open to all. The Main Stage and Bar are proudly presented by Tempe Tourism. Additional sponsorship is provided by our sponsors and partners: City of Tempe, PHX Soul, NAACP East Valley Branch, The Confess Project of America, IDIA, Orbit Shuttles, T2B Collective, Andis, Zelus, Easy Auto Glass, Lifetime Home Remodeling, Celerion, Travel + Leisure, Polar, and A-1 Golf Carts.
This project is partially funded by a City of Tempe – Community Arts Grant.
For more information, and up-to-date details about the Juneteenth Block Party, please visit: https://www.downtowntempe.com/events/juneteenth-celebration
To access and download visuals to promote this event, please visit: https://tr.ee/JuneteenthBlockPartyMarketingKit
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