On a hot Sunday in Five Points, thousands of people strolled, shopped the marketplace, listened to music, ate good food and met new friends to celebrate freedom and culture during Denver’s annual Juneteenth music festival.

Juneteenth, typically celebrated on June 19, commemorates the day in 1865 when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger proclaimed the freedom of slaves in Galveston, Texas, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Launched in 2012, Denver’s Juneteenth festival honors Black culture, emancipation from slavery and the deep African American history for which the Five Points neighborhood is known.

“It was just an amazing event. Everyone is out here of all colors and celebrating together, having fun,” said Chiniqua Jackson, the parade coordinator and a lead organizer.

Typically a two-day event, this year’s celebration was condensed into one day after organizers lost more than half of their sponsors.

“We may have scaled down to a one-day format this year, but the spirit and impact of Juneteenth will be just as strong,” festival founder and organizer Norman Harris said in a statement. “Even with fewer corporate sponsors, the community has shown up with heart, creativity and generous donations. We’re incredibly thankful for the grassroots financial support that helped make this celebration possible.”

Sandra Guilford was among hundreds of vendors selling products honoring Juneteenth. Representing her organization, Ms. G’s Reading Emporium – which visits local schools and libraries – Guilford celebrated her fourth Juneteenth festival along Welton Street.

“It brings me so much joy,” Guilford said of connecting with others at the event. With the shortened schedule, she added: “We just got to hustle a little bit more.”

Festival officials said they lost longtime sponsors “amid shifting corporate priorities and a changing philanthropic landscape,” which left them needing to raise $80,000 to continue the event.

“It wasn’t a big difference,” Jackson said. “The biggest thing was just having the one day instead of two. Everyone is still down here. Everyone is still celebrating. … It was just a small step back. We’re still thriving.”

Organizers plan to return to a two-day format next year.

Five Points – nicknamed the “Harlem of the West” – boasts a rich legacy in jazz and African American culture. From the 1930s through the 1960s, it was Denver’s first predominantly Black neighborhood, with a bustling corridor of bars and clubs once graced by legends like Miles Davis, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington.

This year’s festival kicked off with the parade and continued with a variety of activities: live music with Denver’s The Drop 104.7 FM, a sanctioned youth boxing tournament and several performances headlined by rapper Juvenile.

“It’s just a fun time for everyone to come together, have fun, come out safe and be around, you know, the community,” Jackson said. “It’s bringing people back out here.”