Juneteenth in Seneca Village with the Conservancy
Celebrate Juneteenth with the Central Park Conservancy in historic Seneca Village.
On June 19, a cast of musicians, dancers, poets, and actors will gather on the west side of Central Park at the site where Seneca Village stood from 1825 to 1857, to give a performance written and conceived by DeWitt Fleming, Jr. and directed by Ben Harney, a Tony Award-winning Broadway director.
The performance draws on the actual history of the community, tracing how a land purchase by Andrew Williams in 1825 grew into a neighborhood of homes, churches, and a school before the city seized the land through eminent domain to build the park.
The program brings together Broadway performers, working musicians, poets, and student artists from Harlem. It runs approximately two hours and takes place outdoors on the landscape itself.
This is a FREE event. Bring a blanket to sit on.
Scheduled Performances
- DeWitt Fleming, Jr., Broadway performer and writer
- Jennie Harney Fleming, Broadway performer
- Alphonso Horne, trumpeter, composer, and educator
- Mikumari Caiyhe, poet and emcee
- Markeisha Ensley, writer, composer, and singer
- Kahlil Kwame Bell, master percussionist
- Christian Cultural Center drama department
- Harlem School of the Arts drama and music students
Getting There
The Seneca Village landscape sits between West 85th Street and West Drive on the west side of the park. Take the B or C train to 86th Street and Central Park West, one block north of the park entrance. Enter at West 85th Street and walk east.