Annual Juneteenth parade, street festival held in Harlem

HARLEM, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Juneteenth celebrations have been taking place in New York City all month ahead of the federal observation of the day this Wednesday.

Hundreds of people gathered for an annual event to mark the holiday on Saturday.

The event, the 31st annual Juneteenth celebration, started with a parade in Harlem and culminated with a street festival on 116th Street. Juneteenth marks the date, June 19 in 1865, when the last enslaved people learned they were free in the United States.