Mayor Indya Kincannon, City staff and members of City Council will march with community members in the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Parade on Monday, June 20, 2022. 

The parade, organized by Knoxville’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission, will step off from the Chilhowee Park Midway, continue down Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, and conclude at Dr. Walter Hardy Park, where the Beck Cultural Exchange Center will host the Juneteenth Memorial Tribute from noon to 4 p.m.

MLK Jr. Avenue and cross streets will be closed along the parade route from 10 a.m. to approximately 11 a.m. 
                
The Commission’s annual parade was not held in January due to inclement weather. Organizers rescheduled the parade for the Juneteenth holiday. 



City officials and employees will be providing logistical support for Monday's parade. All City offices are open on Monday, June 20, 2022, the date Juneteenth is being observed this year. Beginning in 2023, however, Juneteenth will be celebrated as a new City holiday.

"Juneteenth is not just a historic milestone that's important to African-Americans—it's a holiday deserving of celebration by all Americans," Mayor Indya Kincannon said. "I am proud that, starting next year, the City will be able to more fully observe Juneteenth as a citywide holiday."

Closing City offices for Juneteenth required a budgetary appropriation, which Mayor Kincannon prioritized in the 2022-23 budget. $190,000 was needed to assure necessary staffing of police officers and firefighters on the Juneteenth holiday in 2023.