Juneteenth Festival in West Pullman neighborhood offers food, music, family activities and more

Juneteenth Festival in West Pullman neighborhood offers food, music, family activities and more

Juneteenth Festival in West Pullman neighborhood offers live music, family activities, food from local Black-owned restaurants, small business and housing workshops, resource fair and more

Festival presented by Far South Community Development Corporation activates shopping plaza across from Morgan Park Commons development

CHICAGO — The nonprofit Far South Community Development Corporation (Far South CDC)—an organization that provides strategic community-building services to residents and businesses across Chicago’s Far South Side neighborhoods and south suburban Cook County—is excited to announce its annual Juneteenth Festival on Saturday, June 21 from 1-6 p.m. The festival will be held in the parking lot of Maple Park Marketplace (821 W. 115th Street) at the southwest corner of Halsted Street and 115th Street in Chicago’s West Pullman neighborhood, across from the Morgan Park Commons development.

This free all-ages event celebrates the Juneteenth holiday by inviting Far South Side communities together for an afternoon of family fun, live music, food from local Black-owned restaurants, small business and housing workshops, and a resource vendor fair including social service, housing and government agencies. Featured restaurants include Harold's Chicken, The Cajun Connoisseur, Whadda Jerk and Rainbow Cone.

For more information on Far South CDC’s Juneteenth Festival on June 21 in West Pullman, visit farsouthcdc.org/festivals. Free registration is encouraged for the festival, and is required to participate in the free housing and business workshops on site.

Far South CDC is currently working to redevelop the Maple Park Marketplace shopping plaza at Halsted Street and 115th Street, including the former Aldi and Walgreens sites, with plans to bring in a new dine-in restaurant, health center and grocery store. Soul food take-out restaurant Kisha’s Kitchen opened in the plaza this spring. Maple Park Marketplace is located across the street from Far South CDC’s 12-acre Morgan Park Commons mixed-use housing development. Both sites are situated along the South Halsted commercial corridor at the intersection of the West Pullman, Morgan Park and Roseland neighborhoods.

Morgan Park Commons and Maple Park Marketplace are part of Far South CDC’s bold Bringing Communities Back Initiative to repurpose nearly 1 million square feet of blighted community areas into thriving community anchors that will spur economic growth and repopulate communities on Chicago’s Far South Side that have experienced decades of chronic disinvestment.

Juneteenth housing and business workshops

On June 21 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. on the Juneteenth Festival grounds, Far South CDC will offer free housing workshops and assistance for renters and first-time homebuyers, including an estate planning clinic, free solar and weatherization solutions, Habitat homes purchasing process workshop, and on-site home loan prequalification.

A free small business workshop, “Getting Ready for the Money,” will be held from 12-1 p.m. For new or existing small business owners, Far South CDC will provide a step-by-step guide to preparing businesses for financial success, including business structure, taxes, credit, bookkeeping, organizing documents and more.

To register for Far South CDC’s free housing and small business workshops during Juneteenth Festival on June 21, visit farsouthcdc.org/festivals.

The 2025 Juneteenth Festival is presented by Far South CDC with the support of sponsors and partners including Special Service Area #45, the City of Chicago, 21st Ward Alderman Ronnie Mosley, Illinois State Senator Emil Jones III and Illinois State Representative Justin Slaughter.

Far South Community Development Corporation (Far South CDC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides strategic community-building services to residents and businesses in Chicago’s Far South Side neighborhoods and across south suburban Cook County. Far South CDC is one of the largest comprehensive community development organizations in the Chicago region that provides direct residential support, business assistance, and equitable development and planning services. The organization is a voice and advocate for economic, environmental and social justice for residents and businesses in the region. For more information, visit farsouthcdc.org.






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