NATCHEZ — The Miss-Lou Juneteenth Heritage and Soul Festival kicks off a three-day celebration at 6 tonight with a karaoke event behind the Natchez Grand Hotel on Broadway Street.

The fun will continue with a 2 p.m. Saturday Family Day on the Bluff featuring a car show, food and live entertainment, organizers said.

The culmination of the three-day celebration will be a 2 p.m. Sunday Gospel Explosion at Natchez City Auditorium.

Co-organizer Jeremy Houston said Juneteenth should be considered as important a celebration in America as the Fourth of July.

Juneteenth marks the anniversary of the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Galveston, Texas, and effectively all of the Confederate States of America, on June 19, 1865.

“Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery,” Houston said. “Since that time period throughout the country, and especially in the South, African Americans have been celebrating the event.”

Houston said Natchez used to have large annual Juneteenth celebrations in the 1990s and into the 2000s when it dropped off.

Last year, Houston said a Miss-Lou Juneteenth foundation brought the celebration back and held a seven-day event, but this year’s foundation members Bryan McKnight, Don Barnes, Kevin Deason, Delvie Gales and himself, scaled the number of days back to three while upping the entertainment.

Tonight’s “Karaoke & Kocktails on the Bluff” event will be from 6 to 9 behind the Natchez Grand Hotel and will feature food and drinks.

Saturday’s Family Day on the Bluff will feature musical entertainment, including YZ Ealey and DJ Buzz starting at 2 p.m. and lasting until approximately 6 p.m. Houston encouraged people to bring their lawn chairs and to plan to spend the day on the bluff.

Cost of admission, Houston said, is $10 for adults and $5 for children, and will include a pound of crawfish and corn for adults and hotdogs or chicken tenders for the children.

Vendor spaces for food, arts and promotion are available by calling 601-597-2112, Houston said.

Tickets also will be put in a pot for a drawing for a free night’s stay at the Hotel Vue, Houston said, adding the winning ticket will be drawn and posted on the Miss -Lou Juneteenth Heritage and Soul Festival’s Facebook Page on Monday.

Sunday’s Gospel Explosion, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Natchez City Auditorium, 207 Jefferson St., is hosted by Forest Aid Baptist Church and pastor the Rev. Kejuane Bates and New Beginnings Church and pastor the Rev. Leroy White, McKnight said. The gospel explosion will feature local church members sharing music and messages.

Admission to the Gospel Explosion is free, McKnight said.