President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill ending slavery in D.C. 162 years ago.
His signature freed some 3,100 people in the District.
And while it’s technically celebrated on April 16, D.C. is doing it a little earlier this year: Sunday.
D.C.’s Emancipation Day celebration is taking place Sunday, with a full day of events scheduled at Freedom Plaza.
The parade started at 2 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue between 10th and 14th streets in Northwest and ended at Freedom Plaza, located at 1455 Pennsylvania Ave.
There’s a concert headlined by Ginuwine and Kelly Price at 3 p.m. and because it’s D.C., there’s lots of go-go music.
A fireworks show starts at 8:30 p.m. to put the exclamation point on the celebration.
Radio personalities from WKYS, WHUR and WPGC will serve as hosts of the event.
There are live radio broadcasts throughout the day, along with interactive activities and food trucks. There are also a host of local eateries having promotions for the day. Check them out here.
WTOP has all the info you need on the road closures.
WTOP’s Thomas Robertson contributed to this report.