The Drop 104.7 Saves Juneteenth Music Festival

In April, the nonprofit Juneteenth Music Festival announced it needed community support to ensure that the event would even take place this summer. Several corporate sponsors had dropped out, and the fest scaled back from two to one day of festivities.

Then, the Drop 104.7, aka "the People's Station for R&B and Hip-Hop" and one of the best Denver radio stations, announced on May 1 that it would step in as a co-presenter. The station will also be sponsoring headliner Juvenile, the hip-hop and New Orleans legend.

This move ensures that JMF will officially happen this year, on Sunday, June 15, from noon to 8 p.m. in the historic Five Points neighborhood at 2701 Welton Street. The event will remain free and open to all, but the work isn't done yet: JMF is still building funds via donations on its website, too.

Ayana Contreras, vice president of radio for Rocky Mountain PBS, says she first heard about Denver's Juneteenth celebration when she started with the Drop in the fall of 2023. "At that time, we were still doing the Block Party," which has been the station's free annual music event since 2021, she explains. "So I asked at the time whether we'd ever thought about doing something with Juneteenth. Turns out that hadn't been explored before."

When Contreras got in touch with JMF's Norman Harris III, he offered her an invite to the event. "Norman said if I really wanted to see Black Denver," recalls Contreras, "come to Juneteenth. I ended up deejaying at last year's Juneteenth, which was really exciting. I got to experience it as both a participant and a performer. It was amazing."

Contreras began talking with Harris about teaming up the Drop and JMF last fall. "The Drop Block Party was already about giving something back to the community. Joining forces would only amplify what we'd be able to do, and for more folks.

"Besides," Contreras adds, "Juneteenth is a cultural institution. If there's a way for us to help bolster a cultural institution? That's one of the main purposes of public media. Bringing people together is so important. We have to celebrate our geographies."

So when it became clear that some major sponsors were dropping support of Denver's Juneteenth celebration, the Drop and RMPBS stepped in with a financial investment to secure and sponsor the main stage performance, Juvenile. A press release from the Drop says that shifting focus from its own event to co-presenting Juneteenth will allow the station to "reaffirm its commitment to uplifting Black culture, music and community."
“We are incredibly thankful to the Drop 104.7 and Rocky Mountain Public Media for their pivotal support at such a crucial time," says Harris. "Their contribution does more than sponsor a stage — it preserves the spirit of Juneteenth in Denver. In a year marked by sponsorship challenges, their commitment sends a powerful message: Our community’s history, culture and future are worth investing in."

Both the Drop and JMF are deeply rooted in Five Points culture and share a passion for grassroots initiatives that uplift voices, nurture creativity and preserve history. This collaboration is a natural extension of their missions — supporting the enduring legacy of Juneteenth while building stronger platforms for the next generation of artists, storytellers and community leaders.

It's also a natural extension of the role that public media — especially broadcast media, according to Contreras — plays in American lives. In our current political era, in which public media is being attacked and threatened with defunding, it's vital that these organizations demonstrate their immense value. "It's about reaching the greatest number of people possible," says Contreras. "Bringing together a whole bunch of disparate people that might otherwise not connect with each other. It's a beautiful convening, the Juneteenth Music Festival, and it's right in line with our mission."

The Juneteenth Music Festival, co-presented by the Drop 104.7, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 15, 2701 Welton Street. For more information, see the JMF website.