Juneteenth + Pickleball For All 2025
unites Austinites and visitors
to honor a pivotal moment in history
while embracing the fastest-growing sport in the United States of America.
This inaugural event connects communities by highlighting pickleball’s
health and economic benefits
while introducing players
and the Austin community to
the rich history of Juneteenth
and Rosewood Park.
How To Get Involved
As the Juneteenth Day Parade concludes at Rosewood Park, festival-goers will make their way along Rosewood Avenue toward the festival. On the way are the Rosewood pickleball courts! At noon you can take in the top-ranked pro pickleball exhibition, and experience the nation’s fastest-growing sport firsthand.
Rosewood Park has long been the heart of Juneteenth celebrations in East Austin.
Now, it’s also one of the top pickleball locations in Austin —the #1 U.S. pickleball city!
Meet Brandon Nsekpong
Brandon is the lead pro at Austin Pickle Ranch, one of the premiere pickleball facilities in the United States.
Brandon was just voted the #1 pickleball coach in Austin ... and considering Austin was just voted the #1 pickleball city in America, well that's pretty good!
Brandon is inviting other pros to join him for a pro pickeball exhibition at Rosewood during the Juneteenth festival. The pros will not only be playing a pro exhibition, but will invite the tournament winners to try their luck against pro players.
Then the courts will be open for everyone to pick up a paddle and learn how to play. You can also meet the pros.
Learn More About East Austin & Rosewood Park
In 1907, the Austin Emancipation Association (pictured left) purchased Emancipation Park, creating a dedicated space for Black Austinites to celebrate Juneteenth and gather as a community.
Wheeler’s Grove also hosted early Juneteenth celebrations.
Established in 1929, Rosewood Park became Austin’s first public park for African Americans - following the city’s 1928 segregation plan. It replaced Emancipation Park, which was seized in 1938 to create Rosewood Courts, the first public housing project for African Americans in the United States.
Rosewood Park grew over the decades, with the addition of the Doris Miller Auditorium in 1942 (a WWII servicemen’s recreation hall and later a key stop on the Chitlin’ Circuit), a recreation center in 1944 (later renamed the Delores Duffie Recreation Center), and the Henry Green Madison Cabin (built in 1863 by Austin’s first Black city councilman and relocated to the park in 1973).
Today, Rosewood Park remains a vital gathering space and a cultural landmark. The annual Juneteenth Parade culminates at Rosewood Park with the Juneteenth Festival.
Here's the current pickleball scene at Rosewood Park
Pickleball Is The New Golf
The slides below are drawn from presentations given at the Dream Together 2030 meetings in September 2024 and February 2025. They spotlight an emerging truth:
Pickleball is the New Golf
In other words, pickleball is becoming a space where tomorrow’s leaders and influencers will gather to connect, collaborate, and make decisions.
Historically, African-Americans have been underrepresented in spaces like the golf course — and excluded from the conversations that happened there. As pickleball rises in popularity, we have a real opportunity to change that story.
Now is the time to grow Black engagement in pickleball — and rally broad community support for Juneteenth — starting right here in Austin.
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