This Saturday marks the 160th anniversary of Emancipation Day. To celebrate the day in which 3,100 people were freed from enslavement in the District, the Mayor’s office will be hosting the Emancipation Day Parade on April 16th for the first time in two years.

The District is already observing the holiday today with modified government services and hours.

Among those closures for today are all offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles and most DC Public Libraries. All COVID Centers and emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness will remain open. Some good news: Because of the holiday, the last day to file taxes will be Monday, April 18. (It’s not the first time this has happened.) Find a full rundown of what’s open and closed in the District today here.

Celebrations for Saturday are set to begin at 2 p.m. with a parade on the crossing of Pennsylvania Avenue NW and 10th Streets NW. The march will continue west before arriving at Freedom Plaza.

Starting at 3 p.m., festivities will continue at Freedom Plaza with a food truck festival, along with a concert. Featured performers will include CeeLo Green, Slick Rick the Ruler, and D.C.’s own Junkyard Band, among others. A fireworks display will conclude the celebrations from 8:30 to 8:45 p.m.

The Metropolitan Police Department has advised motorists that there will be several parking restrictions and street closures in the following areas on Saturday.

From 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.:

• E Street from 13th Street to 14th Street, NW
• Pennsylvania Avenue from 12th Street to 14th Street, NW
• 13th Street from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

From 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.:

• 10th Street between E Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

From 1:00 p.m. to 3 p.m.:

• Pennsylvania Avenue from 9th Street to 14th Street, NW
• 10th Street, between E Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
• 11th Street, between E Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• 12th Street, between E Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
• 13th Street, from E Street to Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
• E Street, between 13th Street and 14th Street, NW

The mayor’s office is encouraging parade attendees to utilize the Metro. Nearby parking is available at Colonial Parking Garage on 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and the One Freedom Park at 560 13th St. NW.

More than eight months before he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862. The bill released thousands of people in the District from bondage and set the course for what would eventually happen throughout the country. In a recent blog post, DC Attorney General Karl Racine called on residents to reckon with the District’s imperfect past and present when celebrating this weekend.

“Washington DC has–and always will–represent America’s highest ideals of freedom, equality, and justice,” said Racine in a recent blog post. “In the same spirit of the brave abolitionists, slaves, and free Blacks who demanded freedom and made Emancipation Day possible, today, let’s commit ourselves to demanding a more just future. We still have plenty of work to do.”