Celebrate with your community at one of these Cincinnati Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events!
Monday, January 19, 2026, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Many businesses are closed, and children are out of school.
Martin Luther King, Jr. played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, fighting against racial segregation, oppression, injustice, and brutality. Everyone should take this opportunity to honor African American civil rights leaders.
Participate in Cincinnati MLK events, such as marches, speeches, celebrations, or presentations, throughout the city. Spend Monday remembering why Martin Luther King’s birthday is a federal holiday.
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Featured Cincinnati MLK Events
American Voices Symphony Concert
January 16 – January 17
Music Hall (OTR)
Starting at $15
Celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. in a program highlighting some of the most influential African American artists and composers of our time.
Black Empowerment Day
January 17, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Cincinnati Museum Center (West End)
Free for Members or included with Museum Admission
Guests with a valid food assistance card and photo ID, or a valid Medicaid card and photo ID, will receive free parking (up to 2 vehicles) and a $3 admission fee per person with a Museum Admission ticket for up to ten guests.
Gather together in a celebration of Black excellence and empowerment alongside community partners, performers, speakers, Black-owned businesses, and more. This daylong event is an opportunity to share, connect, learn, grow, and strengthen while celebrating Black Empowerment.
Freedom Center Events
- Fisk Jubilee Singers Community Concert
Sunday, January 18
4 p.m.
$25 non-members; $20 members
Enjoy an unforgettable afternoon of music that transcends time—spirituals, gospel, and songs that tell the story of resilience and freedom. For over 150 years, the Fisk Jubilee Singers have lifted their voices to preserve and share the legacy of African American spirituals. - King Legacy Celebration – Sold Out
Monday, January 19
8 a.m., doors open at 7:30 for networking and continental breakfast
$50 non-members; $40 members
Celebrate King’s legacy with music, reflection, and a call to action. Gen Z Historian Kahlil Greene is the keynote speaker. Enjoy a performance of the Fisk Jubilee Singers. - Fifth-Third Community Day
Monday, January 19
11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Free Admission- 11 a.m. – Museum opens. All exhibits and self-guided activities are available. Visit the Freedom Center’s newest exhibit, Jubilation!, about the Fisk Jubilee Singers
- 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Home ownership symposium with Union Savings and Guardian Savings Bank (Third Floor).
- Noon to 5 p.m. – Hoxworth Blood Drive on the 4th floor. Walkups are accepted, but donors are encouraged to register in advance. All donors at the Freedom Center will receive a free UC puffy vest and a $10 Kroger gift card, while supplies last.
- Noon to 5 p.m. – Service Fair with tabling service organizations including Poverty Liberation Collective, The Zonta Club of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired (CABVI), Ignite Peace, and Groundwork Ohio River Valley.
- 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – King Legacy Celebration keynote Kahlil Greene and Dr. Megan Gerhardt in discussion on the topic of intergenerational empowerment and collaboration (Harriet Tubman Theater).
- 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Trudy Gaba, NURFC Social Justice Curator on “Lifting as We Climb: A glimpse into Historically Black Benevolent and Mutual Aid Societies” (Harriet Tubman Theater)
- 5 p.m. – Museum closes.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Events in the Greater Cincinnati Area
Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King Worship Celebration Service
Sunday, January 18
10 a.m.
Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church (Lincoln Heights)
Free Admission
The worship experience will include live song, worship, and a message from Dr. Joan Harrell, who will serve as guest speaker. Congregants and community members will gather to reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the continued responsibility to live out justice, peace, and love through action.
We Outside: MLK Snow Day
Monday, January 19
9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Perfect North Slopes (Lawrenceburg)
Price Varies
Enjoy a fun-filled day at Perfect North Slopes on MLK Day, in collaboration with Corbeau Ski Club. This winter outing is designed for adults who want to spend the day in motion, with community, and fresh air.
Commemorative March
Monday, January 19
10:30 a.m.
Begins at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (The Banks)
Ends at Washington Park (OTR)
Free Admission
Come with your organization and family, or meet friends along the walk. The Rosa Parks bus will be available for those who prefer to ride along the route.
MLK Coalition Annual Program
Monday, January 19
Noon
Music Hall (OTR)
Free Admission
The nationally recognized keynote speaker is Dr. Holly McGee, a UC professor. She specializes in U.S. History and African American History, with an emphasis on Black women’s activist and intellectual history, comparative political activism in the United States and South Africa, and popular culture in the twentieth century.
MLK “Keep the Dream Alive” Awards
Monday, January 19
3 p.m.
Church of the Resurrection (Bond Hill)
Free Admission
Eight Greater Cincinnatians who personify, through words and action, the spirit and philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be honored at the 24th annual MLK “Keep the Dream Alive” Ceremony.
National Day of Racial Healing
Tuesday, January 20
7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (The Banks)
Free Admission
Each year, on the Tuesday following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Cincinnati joins communities across the nation for the National Day of Racial Healing, a moment rooted in truth-telling, shared humanity, and collective action.
Listen to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Anthem
Tim Greene, a proud Martin Luther King High School graduate and an HBCU, has produced a powerful tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. titled “M.L. King Anthem For An American Hero.” The moving anthem, sung by Dr. A.L. Bradford, is now available for free download or streaming on YouTube.
Related Article: Black History Movies for children and families.
About Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was a Baptist minister and activist who was one of the most prominent leaders in the American civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.
An African American church leader and a son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr., King advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through activism, nonviolence, and civil disobedience. He led targeted, nonviolent resistance against Jim Crow laws and other forms of racism and discrimination.
Along with his wife, Coretta Scott, King participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights, and other civil rights. He oversaw the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and became the first Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) president. He led the unsuccessful Albany Movement in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize some nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama.
King was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The civil rights movement achieved pivotal legislative gains in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. 1965, he helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches. In 1968, King was planning a national occupation of Washington, DC, to be called the Poor People’s Campaign, when he was assassinated on April 4 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Related Article: Visit these Black historic sites in Cincinnati while you’re out.
Please help keep Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy alive as we start the year with Cincinnati MLK Events. His vision and contributions have affected all of us in some way. Submit additional Cincinnati Martin Luther King, Jr. Day events to The Voice of Black Cincinnati Calendar.
The Voice of Black Cincinnati is a media company designed to educate, recognize, and create opportunities for African Americans. Want to find local news, events, job postings, scholarships, and a database of local Black-owned businesses? Visit our homepage, explore other articles, subscribe to our newsletter, like our Facebook page, join our Facebook group, and text VOBC to 513-966-3328.
Cincinnati MLK Events Photo Credit: newszii.com
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