The Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition of Madison & Dane County has announced plans for a series of events honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2026, culminating in the 41st annual City-County MLK Day Observance on Monday, Jan. 19, at the Overture Center’s Capitol Theater. The program will begin with freedom songs at 5:15 p.m., followed by the formal observance at 6 p.m.
The keynote speaker for the 2026 observance will be Marc Lamont Hill, a scholar, author and media commentator who serves as a Presidential Professor at the CUNY Graduate Center. Hill is also the founder of The People’s Education Center and Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books and has authored multiple books focused on race, education and social justice.
The program will include presentation of the MLK Humanitarian Award by Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, as well as performances by the MLK Community Choir led by Leotha and Tamera Stanley. The event is free and open to the public, with no tickets required.
Additional MLK holiday observances scheduled throughout the week include a free community dinner on Friday, Jan. 16, an ecumenical service on Sunday, Jan. 18, and the MLK Day Youth Call to Service on Monday, Jan. 19, at the Central Madison Public Library. Other partner events include the I Have a Dream Scholarship Ball hosted by Women in Focus and the MLK Youth Recognition Breakfast hosted by the Urban League of Greater Madison.
More information on all of the events is available at https://mlkingcoalition.org/.
