Martin Luther King Jr. Day is January 19, and Wisconsin is home to the oldest official state ceremony commemorating the slain civil rights leader and his legacy.
In addition to the annual ceremony in the Wisconsin Capitol, Madison is hosting a variety of events to not only remember Dr. King, but to put his social activism and dream of equality into practice. Here are a few of them:
MLK Free Community Dinner (Jan. 16)
Food brings people together, and the festivities in Madison always begin with a free community dinner at Gordon Dining & Event Center, featuring chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, sweet potato pie and more.
MLK Community Choir Rehearsal (Jan. 17)
The Community Choir will light up the Madison Dane County MLK Day Observance (see below) under the direction of Leotha and Tamera Stanley at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Community members of all musical backgrounds are welcome.
“I Have a Dream” Scholarship Ball (Jan. 17)
Women in Focus is hosting this event at Monona Terrace, including a full buffet and casino games, to celebrate past WIF scholarship recipients and raise money for future recipients.
MLK Outstanding Young Person Breakfast (Jan. 17)
Get a great breakfast and honor the excellence of 300 middle and high school students of color at this event at Edgewood High School sponsored by the Urban League of Greater Madison.
MLK Ecumenical Service (Jan. 18)
First Baptist Church welcomes people of all faiths, income levels, ethnicities and political affiliations to come together for this special service to honor Dr. King and celebrate his vision of equality.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute and Ceremony (Jan. 19)
The nation’s oldest state celebration takes place at noon in the Capitol rotunda. Journalist Ahmed Baba will give the keynote address, along with the Memorial Honor Guard and performances by Chicago’s Victory Travelers gospel group, pianist Becca May Grant and violinist Dr. Brianna Ware-Boggs. If you can’t make it in person, the event will be livestreamed on Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin.
MLK Youth Call For Service (Jan. 19)
Middle school youth are invited by the King Coalition and area youth groups to come together for workshops on how to better their communities and practice self-care, along with a free lunch and T-shirt. RSVP by Jan. 14.
Author and media commentator Marc Lamont Hill will be the keynote speaker at this event at the Capitol Theater. It begins with the singing of Freedom Songs by the MLK Community Choir in the Overture Center Rotunda at 5:15 p.m., followed by the main program at 6 p.m. that includes Hill’s speech on Dr. King’s legacy, urging audiences to continue his fight for justice through radical action and resistance.
The observance will conclude with the presentation of the 2026 MLK Humanitarian Awards by Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard. This year’s honorees are Armaad Jamaal Eubanks, Dr. Justice Castañeda, and Gift Akere.
