MLK Day Community Celebration

City of Tallahassee MLK Day Community Celebration - January 19, 2026

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to the pursuit of social justice and equality. The City of Tallahassee honors his life and invites the community to celebrate his profound legacy during free events downtown, including the annual parade, festival and Day of Dialogue, on Monday, Jan. 19.

City of Tallahassee MLK Day Events

• At 12 p.m., the MLK Day Parade kicks off along Monroe Street. The parade route begins at Tennessee Street and heads south.
• The MLK Day Festival takes place downtown from 1-4 p.m. along Adams Street and College Avenue. Welcome remarks by City leaders at 1 p.m. will be followed by live entertainment at the main stage in front of City Hall with vendors along Adams Street between Park Avenue and Jefferson Steet and College Avenue between Monroe and Duval streets.
• From 1:30-3 p.m. during the Day of Dialogue, explore the topic “Building and Sustaining a Nonviolent Community” with a panel of local experts in the City Commission Chambers, second floor, City Hall, 300 S. Adams Street.

MLK Day Road Closures

Patrons attending events downtown on Monday, Jan. 19, are advised to arrive early. Parking is available for a fee in the Kleman Plaza parking garage (Bronough Street entrance only), as well as the parking garage located at 215 South Calhoun Street. Free on-street parking will be available downtown, except on streets closed for the events.

Due to the annual NAACP march, S. Adams Street between Tennessee Street and E. Jefferson Street, as well as E. Jefferson Street from S. Adams Street to Monroe Street, will be closed from 8:45-11 a.m. on Jan. 19. The march is slated to begin at C.K. Steele Plaza, 111 W. Tennessee Street, at 9 a.m., and end at City Hall, 300 S. Adams Street.

To allow for parade staging, Monroe Street from Brevard Street to Tennessee Street, as well as adjacent streets (Georgia, Carolina and Virginia streets) between Adams Street and Calhoun Street, will be closed from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 19. Brevard Street will remain open.

The parade route will close from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., including the intersection of Monroe and Tennessee streets. The parade moves south along Monroe Street from Tennessee Street. Northbound traffic on Monroe Street will be detoured at Gaines Street. Westbound traffic on Apalachee Parkway will be detoured at Franklin Boulevard.

For those traveling in the downtown area but not attending the festivities, the detour route follows Gaines Street (eastbound and westbound), Gadsden Street (one-way northbound), Brevard Street (eastbound and westbound) and Bronough Street (one-way southbound).

For more information, contact the City of Tallahassee's Office of Diversity and Inclusion at 850-891-8295.