When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025? Everything to know about the federal holiday

On By Littum

Martin Luther King Jr. Daythe federal holiday honor life and birthday of an icon of America’s civil rights movement, is this month.

The holiday, held annually on the third Monday in January, falls on January 20 this year.

Here is everything to know about Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025, including why we celebrate it.

What day is MLK Day 2025?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in January. This year it takes place on Monday 20 January.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in January.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated annually on the third Monday in January.

When was Martin Luther King Jr. born?

king, a civil rights iconwas born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929.

Is MLK Day always on a Monday?

Yes, the holiday is observed every year on the third Monday in January because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1968. The act moved several federal holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day and Washington’s. Birthday, to Mondays to create long weekends for federal employees.

Although the King’s birthday is on 15 January, the holiday is celebrated on Mondays like the other public holidays in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.

When was Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday?

Ceremonies commemorating King’s birthday and legacy have been held since his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. However, the road to naming a federal holiday in his honor was long.

It was only almost 20 years after his assassination Martin Luther King Jr. Day was federally recognized in 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed it into law. The holiday was celebrated for the first time three years later, in 1986, and celebrated in all states in 2000.

Efforts by King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, lawmakers, activists and others helped make the holiday a reality, USA TODAY reports. Stevie Wonder also played a role in the law’s passage, writing about the importance of recognizing King’s legacy in his 1980 song “Happy Birthday”.

“I just never understood / How a man who died forever / Couldn’t have a day that would / Be set aside for his recognition,” Wonder wrote.

Why and how do we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

The federal holiday honors the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to speaking out against injustice, inequality, poverty and war. According to Encyclopedia Britannicathe holiday is usually celebrated with marches, parades, speeches by civil rights leaders and politicians, volunteer work and special programming at museums and other cultural institutions across the country.

Each year, Cincinnati’s National Underground Railroad Freedom Center hosts one King Legacy Celebration on the holiday, with a keynote speaker and musical performances. The The MLK Coalition is also hosting its 50th anniversary Freedom March this year with the theme “Jubilee for MLK’s Beloved Community” inspired by King’s 1960 Freedom Jubilee speech.

MLK Day is the only federal holiday “designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and improve their communities,” per Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Who killed Martin Luther King Jr.?

According to The National ArchivesJames Earl Ray, a 40-year-old convicted armed robber who escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary, pleaded guilty on March 10, 1969, to shooting King almost a year before on April 4, 1968.

King was shot and wounded on the second floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was pronounced dead at St. Joseph Hospital later that day.

Ray was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 99 years in state prison. In 1998, he died aged 70 of kidney disease and liver failure after serving 29 years in prison.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in Greater Cincinnati 2025

Are we missing your event? Email [email protected] with all relevant information to include in this roundup.

Celebrate Black Empowerment Day

  • When: Saturday 18 January from 10am to 5pm

  • Where: Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate.

  • What: This celebration highlights black excellence – past, present and future – through art, performances, information booths, vendors and speakers. This event is included in the price of admission and is free for CMC members.

King Legacy Celebration

  • When: Monday 20 January at 8.30am

  • Where: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown.

  • What: This event features keynote speaker Wendy Ellis and performances by music ministry professionals Lisa Moore and ElementzCincinnati’s hip-hop culture group. Tickets are $50 and $25 for the live stream.

50 Annual Freedom March: Anniversary of MLK’s Beloved Community

  • When: Monday 20 January at 10.30am

  • Where: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown.

  • What: This free march begins at the Freedom Center and ends at the Music Hall, with a community celebration. The event will feature music by the MLK Chorale, Baba Charles and the Samba Band and a keynote address by Hasan Kwame Jeffries, a history professor at Ohio State University.

Member of Sinai Temple No. 59, of East Walnut Hills, listens to the speeches before the start of the 47th annual memorial march to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on MLK Day 2022.

Member of Sinai Temple No. 59, of East Walnut Hills, listens to the speeches before the start of the 47th annual memorial march to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on MLK Day 2022.

Free entrance day

  • When: Monday, January 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m

  • Where: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown.

  • What: Enjoy free admission and special activities all day at the Freedom Center.

MLK Day Blood Drive

  • When: Monday, January 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m

  • Where: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown.

  • What: The Freedom Center, MLK Coalition, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha Woman will host a blood drive. Walkups will be accepted, but donors are encouraged to sign up.

Hold the Dream Alive Awards Ceremony

  • When: Monday, January 20 at 3 p.m

  • Where: Church of the Resurrection, 1619 California Ave., Bond Hill.

  • What: This free ceremony recognizes individuals who are actively building on King’s dream through the power of love.

The 40th Annual MLK Day Celebration

  • When: Monday 20 January at

  • Where: Resurrection Lutheran Church, 1270 N. Broadway St., Lebanon.

  • What: The 40th annual MLK Day celebration in Lebanon is free and open to the public. It hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Community Coalition of Lebanon. The event begins at noon with screenings of King’s speeches followed by a service at 1 p.m

Marc Fields plays black composers on King’s Day

  • When: Monday 20 January at 19:00

  • Where: Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.

  • What: Jazz musician Marc Fields leads an outstanding quartet in an exploration of the music of black composers in honor of MLK Day. With Marc Fields (trombone), Erwin Stucky (piano), Justin Dawson (bass) and Phil Tipton (drums).

This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: When is MLK Day 2025? Date, history, celebrations, more