Atlanta MLK Day 2027: King Center events Jan. 7-18

MLK Day 2027 is Monday, Jan. 18. The King Center's free observance runs Jan. 7-18 in Atlanta; times, venues and the march route are not out yet.

Last checked Nov. 13, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. Where 2027 details are not out yet, we give the 2026 facts with the year stated. We never guess a new date or time.

MLK Day is Monday, Jan. 18, 2027. Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, marks the holiday with the King Center’s King Holiday Observance, which runs Jan. 7-18, 2027, in Atlanta and online. The King Center has posted the dates of each event; times, venues and speakers are still to come, and it says the lineup “will grow as participants are confirmed.”

At a glance

MLK Day: Monday, Jan. 18, 2027

King Holiday Observance: Jan. 7-18, 2027, free, in Atlanta and online

Commemorative service: Monday, Jan. 18; time and venue not yet posted

March and rally: not yet announced for 2027; in 2026 it stepped off at 1:15 p.m. from Baker and Peachtree streets

The 2027 King Holiday Observance

The King Center, 449 Auburn Ave. NE, gives the 2027 theme as “Carry the Dream Forward, Together and Be Love.” Its schedule, as posted on Nov. 13, 2026:

Date	Event	Cost
Thursday, Jan. 7	Press conference	Free, no RSVP
Saturday, Jan. 9	Be Love Day and King Holiday Observance kickoff	Free, no RSVP
Sunday, Jan. 10	Nonviolence365 training	Free, no RSVP
Wednesday, Jan. 13	Beloved Community Youth Summit and Youth Book Reading	Free, no RSVP
Thursday, Jan. 14	Be Love Forum	Free, no RSVP
Friday, Jan. 15	Beloved Community Teach In	Free, no RSVP
Saturday, Jan. 16	MLK Jr. Beloved Community Awards	RSVP required
Monday, Jan. 18	Beloved Community Commemorative Service	Free, no RSVP
Monday, Jan. 18	Beloved Community Service Project	Details on the service project page

The page lists no times or venues for these events yet, and several forum speakers and performers are marked “to be announced.” This page will add them when the King Center posts them.

What happened in 2026

For planning, here is how MLK Day 2026 ran, from the King Center’s 2026 observance release:

Commemorative service: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in person at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday March and Rally: the march assembled at Baker and Peachtree streets downtown, stepped off at 1:15 p.m. and ended on Auburn Avenue in front of the King Center.
Day of service: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Morehouse College’s Dansby Hall; registration was required.

Getting there

The King Center is at 449 Auburn Ave. NE in the Sweet Auburn district. MARTA has not posted its 2027 holiday schedule; on MLK Day 2026 it ran Saturday bus and streetcar schedules and a modified Saturday rail schedule (MARTA holiday schedule). Road closures for the march had not been published on Nov. 13; check our road construction and closures page the week before.

Frequently asked questions

When is MLK Day 2027? Monday, Jan. 18, 2027. The King Center’s observance runs Jan. 7-18.

When is the King Center’s MLK Day service in 2027? Monday, Jan. 18, free with no RSVP. The time and venue were not posted on Nov. 13, 2026; in 2026 the service ran 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Is there an MLK Day march in Atlanta in 2027? Not yet announced. In 2026 the march stepped off at 1:15 p.m. from Baker and Peachtree streets and ended in front of the King Center on Auburn Avenue.

Are the King Center events free? Yes, all but the Jan. 16 Beloved Community Awards are listed as free with no RSVP; the awards need an RSVP.

What this means for you

Keep Monday, Jan. 18, free if you want to attend the service or the march; both draw big crowds.
Check MARTA’s 2027 holiday schedule before you travel; it had not been posted on Nov. 13.
This page will add times, venues and the march route as the King Center posts them.