ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed nationwide on Monday, Jan. 19. Several festivities have been planned around the Asheville area to mark the holiday.

MLK Day marks the Jan. 15 birthday of the Civil Rights Movement leader. The holiday will be celebrated for its 40th year in 2026.

Celebrating MLK Day

The biggest MLK Day event in Asheville is the annual Peace March and Rally organized by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County. The rally begins with a fellowship service at 11:30 a.m. inside St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 44 Hildebrand St. in downtown Asheville, followed by a march to Pack Square Park at 12:30 p.m. and a rally from 12:50–1:20 p.m. The march from St. James AME to Pack Square is about .4 miles.

“The Peace March and Rally bring together people of all ages to honor Dr. King’s legacy and reaffirm a collective commitment to peace, justice and unity,” the MLK Association wrote on the event page.

For those more inclined to meal prepping than marching, Hendersonville will host its annual MLK Day service project beginning at noon at St. James Episcopal Church, 766 N. Main St., Hendersonville. The project will unite the community to bag dried beans and rice for neighbors in need. According to the event listing on Facebook, project participants in 2025 prepared over 950 meals in 45 minutes.

“MLK Day of Service is a way to honor the life and teachings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by engaging in community action,” the church wrote.

For those who can make neither event, consider reading or listening to King’s famous 1963 speech, “I Have a Dream.”