Philly celebrates the civil rights leader with exhibits, events and service projects over the long weekend, January 13-15, 2024.
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ABOVE PHOTO: Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend at The African American Museum in Philadelphia
Photo courtesy The African American Museum in Philadelphia
Each year, Philadelphia honors Martin Luther King Jr. with a day of service and an extended weekend of events celebrating the life of the iconic civil rights leader.
For 2024, many Philadelphia museums and attractions — including The African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Constitution Center, and Eastern State Penitentiary — hold special events, programs and workshops throughout the weekend celebrating King’s legacy, including a selection of free admission days.
Those wanting to honor King’s commitment to service can also find community volunteer opportunities highlighted by the citywide Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service as well as organized neighborhood projects in Germantown, Mt. Airy, Southwest Philly, Kensington and more.
Plus, the long weekend offers opportunities to check out a plethora of diverse activities such as Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations at the Academy of Music, Amplified: Art, Music, Power at the National Liberty Museum, and a key Philadelphia 76ers game at Wells Fargo Center.
A long weekend is the perfect opportunity to stay over that extra night with the Visit Philly 3-Day Stay package. It’s simple: Buy two nights and get your third night for free.
Below, find things to do for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Philadelphia along with a selection of other events and activities over the long weekend.
Note: Events are arranged in chronological order by section, starting with events that are ongoing.
MLK Weekend Events
Cascade of Colors at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown
Friday, January 12, 2024 | 5-7 p.m.
Kick off MLK weekend with a community art exhibition and party in the heart of Center City. The exhibition features collections by 14 Philly artists, along with live music and a special Martin Luther King Jr. tribute and spoken word performance. Tickets are required and include hors d’oeuvres, refreshments, beer, and wine. Attendees can stay late for the After Party Art Crawl at the on-site bowling alley, Liberty Lanes, featuring live DJ beats, a mural reveal, a free round of bowling, and pay-as-you-go food and drink (7-9 p.m.).
Where: Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1200 Filbert Street
Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend at The African American Museum in Philadelphia
January 12-15, 2024
There are few more meaningful locations in Philly to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend than The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP). The Old City attraction hosts a weekend of special events including performances from Dance4Life School of the Arts and Destiny L Music on Saturday, January 13, 2024, and a discussion on King’s connections with Philadelphia and two audience-inclusive conversations about King’s legacy on Monday, January 15, 2024. Reduced admission is available Friday through Sunday, and Monday is the museum’s annual Free Admission Day (which also includes an appearance from the Phillie Phanatic!).
Where: The African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street
MLK Celebration Concert Featuring The Voices Tribute to Motown at World Cafe Live
Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 8 p.m.
This musical tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. features songs from Motown legends — including The Temptations, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder — performed by the celebrated artists that make up The Voices Tribute to Motown. Tickets are required for the show.
Where: World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut Street
Visitors looking at the Revolutionary Generation wall.
Credit MoAR
Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend at the Museum of the American Revolution
January 13-15, 2024
The Museum of the American Revolution honors King’s life and how it’s tied to the ongoing legacy of the American Revolution during Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend at the Museum. Exhibits include “First-Person Performance: Meet Elizabeth Freeman,” a theatrical performance about Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman who sued for her freedom from enslavement and won, the Let Them Vote in-gallery talk discussing the fight for voting rights for women and people of color in New Jersey in post-revolutionary times, and a Community Engagement Wall to share your message about carrying forward the Revolution’s promises of liberty and equality.
Where: Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd Street
Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Weekend at Franklin Square and Betsy Ross House
January 13-15, 2024
Two of Philadelphia’s most celebrated historic sites offer free admission in exchange for donations for those in need during the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Service Weekend in Old City. Bring along a donation of new scarves, hats, or gloves to either Franklin Square, where you’ll get a free ride on the Parx Liberty Carousel, or to the Betsy Ross House, where you can enjoy no-charge admission. Donations will be presented to Bethesda Project, a nonprofit providing shelter, housing and support services to Philadelphians experiencing homelessness.
Where: Franklin Square, 200 N. 6th Street
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the Please Touch Museum
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Recognized as one of the nation’s top children’s attractions, the Please Touch Museum includes two floors of interactive exhibits and its famous 115-year-old carousel. On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, families can join in a series of special activities and projects including a community resource fair, a rap performance by the Young Flames, interactive storytelling and the construction of two murals: one by local artist Amiracle portraying King that will be created in real-time and a collaborative Community Commitment mural that guests can contribute to by creating pieces of stained glass in the Creative Arts Studio.
Where: Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at the Please Touch Museum
Photo courtesy Please Touch Museum
Martin Luther King Day 2024 Family Experience at Race Street Friends Meetinghouse
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 9 a.m.-noon
Presented by Friends Select school, the all-ages Martin Luther King Day 2024 Family Experience at historic Race Street Friends Meetinghouse is a collection of morning events honoring the ideals of King. On the docket: a keynote speech about food justice, a series of activities based on Bill Moyer’s four roles of social change (helper, advocate, organizer, rebel) and a celebration of the opening of the Friends Select Community Pantry led by the student Helping Hands group.
Where: Race Street Friends Meetinghouse, 1520 Cherry Street
Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Constitution Center
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Celebrating King’s mission to ensure the words of the nation’s founding documents are applied equally to all, the National Constitution Center offers a series of programs on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, with free admission and extended museum hours. Programming includes a reading of the “I Have a Dream” speech by local actors and students, an interactive family concert of songs inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, community arts and crafts tables, a school supply donation drive, a discussion of artifacts from the March on Washington, and readings of beloved books about King.
Where: National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Eastern State Penitentiary
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
This free-for-kids-under-12 event at Philly’s historic Eastern State Penitentiary commemorates Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, including the importance of his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” and stories of King and other civil rights leaders impacted by incarceration. Throughout the day, guest speakers read excerpts from the letter and other texts from civil rights leaders. Kids can participate in special story time circles featuring children’s books written by and about Civil Rights Movement leaders and hands-on activities. And visitors are invited to write a postcard to someone currently incarcerated in a Pennsylvania prison.
Where: Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Eastern State Penitentiary
Photo courtesy the Office of Senator Sharif Street
Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Festival at Woodmere Art Museum
Monday, January 15, 2024 | Noon-3 p.m.
The elegant Woodmere Art Museum, located inside a stone mansion on a six-acre estate in Chestnut Hill, invites visitors to its annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Festival. Join the institution for hands-on art-making projects celebrating the words and activism of King, plus a special interactive performance by award-winning singer and storyteller Tahira filled with compelling tales of freedom. Stick around and enjoy the museum’s 8,000 works collected in its founder’s vision of bringing art and nature together. The event is free with registration.
Where: Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia Orchestra Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert at Girard College Chapel
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 3 p.m.
Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra are joined by the Girard College High School Choir and Philadelphia High School for Creative & Performing Arts Chorus for the 34th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert. The afternoon program, in partnership with the Global Citizen Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, features works from Black composers including Lift Every Voice and Sing, Total Praise, Amazing Grace and more, plus excerpts from Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech accompanied by Adagio for Strings. The general admission concert is free, but reserved tickets are required.
Where: Girard College Chapel, 2101 S. College Avenue
Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Constitution Center Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
Service Projects
Martin Luther King Day of Service Clean-Up in Germantown
Sunday, January 14, 2024 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Among many MLK Day community beautification projects around the city is the Germantown United CDC Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Clean-Up. Volunteers can gather at the corner of Green Street and Chelten Avenue (by the Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library) where numerous cleanup projects will be available around Germantown. Those coming to help are asked to bring items like brooms, pails, and gloves, and are encouraged to wear masks.
Where: Green Street & Chelten Avenue
Global Citizen Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service
Monday, January 15, 2024
Join the world’s largest advocacy organization for the largest Martin Luther King Day event in the nation at the 29th Global Citizen Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service, a collection of community projects that draw over 150,000 volunteers annually. Visit the website to sign up for one of dozens of open-to-all community service events happening in each neighborhood and throughout the region, including meal prep and food distribution initiatives, community cleanups, and literacy programs.
Where: Various locations including Marian Anderson Recreation Center, 740 S. 17th Street
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at the African American Resource Center
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 8:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
To honor the holiday’s core missions of community and service, the African American Resource Center at the University of Pennsylvania has scheduled a collection of events and service projects for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service in and around the West Philly campus. The day kicks off with a waffle breakfast featuring a lineup of guest speakers and is followed by programming including a book donation project, a pet wellness and vaccination clinic, bag-filling and sock-stuffing sessions for local shelters, a community painting and cleanup project, a theatrical story time for children and more, culminating with a candlelight vigil.
Where: African American Resource Center, 3643 Locust Walk
Bartram’s Garden Martin Luther King Day of Service in Southwest Philadelphia
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 10 a.m.-noon
Help beautify the Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood during the two-hour Martin Luther King Day of Service community project, sponsored by Bartram’s Garden, one of the city’s largest public gardens. The project, taking place this year at nearby Glenda Ann Christopher Memorial Park, is helpful in prepping the community space for springtime plantings and activities, and includes mulching and weeding the park as well as cleaning up the surrounding block. Registration is required, and warm drinks and light refreshments will be provided along with work gloves, trash bags and other supplies.
Where: Glenda Ann Christopher Memorial Park, 5900 Greenway Avenue
Focused On Change MLK Jr Day of Service Event at Immortal Vision Studio
Monday, January 15, 2024 | 1-4 p.m.
The CJ Wolfe Foundation hosts the Focused On Change MLK Jr Day of Service Event and camera equipment drive, a service project to assist in cleaning up and restoring the community-focused Immortal Vision Studio and the surrounding Kensington neighborhood. Join volunteers to clean and dispose of waste in and around the studio and help gather donated cameras, lenses, photographic accessories, and film for the studio’s free youth photography programs.
Where: Immortal Vision Studio, 426 E. Allegheny Avenue
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