Memphis, TN, Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday, January 19, the National Civil Rights Museum will host its annual King Day Celebration, welcoming the public for a day of service, reflection, and joyful community gathering from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. This year’s observance carries historic significance, marking the 40th anniversary of the federal Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and the launch of the Museum’s Legacy Year, a yearlong tribute commemorating its 35th anniversary and the Reopening of The Legacy experience.
The Museum is proud to continue its tradition of offering FREE admission, made possible through the generous support of FedEx, which has underwritten free or reduced King Day admission for the community for ten years. This longstanding commitment ensures that people of all ages have access to Dr. King’s legacy and to the Museum’s mission of advancing civil and human rights.
“This milestone year is not only about looking back at what Dr. King stood for, but also recognizing the people who continue to make his ideals real today,” said Museum President Dr. Russell Wigginton. “Forty years after the first national King holiday and thirty-five years after the founding of this Museum, we are reimagining how legacies live—and how the community plays an essential role in shaping the future of civil and human rights.”
A Newly Expanded King Day Experience
For the first time in approximately 30 months, King Day programming will extend entirely across the Museum’s expanded outdoor campus, following the October 2025 reopening of Founders Park, a re-envisioned public gathering space honoring the visionaries who established the Museum. The newly renovated park offers expanded capacity for performances, community activities, and public engagement.
Honoring Community Stories: A New Legacy Year Feature
A highlight of this year’s celebration is the introduction of a storytelling hub, an interactive installation designed to capture the reflections, aspirations, and lived experiences of visitors. Through video storytelling booths, oral history prompts, and collaborative art, the Hub invites guests of all ages to share how they see themselves as part of Dr. King’s Dream and how they are advancing his legacy. These stories will help shape ongoing Legacy Year programs and future Museum exhibitions.
This initiative underscores the Museum’s belief that history is not only preserved in archives but also carried by the community and continually activated through their voices and actions.
King Day 2026 Highlights
- Free museum admission from 8:00 am–6:00 pm, made possible by the unwavering support of FedEx, a partner for ten years in making King Day accessible to all.
- Family activities, including arts and crafts, learning stations, and youth-centered programming, are inspired by Dr. King’s principles of justice, equality, and service.
- Live entertainment on the Main Stage, featuring local and regional artists, choirs, performers, and student groups.
- Community Resource Pavilion, offering access to civic organizations, health and wellness providers, and service initiatives across Memphis.
- Food trucks and local vendors, highlighting the flavors and creativity of the Memphis.
- Day of service opportunities, including partnerships with Mid-South Food Bank, Vitalant, and additional community groups, encouraging guests to donate canned goods, give blood, and support neighbors in need.
- Legacy storytelling, capturing multigenerational stories that illuminate how Dr. King’s legacy is lived today.
Celebrating 40 Years of King Day
As the nation marks the 40th anniversary of the federal King holiday, first observed in 1986, the Museum reflects on the ongoing importance of honoring Dr. King’s call to service, justice, and collective responsibility. The holiday’s national message—that it is “a day on, not a day off”—remains central to the Museum’s King Day traditions.
“This anniversary is a reminder that Dr. King’s message remains urgent,” Wigginton said. “The holiday exists because people fought for it. Progress exists because people commit to it. And King Day is our opportunity to recommit—together.”
A Legacy 35 Years in the Making
The year 2026 also marks the 35th anniversary of the National Civil Rights Museum, founded in 1991 at the historic Lorraine Motel. Legacy Year will feature public programs, exhibitions, oral history projects, and community collaborations that highlight the ongoing impact of the civil rights movement and inspire today’s changemakers.
Founders Park will serve as a cornerstone of Legacy Year activity, reinforcing the Museum’s role as both a site of historical remembrance and a catalyst for civic engagement.
The Museum invites families, visitors, neighbors, and supporters to participate in this landmark King Day celebration and help launch an inspiring Legacy Year.
For event information and updates, visit kingday.org or follow #KingDay2026.
About the National Civil Rights Museum
The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from slavery to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come annually. The Museum is steadfast in its mission to honor and preserve the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. It chronicles the American civil rights movement and tell the story of the ongoing struggle for human rights, serving as a catalyst to inspire action to create positive social change. A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum is recognized as a 2019 National Medal Award recipient by the Institute of Museums and Library Services (IMLS), the top national honor for museums and libraries.
Connie Dyson National Civil Rights Museum 901-527-1225 cdyson@civilrightsmuseum.org
