The Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission of Florida will hold its 40^th Year Anniversary King Celebration, starting Jan. 7 and culminating with the 40th Annual MLK Parade and National Holiday Celebration on Jan. 15.  

All the events will be in the Gainesville area.  

The parade will go from Bo Diddley Plaza to Citizens Field, starting at noon, and the celebration will happen afterward at the field. The event will feature “Little Jake & The Souls Searchers Band.” 

A series of events will precede the parade, starting with the 39^th Annual Hall of Fame GALA. The GALA will be at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 7 at the Hilton Hotel. The event will raise money for the commission and honor its president and founder, Rodney Long, as the 2024 award recipient.  

Justice Alexander, Eastside High School student body president, will give the keynote. She is also the 2024 Edna M. Hart Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Award Recipient.  

On Jan. 9, the Remembering Martin and Coretta Program will happen at Dayspring Baptist Church, featuring tributes from the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. The event is free and starts at 6:30 p.m.  

A town hall on Jan. 10 will discuss the history and legacy of the MLK Jr. Commission of Florida. Starting at 7 p.m., the panel discussions will include former Hall of Fame and scholarship award recipients along with members of the commission.  

The 3^rd Annual Stephan P. Mickle Jazz concert will be at Bo Diddley Plaza on Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. The concert will include “Gruv Therapy.” 

On Jan. 13, Star Center Theatre will show “Walk Don’t Ride,” a celebration of the fight for equality and freedom. The show starts at 7 p.m. with tickets available online.  

Before the parade on Jan. 15, the commission will host the Hall of Fame Enshrinement Program at the MLK Memorial Gardens in downtown Gainesville.  

For more information and tickets for the events, visit the commission’s website.