Mesa and its residents pay tribute to the leadership and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The day of remembrance on Martin Luther King (MLK) Day, Monday, Jan.20 will begin with the annual Mesa-East Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in downtown Mesa followed by a community festival from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Plaza at Mesa City Center, located at 56 E. Main St. This year's celebration theme is Building Bridges: Cultivating Our Community honoring Dr. King's legacy by emphasizing unity, inclusion and community growth.
Arizonas only MLK Parade starts at the Center Street and MLK Way intersection, travels south on Center Street to First Street, then east on First Street to Hibbert where it will end. The parade includes marching bands, faith-based and other local organizations, community leaders, elected officials and several City of Mesa departments to make it a truly festive and inclusive community event. The grand marshal will be representatives from Salt River Project for their commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the community.
Following the parade, the Mesa-East Valley MLK Festival is from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Plaza at Mesa City Center, 56 E. Main Street. The community festival features food, vendors, live music and other entertainment, interactive line dancing and a Kids Unity Corner with activities and crafts. Vitalant will be having a blood drive at the festival. The movie Selma, chronicling Dr. Kings campaign to secure voting rights during an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965, will be played at 1 p.m. inside the ASU MIX Center in partnership with the Sidney Poitier New American Film School.
Two of our downtown museums will offer half-price admission on MLK Day. The Arizona Museum of Natural History will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the i.d.e.a. Museum will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Residents around the parade route or those joining in on the festivities should plan for the following street closures:
6 a.m. to 2 p.m.:
First Street - Center Street to Mesa Drive (no thru traffic will be able to cross First Street)
Centennial Way - Pepper Place to First Street
Pasadena - at First Street
Hibbert - Pepper Place to First Street
Hibbert - Second Street to Third Place
Wilbur - at First Street
Pomeroy - Pepper Place to First Street
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Center Street - University Drive to Pepper Place
Third Place - Center Street to Drew Street
MLK Way - Center Street to Centennial Way
Second Street - at Center Street
8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Pepper Place - Center Street to Centennial Way (Plaza for MLK Festival)
The parade route will reopen to all traffic by 2 p.m. Adjacent streets to the parade route will reopen as traffic control is removed. Traffic can detour around the parade route by using Main Street, Mesa Drive, Country Club Drive and University Drive. The festival area along Pepper Place between Center Street and Centennial Way will reopen by 7 p.m.
Bus and light rail service will operate on a weekday schedule. The Downtown Buzz will not serve Center Street between Main Street and University Drive from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 20. Please download the Valley Metro app to stay up to date with detours, pay your fare, plan your trip and see real-time arrival data: valleymetro.org/how-to-ride/online-tools/app or visit valleymetro.org/rider-alerts for details.
All of the MLK events are hosted and presented by the Mesa-East Valley MLK Committee in partnership with the City of Mesa, the Sidney Poitier New American Film School and Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU. The MLK Parade and Festival is sponsored by Amazon, SRP, Sundt, Banner Health, Semper Fi Heating-Cooling-Plumbing, Kona Ice, VCA Animal Hospitals, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Tempe Alumnae Chapter, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix.
Mesa's annual MLK celebrations were created after residents, in 1996, voted to establish a citywide holiday recognizing the leadership of Dr. King. For more information on the MLK celebrations, visit the Mesa-East Valley MLK website.