Martin Luther King Day Parade & Freedom Festival

For more than four decades, this South L.A. tradition has assembled marching bands, floats, street performers and local civic leaders as part of the world’s longest-running MLK Day celebration. You might have noticed the new name—for decades the event has been known as the “Kingdom Day Parade” and was organized by the Congress of Racial Equality of California. This year, however, due to some drama with permits, the parade is being presented by Bakewell Media and the Los Angeles Sentinel and broadcast by ABC live at 11am. The parade route kicks off on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, heads west to Crenshaw Boulevard and swings around Leimert Park Plaza, where you’ll find a free post-parade festival (11am–5pm).