Events in our area are honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Here is the latest list on events scheduled for our region.
Berks County
MLK Day of Service Reading Hospital
Date/Time: Monday, January 19, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Reading Hospital
During the annual MLK Day of Service, Reading Hospital team members will volunteer to assemble food and toiletry kits for the hospital’s Street Medicine program. This important initiative will provide approximately a year’s worth of kits for the Street Medicine program to share with unsheltered members of the community.
Since the project began in 2023, more than 300 backpacks have been filled with items generously donated by hospital team members.
MLK Day of Service in Berks
The Jewish Federation of Reading in partnership with Immanuel United Church of Christ, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County, and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom, are proud to announce a community service event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Families with young children and youth are invited to a National Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Volunteers will join hundreds of thousands of American across the country in volunteer service. The annual events honor Dr. King’s legacy and is an opportunity for Americans to renew their own personal vows of citizenship through service to others and engage in conversations to advance community goals.
MLK Day of Service: Planting Seeds of Change
Reading, PA: Keep Reading Beautiful and the City of Reading Department of Public Works invites the community and media to take part in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service focused on planting, learning, and community growth. Participants will work together to plant seeds for future use in our community gardens and engage in hands-on service that reflects Dr. King’s vision of unity, service, and positive change.
This event highlights the City’s commitment to sustainability, community partnerships, and honoring Dr. King’s legacy through action.
WHEN: Monday, January 19, 2026, 10 a.m-12 p.m.
WHERE: City of Reading Greenhouse
City Park, Constitution Blvd & Rose Garden Dr.
Reading, PA 19601
WHO: City of Reading Department of Public Works, in collaboration with: Keep Reading Beautiful, Widoktadwen Center for Native Knowledge, The 18th Wonder Improvement Association, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners
CITY SERVICES NOTICE:
In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, City Hall will be closed and there will be no street sweeping on Monday, January 19, 2026. Trash and recycling collection will operate on a regular schedule.
Alvernia MLK Day of Service
Observed each year on the third Monday in January, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service is a national initiative that transforms Dr. King’s life and teachings into community action. It’s a “day on, not a day off” and a time to come together in service to others and help strengthen our communities through acts of compassion and justice. This year, Alvernia students, faculty, and staff will join volunteers nationwide in honoring Dr. King’s legacy through hands-on service with VOiCEup Berks!
Details
Date: Monday, January 19, 2026
Time: 11 AM – 2 PM (earn 4 hours of service!)
Location: PLEX
Perks: Free meal voucher to the dining hall after service
Schedule
10:30 – 11 AM: Check-in at the PLEX
11:00 – 1 PM: MLK Day service projects and reflection
1:00 PM: Group lunch
Royals MLK Jr. Day
MLK Jr. Day – Jan. 19 at 1:00 p.m. vs. Greensboro
Kids free admission (ages 14 and under – two free kids tickets with purchase of an adult ticket)
Giveaway: Slapshot headband (first 1,500 fans)
Northampton County
MLK March in Bethlehem
The Dr. Martin Luther King Civil Rights Movement March will take place in Bethlehem on January 19, 2026, rain or shine. The event will start at 11:30 a.m. with participants gathering at the Comfort Suites on West 3rd Street, and the march will proceed to Martin Luther King Park, with guest speakers including Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds and other officials. Following the march, there will be refreshments and an award presentation at the Comfort Suites.
Community prayer service honoring MLK in Bethlehem
The Cathedral Church of the Nativity will host a community prayer and worship service honoring the legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Winston Alozie, the Executive Director of the Bethlehem Boys & Girls Club, will be the keynote speaker and preacher. Community leaders and elected officials will also offer remarks, including Ms. Esther Lee of the NAACP, Representative Steve Samuelson, and Lehigh County Commissioner Jon Irons.
The service will include hymns and readings from scripture and portions of King’s Letter from the Birmingham Jail. All are welcome to this community event.
Easton MLK Celebration
The Greater Shiloh Church of Easton will host its annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Monday, January 19th, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at 403 Pastor Fred Davis Street, Easton, PA. The event will feature musical presentations, remarks from local leaders, and a keynote speech by Philadelphia City Council Majority Whip Isaiah Thomas.
MLK Jr. luncheon
Moravian University’s The Center for Inclusive Excellence will present its annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lunch from 12:15 to 2 p.m. on Monday at 1125 Monocacy St. in Bethlehem.
The lunch features the theme “American Patriotism: Faith and Freedom from Truth to King,” and a keynote speech exploring how Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King Jr. embodied the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution through lives that defined faith, freedom, and justice as the truest forms of American patriotism.
Tickets are $14.99.
For tickets, go to moravian.crowdchange.co/53630.
MLK Jr. event in Bethlehem
Second Baptist Church in Bethlehem will continue its long-standing tradition of celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday.
The church has partnered with Central Moravian Church, Bethlehem Area Moravians, the Moravian University School of Theology, and Bethlehem Interfaith Group to create a community-wide celebration in Foy Hall on Moravian’s campus.
Between 2 and 3 p.m., young members of Second Baptist’s congregation will portray historical figures, including King, Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks.
At 3 p.m., presentations celebrating King’s interfaith legacy will feature speakers from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions sharing their insights. There will be a performance presenting King’s oratory as well as music and dance performances.
Foy Hall is located at 342 Main St. in Bethlehem.
The event is free and open to the public.
Lehigh County
MLK celebration and lecture at Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum
The Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum will celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by holding a special lecture program and birthday celebration at the Museum on Monday, January 19th, at noon. The announcement was made by Jim Higgins, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Museum and lecturer for the program.
“This will be the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum’s 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration,” said Higgins. “The community connects to King’s teachings because despite facing severe challenges, King remained focused on nonviolence, forgiveness, reconciliation, and love. He is a role model to America and people around the world.”
The lecture, titled “The Enduring Ideals & Legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” will delve into Dr. King’s message that helps people embrace a leadership style that focuses on communication and understanding. The program will explore Dr. King’s inspirational philosophy of brotherhood and reconciliation and how that philosophy can improve our own lives.
The program honoring Dr. King will convene at noon on Monday, January 19th. The program is free. The Museum’s galleries, which are normally closed on Mondays, will be open special hours from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. that day. After the lecture, guests are invited to enjoy cake and coffee to celebrate the life of Dr. King.
Allentown Art Museum activities
Every year, the Allentown Art Museum hosts a day of free, all-ages activities in celebration of the life and legacy of the civil rights icon. This year, the museum’s MLK Jr. Day 2026 will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday.
There will be family-friendly art-making in the Crayola Classroom on the museum’s second floor until 4 p.m.
There will also be music, including a performance by the Joyful Voices Community Choir at 11:30 a.m. in the museum lounge, and performances on the hour from noon to 4 p.m. in the Trexler Gallery.
Children can enjoy all-ages storytelling at 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30 p.m. in the Rodale Classroom.
Taste Smokers will cater a luncheon from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the Community Gallery with a musical performance by Bev Conklin. Lunch will be followed by a closing performance at 3 p.m.
Museum admission is always free, and free parking will be available in the museum’s lot at North Fifth and Linden streets.
Monroe County
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania will host the 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast on Monday, January 19, 2026, at 8 a.m. at Terraview at Stroudsmoor Country Inn, with Pastor Selena Dionne Brown as the keynote speaker. Pastor Selena Brown, the Campus Pastor of The Greater Shiloh Church, has been involved in ministry for over 30 years and was ordained in 2019. The event aims to honor Dr. King and support the Mary Gertrude Smith Boddie Scholarship Fund, with reservations and sponsorship opportunities available.
Bucks County
Pennridge School District MLK Day serve a friend event
8 a.m. -1 p.m.
Pennridge High School Cafeteria, 1228 North 5th Street, Perkasie, PA
There are two main ways community members participate:
Donations: Collecting essential items (as listed on the event flyer) to support local and regional service organizations
Volunteering: Helping collect, sort, and deliver donations throughout the morning
Event Schedule
Sunday, Jan. 18 (evening): Donation drop-off begins under the PHS cafeteria awning
Monday, Jan. 19:
8:00–10:30 a.m. – Donation drop-off & volunteer arrival
8:00–11:00 a.m. – Sorting donations by category and destination
10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. – Delivery of donations
1:00 p.m. – Event concludes