For MLK weekend, service opportunities and parades to honor the civil rights leader and activist
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend with parades and volunteer work, plus birdwatching, beer tasting and Hawaiian tunes.
Morro Bay
Birders new and seasoned are welcome at the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival, where more than 200 bird species can usually be seen in their migratory journey along the Pacific Flyway. Sign up for individual classes and events all weekend, or go to family day on Jan. 19 for free birding workshops and hikes.
When: 6 a.m. Jan. 18-21
Cost, info: From $20 with extra fees for some activities. Family friendly. No dogs. (805) 471-1046, morrobaybirdfestival.org
Lancaster
The City of Lancaster’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service organizes more than a dozen volunteer opportunities for all ages. The website will be updated soon with a complete list of projects.
When: Jan. 19. Schedule available upon registration.
Cost, info: Free. Family friendly. No dogs. (661) 723-6077, lat.ms/MLKDayofService
Pomona
Experience Taiwanese, Indonesian and other Asian cultures at the Asian American Expo, a celebration of the Lunar New Year through food, performance and a Year of the Pig parade. Watch Chinese acrobatics or Japanese taiko drumming on one of eight stages, snack on lamb skewers and Thai rolled ice cream at food pavilions and shop for specialty products from more than 1,000 vendors.
When: 10 a.m. Jan. 19 and 20
Cost, info: $11, $9 seniors and children. Family friendly. No dogs. (626) 280-8588, aaexpo.com
Redondo Beach
The 12th Southern California Slack Key Festival at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center includes a concert by some of Hawaii’s top slack key musicians. Before the show, head to a free Hawaiian marketplace for kalua pork bowls, shave ice, Kona coffee, decorative items and more.
When: Marketplace at 11 a.m.; concert at 2 p.m. Jan. 20
Cost, info: Free for marketplace; $20 to $55 for concert. Family friendly. Dogs OK at marketplace only. (800) 595-4849, kalakoa.com/slackkey.html
Los Angeles
Nearly a dozen Arts District breweries, including Angel City Brewery and 101 Cider House, team up for the fifth DTLA Breweries United Fest, which donates all proceeds to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Tickets include unlimited tastings and a commemorative glass, and there will be a Pearl’s BBQ food truck in case all that beer makes you hungry.
When: noon Jan. 20
Cost, info: $45. Ages 21 and older. No dogs. (213) 622-1261, lat.ms/breweriesfest
Los Angeles
Head to the California African American Museum’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration to participate in group discussions, listen to speeches and orchestral performances and decorate a megaphone and posters for an afternoon children’s march around Exposition Park Rose Garden. The museum’s “Los Angeles Freedom Rally, 1963” exhibit commemorates King’s 1963 address to 40,000 people in South L.A.
When: 10 a.m. Jan. 21
Cost, info: Free. Family friendly. No dogs. (213) 744-2084, lat.ms/CAAMuseum
Sign up for The Wild
We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
