Southern California’s Largest MLK Day Hands-on Service Event
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On Monday, January 19, 2026, L.A. Works hosts its annual MLK Volunteer Festival at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, bringing 3,000+ Angelenos together for Southern California’s largest service event honoring Dr. King at a moment when the city’s need for collective action has never been greater
One year after devastating wildfires displaced families across the region and amid continued uncertainty for immigrant communities, this year’s festival centers healing, resilience, and justice through action. Volunteers participate in hands-on service activities like rolling 5000 native seed balls, assembling 1500 meal kits, and building 500 felt storyboard kits to address wildfire recovery, food insecurity, education, health equity, and support for families and communities under threat. Together, these efforts affirm Dr. King’s vision of a Beloved Community, built through compassion and shared responsibility.
The festival transforms the historic Coliseum into a hub of civic engagement, featuring interactive service zones, local nonprofit partners, food trucks, a youth-run lemonade stand, and a small business marketplace highlighting BIPOC-owned vendors.
“This MLK Day arrives at a defining moment for Los Angeles,” said Deborah Brutchey, Executive Director of L.A. Works. “Healing and justice don’t happen in isolation; they’re built when people show up for one another. By serving together, we honor Dr. King’s legacy and strengthen the bonds that hold our communities together.”
The 2026 festival also kicks off L.A. Works’ 35th anniversary, coinciding with the United Nations’ International Year of Volunteers, underscoring the enduring power of service to unite, heal, and move communities forward.
When: January 19, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Where: LA Memorial Coliseum, 3911 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles
Free tickets at laworks.com/MLK.
SPONSORS: LA Memorial Coliseum, Mercury Insurance, Kaiser, Target, ACFC, Harvard-Westlake, Ares, Cohn Reznick, LAFC, LA Rams, LA Tourism, Leech Tishman, McCarthy, Occidental, and Los Angeles Magazine.
VIDEO: A recap of the 2025 event is available here.
ABOUT L.A. WORKS
Since 1991, L.A. Works has united Angelenos and inspired action for a more equitable LA. As the only nonprofit in Los Angeles that mobilizes 25,000 volunteers each year across a wide range of interconnected issues, our team organizes and recruits volunteers to directly impact vulnerable communities while strengthening the fabric of civil society. More at www.laworks.com.
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SOURCE L.A. Works
