A guide to San Antonio's MLK March and celebration

How it works: The 2.5-mile route runs from the academy to Pittman-Sullivan Park, where there will be a post-march celebration.

• Expect performances, a health and wellness area, activities for young people, and food and merchandise vendors.
• The march kicks off at 10am, and people start lining up as early as 7:30am.
• VIA is offering free service to participants.

Zoom in: Three-time Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas will be this year's keynote speaker. She was the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the individual all-around gymnastics competition.

• Grammy Award-winning R&B musician Coco Jones will perform at 2pm.

Plus: Monday's weather is expected to be great — high temps are forecast in the mid-60s.

• The march was canceled in 2024 due to icy conditions, and last year's march saw arctic cold.

The big picture: Roughly 150,000 to 250,000 San Antonians typically march on MLK Day.

• The Rev. Raymond Callies, a community activist, led the first march two days after King was assassinated in 1968.
• The event as most San Antonians now know it now took shape in 1987 when the MLK Commission was created.

What's next: At 10am Friday, the city will unveil a mural on the East Side that explores Black imagery and Civil Rights–era activism in the city's historically Black neighborhoods.