Single-digit temperatures won’t stop many people from streaming down East Colfax Avenue on Monday — Martin Luther King Jr. Day — for the annual Denver Marade, held in his honor since 1986.

The annual Marade — a mashup of march and parade — is one of the United States’ largest Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations. Denver citizens will walk down the street, honoring the day the civil rights icon was born.

The free event, hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Colorado Holiday Commission, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at City Park with speakers and a laying of a wreath. The Marade will then move down Colfax at 10:45 a.m., where it will stop at Civic Center park at noon.

From noon to 1 p.m., there will be entertainment, awards and celebration at Civic Center.

Local commuters should avoid the stretch of Colfax between the parks.

According to the commission, it also feeds around 2,000 homeless people during the holiday each year.

Other closures

The holiday will shut down more than East Colfax. Because the day is a federal holiday, most government and city agencies will be closed on Monday as well.

Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm signed legislation into law making Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day a Colorado holiday in 1985. Since then, the state has closed all offices during the day. 

United States Post Office mail services will also be postponed during the holiday. Most businesses and restaurants will remain open Monday — though some may operate with altered schedules. People should check specific business websites before traveling to them.

All 24-hour agencies — like emergency services and the Denver International Airport — will remain fully operational on Monday.

Government and city buildings in Denver, Adams, Jefferson and Douglas counties will be closed on Monday and re-open on Tuesday. Denver libraries will also be closed.

Other events

Other than the Marade, a slew of holiday events will be occurring in the Denver region. 

The Colorado Black Round Table will be holding a celebration on Saturday at 4 p.m., at the New Hope Baptist Church Family Life Center, 3701 Colorado Blvd.

The event will honor former Denver mayor, Wellington Webb, and feature a keynote presentation by Rev. Dr. Lee Butler, President of The Iliff School of Theology. It will close out with a community response panel of Black community members.

The Denver Martin Luther King Jr. Marade Bike Ride will take place after the Marade at 2 p.m. The bike ride, hosted by the MLK Colorado Holiday Commission, will travel around the Five Points neighborhood, focusing on historically Black landmarks in the city.

The MLK Jr. African-American Heritage Rodeo will kick off at the National Western Stock Show at 6 p.m., Monday, honoring the legacy of black cowboy Bill Pickett and his influence on Black Western heritage.