LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The 42 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Parade is happening Monday, Jan. 15 in Downtown Las Vegas.
This year, organizers say there's more than 150 parade entries — a big change from the 13 entries they had in the parade's first year back in 1982. That's when the parade's founder and former Nevada Assemblyman Wendell Williams said he'd go door-to-door asking people to take part.
"There's a lot, there's a lot. People are still calling trying to get in," Wendell said about this year's festivities.
Now, you can find people from all over the country — even the world — in the parade. Williams said he believes there's even more interest around it this year.
"Three reasons I know it's increased; it's a major political year. Channel 13 is broadcasting. People are really excited about that, and the Super Bowl Committee already has their float and it kind of got leaked out, if you will. People are seeing that and they're getting excited," Williams said.
At this year's parade — Nevada's largest parade — you won't just catch a glimpse of the Las Vegas Super Ball, but you'll also see more businesses, both big and small, represented. Williams said representation is a true measure of the event's success.
"People talk about the size of it, but I look at whether the parade represents the entire community, and they will see that this parade represents every facet of the community," he said. "It's also pleasing to see that there's other facets and entities in our community who is now joining with us who hadn't before."
That falls perfectly in line with the theme of this year's parade: "Living the dream: together we make the dream work."
Williams said he also has a slogan he's rolling out: "Every week is King Week."
"We want to do a lot of things for the community, and we want to partner with more people in the community and it's going to take every week to do that," Williams said.
Williams said it's all part of the goal of making Las Vegas a better place to live for everyone, and that's an objective that can't be accomplished just one day or week out of the year. Williams knows — he's been working at it for decades.
"I've done this longer than I've done anything else in my life. The beauty of it is the longevity," he said.
You can watch the 42 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Parade on Channel 13 and Vegas 34 starting at 10 a.m. We'll have crews stationed all along the parade route to bring you the sights and sounds of the celebrations as we honor the legacy of Dr. King and the progress we've made, as well as reflect on the work that lies ahead.
You can find more information about the parade, like the route, the Grand Marshals and Youth Grand Marshals, as well as other King Week festivities in Las Vegas here.
