What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day — this year falling on Jan. 18 — mean for daily life in and around Champaign-Urbana? Well, for one thing it is a University of Illinois holiday, meaning that it is one of the rare days the university is “closed.” If you’re looking for local ways to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we have some ideas for you.
What else you need to know about Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Champaign-Urbana:
Schools: Champaign Unit 4, Urbana 116, Mahomet-Seymour, Parkland College, University of Illinois all closed. Unit 4’s weekly Food Distribution postponed by one day, from Monday 1/18 to Tuesday 1/19.
Government offices: Federal, state, county and city administrative offices closed.
Postal service: All post offices will be closed.
Courts: Federal, state and county closed.
Banks: Most closed.
Libraries closed: Champaign, Urbana, Tolono. Libraries that are open: Rantoul, St. Joseph, Allerton (Monticello), Mahomet.
Transit: CUMTD will operate on regular weekday schedules.
Parking: As a city holiday, metered parking in Champaign and Urbana is FREE on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Museums closed: Most area museums are already closed due to the pandemic (Spurlock Museum, Krannert Art Museum, Anita Purves Nature Center, Museum of the Grand Prairie). You can still find the Museum of the Grand Prairie’s online program about civil rights.
Retail: Most retail and restaurants are open. (As always during the pandemic, be sure to check for COVID-19 protocols in place.)
For more things to do, check out our events calendar presented by CIBM Bank.