North Charleston launched its Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations Saturday with a community luncheon at Park Circle that drew dozens of residents for music, food and remembrance of the civil rights leader’s legacy.

Positive Vibes, a local organization, partnered with area groups to host the afternoon event at the Park Circle Community Center, featuring live vocals and drum performances alongside community discussion about King’s impact on Charleston-area civil rights history.

The celebration marks the start of a three-day weekend of MLK programming across the Charleston region, as cities and organizations prepare for Monday’s federal holiday with parades, service projects and educational events.

“We wanted to create a space where people could come together and really reflect on Dr. King’s message while celebrating our community’s diversity,” said a Positive Vibes spokesperson.

Park Circle, the North Charleston neighborhood that has undergone significant development in recent years, provided a fitting backdrop for the unity-focused event. The area’s revitalization has drawn new residents and businesses while city officials work to preserve its community character.

Saturday’s luncheon featured local performers and speakers who connected King’s advocacy for economic justice and racial equality to ongoing challenges facing Charleston-area communities, including affordable housing shortages and educational disparities.

Attendees shared meals while discussing King’s 1967 visit to Charleston, when the civil rights leader spoke at Burke High School during a period of significant tension over school desegregation in the Lowcountry.

The event comes as North Charleston continues expanding its cultural programming, part of broader efforts by local government officials to strengthen community engagement across the city’s diverse neighborhoods.

Organizers said the Park Circle celebration aims to make MLK Day observance more accessible to families, particularly in North Charleston’s growing residential areas where younger families have moved in recent years.

Saturday’s programming included children’s activities alongside the main luncheon, with organizers emphasizing King’s message of nonviolent social change and community service.

The celebration also featured displays about Charleston’s civil rights history, including the 1969 hospital workers’ strike that brought national attention to labor and racial justice issues in the city.

Local elected officials attended Saturday’s event, with several speaking briefly about King’s continuing relevance to current policy discussions around housing, transportation and education funding in the Charleston region.

North Charleston’s MLK programming extends beyond Saturday’s kickoff event, with additional activities planned through Monday’s federal holiday.

The city will participate in the annual King Day at the Dome event in Columbia on Monday, where South Carolina residents gather for the traditional march and rally at the State House.

Locally, several Charleston-area churches and community groups have scheduled Monday service projects, continuing King’s emphasis on addressing poverty and social inequality through direct action.

The Park Circle Community Center, which opened in 2018 as part of the neighborhood’s redevelopment, has become a hub for North Charleston cultural events and civic meetings.

City records show the facility hosts dozens of community gatherings each year, from neighborhood association meetings to cultural celebrations that reflect North Charleston’s demographic diversity.

Saturday’s MLK celebration drew residents from across North Charleston’s neighborhoods, including longtime residents and newer arrivals drawn by the area’s proximity to downtown Charleston and relatively affordable housing options.

Organizers said they plan to make the Park Circle MLK event an annual tradition, building on Saturday’s success in bringing together different community segments for shared reflection and celebration.

The weekend’s programming reflects broader efforts by Charleston-area municipalities to expand Martin Luther King Jr. Day observances beyond traditional parade formats to include more interactive community engagement.

North Charleston joins other Lowcountry cities in using the federal holiday to promote ongoing dialogue about civil rights progress and remaining challenges in areas from criminal justice reform to educational equity.

Monday’s official MLK Day will feature additional programming across the Charleston region, with several organizations hosting service projects focused on food security and environmental justice issues.

The three-day celebration concludes Tuesday with educational programming at area schools, where students will learn about King’s leadership and its connection to ongoing social justice work in South Carolina communities.