A unity rally featuring food and entertainment will follow Monday’s 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade.

The parade, coordinated by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition-Hawaii, begins at Magic Island at 9 a.m. and proceeds down Kalakaua Avenue to Kapiolani Park in Waikiki.

The unity rally will be held afterward, with entertainment at the Kapiolani Park bandstand as well as food, community booths and a children’s playground.

Gov. John Waihee proclaimed the first King holiday in Hawaii on Jan. 16, 1989. The 2012 theme is taken from a statement made by King: "Our Lives Begin to End the Day We Become Silent About the Things That Matter."

Also, the National Park Service is offering free admission to its parks this weekend to commemorate the holiday. Hawaii has seven national parks, some of which are historical parks or trails. Three charge admission fees: Haleakala on Maui and Hawaii Volcanoes national parks, and Puuhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park on Hawaii island.

Other events include:

» Today: Gospel service, Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 3 p.m.; candlelight bell-ringing, Honolulu Hale, 5:30 p.m.

» Monday: Community worship, St. Elizabeth Episcopal Church, 6:30 p.m.; Peace Maker Award ceremony, Church of the Crossroads, 7 p.m.