diff --git a/docs/_blog/2021-01-28-announcing-the-release-of-apache-samza--1.6.0.md b/docs/_blog/2021-01-28-announcing-the-release-of-apache-samza--1.6.0.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8d06ab9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/_blog/2021-01-28-announcing-the-release-of-apache-samza--1.6.0.md
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+---
+layout: blog
+title: Announcing the release of Apache Samza 1.6.0
+icon: git-pull-request
+authors:
+    - name: Boris Shkolnik
+      website:
+      image:
+excerpt_separator: <!--more-->
+---
+
+<!--
+   Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+   contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+   this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+   The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+   (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+   the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+   limitations under the License.
+-->
+
+# **Announcing the release of Apache Samza 1.6.0**
+
+<!--more-->
+
+We are thrilled to announce the release of Apache Samza 1.6.0.
+
+### Bug Fixes:
+In 1.6 release we fixed multipe issues and refactored some code. This includes correct shutdown flow for Kafka clients (and thus avoiding confusing error messages), consolidation of Beam and High/Low Samza launch workflow, and more.
+For applications that are already on Samza 1.5.0, updating your dependencies to use Samza 1.6.0 should be sufficient to upgrade.
+For applications that are on version 1.4 & below, please see instructions for 1.5.1 upgrade.
+
+#### Usage Instructions
+N/A
+
+#### Rollback Instructions
+N/A
+
+### Bug Fixes
+    [SAMZA-2595](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2595) Updated MonitorService to use separate ScheduleExecutor for each monitor (#1434)
+
+    [SAMZA-2587](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2587) IntermediateMessageSerde exception handling (#1426)
+
+    [SAMZA-2593](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2593) Update task callback to store only necessary fields instead of the message envelope (#1433)
+
+    [SAMZA-2574](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2574) improve flexibility of SystemFactory interface
+
+    [SAMZA-2589](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2589) Consolidate Beam and High/Low Samza Apps launch workflow (#1428)
+
+    [SAMZA-2558](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2558) Refactor app.runner.class
+
+    [SAMZA-2424](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2524) AM should cache and serve serialized Job Model to containers (#1241)
+
+    [SAMZA-2584](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2584) Refactor ClusterBasedJobCoordinator (#1424)
+
+    [SAMZA-2585](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2585) Modify shutdown sequence to handle orphaned AMs (#1422)
+
+    [SAMZA-2439](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2439) Remove LocalityManager and container location information from JobModel (#1421)
+
+    [SAMZA-2579](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2579) Force restart feature for Container Placements (#1414)
+
+    [SAMZA-2598](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2598) Kafka clients are not created and closed properly
+
+### Sources downloads
+A source download of Samza 1.6.0 is available [here](https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/release/samza/1.6.0/), and is also available in Apache’s Maven repository. See Samza’s download [page](https://samza.apache.org/startup/download/) for details and Samza’s feature preview for new features.
diff --git a/docs/_config.yml b/docs/_config.yml
index 48a3b15..292fc4a 100644
--- a/docs/_config.yml
+++ b/docs/_config.yml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 baseurl: http://samza.apache.org
 version: latest
 # this is the version you will go if you click 'switch version' in "latest" pages.
-latest-release: '1.5.1'
+latest-release: '1.6.0'
 collections:
   menu:
     output: false
diff --git a/docs/_menu/index.html b/docs/_menu/index.html
index 6b37f76..4456ea9 100644
--- a/docs/_menu/index.html
+++ b/docs/_menu/index.html
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
     items_attributes: 'data-documentation="/learn/documentation/version/"'
   - menu_title: Releases
     items:
+      - menu_title: 1.6.0
+        url: '/releases/1.6.0'
       - menu_title: 1.5.1
         url: '/releases/1.5.1'
       - menu_title: 1.5.0
diff --git a/docs/_releases/1.6.0.md b/docs/_releases/1.6.0.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72012a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/_releases/1.6.0.md
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+---
+version: '1.6.0'
+order: 160
+layout: page
+menu_title: '1.6.0'
+title: Apache Samza 1.6.0 <a href="/learn/documentation/1.6.0/">      [Docs] </a>
+---
+<!--
+   Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+   contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+   this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+   The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+   (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+   the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+       http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+   Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+   distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+   WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+   See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+   limitations under the License.
+-->
+
+We are thrilled to announce the release of Apache Samza 1.6.0.
+
+### Bug Fixes:
+In 1.6 release we fixed multipe issues and refactored some code. This includes correct shutdown flow for Kafka clients (and thus avoiding confusing error messages), consolidation of Beam and High/Low Samza launch workflow, and more.
+For applications that are already on Samza 1.5.0, updating your dependencies to use Samza 1.6.0 should be sufficient to upgrade.
+For applications that are on version 1.4 & below, please see instructions for 1.5.1 upgrade.
+
+#### Usage Instructions
+N/A
+
+#### Rollback Instructions
+N/A
+
+### Bug Fixes
+    [SAMZA-2595](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2595) Updated MonitorService to use separate ScheduleExecutor for each monitor (#1434)
+
+    [SAMZA-2587](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2587) IntermediateMessageSerde exception handling (#1426)
+
+    [SAMZA-2593](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2593) Update task callback to store only necessary fields instead of the message envelope (#1433)
+
+    [SAMZA-2574](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2574) improve flexibility of SystemFactory interface
+
+    [SAMZA-2589](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2589) Consolidate Beam and High/Low Samza Apps launch workflow (#1428)
+
+    [SAMZA-2558](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2558) Refactor app.runner.class
+
+    [SAMZA-2424](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2524) AM should cache and serve serialized Job Model to containers (#1241)
+
+    [SAMZA-2584](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2584) Refactor ClusterBasedJobCoordinator (#1424)
+
+    [SAMZA-2585](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2585) Modify shutdown sequence to handle orphaned AMs (#1422)
+
+    [SAMZA-2439](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2439) Remove LocalityManager and container location information from JobModel (#1421)
+
+    [SAMZA-2579](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2579) Force restart feature for Container Placements (#1414)
+
+    [SAMZA-2598](https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SAMZA-2598) Kafka clients are not created and closed properly
+
+### Sources downloads
+A source download of Samza 1.6.0 is available [here](https://dist.apache.org/repos/dist/release/samza/1.6.0/), and is also available in Apache’s Maven repository. See Samza’s download [page](https://samza.apache.org/startup/download/) for details and Samza’s feature preview for new features.
diff --git a/docs/archive/index.html b/docs/archive/index.html
index fec3548..ad1b672 100644
--- a/docs/archive/index.html
+++ b/docs/archive/index.html
@@ -27,6 +27,14 @@
   <li><a href="../startup/hello-samza/latest">Hello Samza</a></li>
 </ul>
 
+<h4 id="1.6.0">1.6.0 Release</h4>
+
+<ul class="documentation-list">
+  <li><a href="../learn/documentation/1.6.0">Documentation</a></li>
+  <li><a href="../learn/tutorials/1.6.0">Tutorials</a></li>
+  <li><a href="../startup/hello-samza/1.6.0">Hello Samza</a></li>
+</ul>
+
 <h4 id="1.5.1">1.5.1 Release</h4>
 
 <ul class="documentation-list">
diff --git a/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-yarn.md b/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-yarn.md
index 46f762f..62781b3 100644
--- a/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-yarn.md
+++ b/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-yarn.md
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
 {% highlight bash %}
 mvn clean package
 mkdir -p deploy/samza
-tar -xvf ./target/hello-samza-1.6.0-SNAPSHOT-dist.tar.gz -C deploy/samza
+tar -xvf ./target/hello-samza-1.7.0-SNAPSHOT-dist.tar.gz -C deploy/samza
 {% endhighlight %}
 
 ### Run a Samza Application
diff --git a/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-zk.md b/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-zk.md
index ae1d9c1..bc1a707 100644
--- a/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-zk.md
+++ b/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/hello-samza-high-level-zk.md
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@
 {% highlight bash %}
 mvn clean package
 mkdir -p deploy/samza
-tar -xvf ./target/hello-samza-1.6.0-SNAPSHOT-dist.tar.gz -C deploy/samza
+tar -xvf ./target/hello-samza-1.7.0-SNAPSHOT-dist.tar.gz -C deploy/samza
 {% endhighlight %}
 
 We are now all set to deploy the application locally.
diff --git a/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/samza-rest-getting-started.md b/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/samza-rest-getting-started.md
index bbeba71..9965a7f 100644
--- a/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/samza-rest-getting-started.md
+++ b/docs/learn/tutorials/versioned/samza-rest-getting-started.md
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
 {% highlight bash %}
 cd samza-rest/build/distributions/
 mkdir -p deploy/samza-rest
-tar -xvf ./samza-rest_2.11-1.6.0-SNAPSHOT.tgz -C deploy/samza-rest
+tar -xvf ./samza-rest_2.11-1.7.0-SNAPSHOT.tgz -C deploy/samza-rest
 {% endhighlight %}
 
 #### Configure the Installations Path
diff --git a/docs/startup/download/index.md b/docs/startup/download/index.md
index 35d4c06..c76d8f7 100644
--- a/docs/startup/download/index.md
+++ b/docs/startup/download/index.md
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@
 
  Samza tools package contains command line tools that user can run to use Samza and it's input/output systems.
 
- * [samza-tools_2.11-1.5.1.tgz](http://www-us.apache.org/dist/samza/1.5.1/samza-tools_2.11-1.5.1.tgz)
+ * [samza-tools_2.11-1.6.0.tgz](http://www-us.apache.org/dist/samza/1.6.0/samza-tools_2.11-1.6.0.tgz)
+ * [samza-tools_2.11-1.6.0.tgz](http://www-us.apache.org/dist/samza/1.6.0/samza-tools_2.11-1.6.0.tgz)
  * [samza-tools_2.11-1.5.0.tgz](http://www-us.apache.org/dist/samza/1.5.0/samza-tools_2.11-1.5.0.tgz)
  * [samza-tools_2.11-1.4.0.tgz](http://www-us.apache.org/dist/samza/1.4.0/samza-tools_2.11-1.4.0.tgz)
  * [samza-tools_2.11-1.3.1.tgz](http://www-us.apache.org/dist/samza/1.3.1/samza-tools_2.11-1.3.1.tgz)
@@ -43,7 +44,8 @@
 
 ### Source Releases
 
- * [samza-sources-1.5.1.tgz](http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/samza/1.5.1)
+ * [samza-sources-1.6.0.tgz](http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/samza/1.6.0)
+ * [samza-sources-1.6.0.tgz](http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/samza/1.6.0)
  * [samza-sources-1.5.0.tgz](http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/samza/1.5.0)
  * [samza-sources-1.4.0.tgz](http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/samza/1.4.0)
  * [samza-sources-1.3.1.tgz](http://www.apache.org/dyn/closer.lua/samza/1.3.1)
@@ -77,12 +79,12 @@
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-api</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-core_2.11</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
@@ -90,37 +92,37 @@
   <artifactId>samza-shell</artifactId>
   <classifier>dist</classifier>
   <type>tgz</type>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-yarn_2.11</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-kv_2.11</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-kv-rocksdb_2.11</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-kv-inmemory_2.11</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
   <setId>org.apache.samza</setId>
   <artifactId>samza-kafka_2.11</artifactId>
-  <version>1.5.1</version>
+  <version>1.6.0</version>
   <scope>runtime</scope>
 </dependency>
 {% endhighlight %}
diff --git a/docs/startup/hello-samza/versioned/index.md b/docs/startup/hello-samza/versioned/index.md
index 8f0add3..747ce5a 100644
--- a/docs/startup/hello-samza/versioned/index.md
+++ b/docs/startup/hello-samza/versioned/index.md
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@
 {% highlight bash %}
 mvn clean package
 mkdir -p deploy/samza
-tar -xvf ./target/hello-samza-1.6.0-SNAPSHOT-dist.tar.gz -C deploy/samza
+tar -xvf ./target/hello-samza-1.7.0-SNAPSHOT-dist.tar.gz -C deploy/samza
 {% endhighlight %}
 
 ### Run a Samza Job