More than 100,000 attendees are expected to gather at a grand memorial for Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist killed at 31, on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The event, organized by Kirk’s Turning Point USA, will fill the 73,000-seat NFL venue and an adjacent 19,000-seat arena for overflow, with additional sites ready for crowds.
High-profile Trump administration figures, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, will join Kirk’s widow, Erika, to honor the leader of the largest conservative youth group.
The memorial, starting at 11 a.m. Pacific time, follows Kirk’s assassination on September 10 at Utah Valley University, where a gunman fired a fatal shot from a rooftop and escaped in the chaos.
The 22-year-old suspect, charged with murder, reportedly texted a partner that he acted because he had “enough of his hate,” fueling debates over rising U.S. political violence.
The killing has deepened partisan divides, with Trump citing it to push for crackdowns on left-wing groups, though authorities say the shooter acted alone.
Security is at the Department of Homeland Security’s highest level due to Trump’s attendance and recent threats, with an armed individual arrested Friday later cleared as event security.
Dozens of federal and local officers will secure the area, with strict screenings and bag bans in place, as warned by Glendale Police spokesman Jose Santiago: “It’s all hands on deck.”
Speakers include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and others, with Trump set to cast Kirk as a conservative martyr who mobilized young voters in 2024.