No Kings event set for 14 June, as Trump celebrates birthday with White House UFC bout

The No Kings movement has announced a nationwide event on 14 June, directly counter-programming Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations and a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout on the south lawn of the White House.

The centerpiece is a 90-minute concert at New York’s Town Hall featuring entertainer Bette Midler, songwriter Patti Smith, actor Jane Fonda, musician Rufus Wainwright and commentator Joy Reid – streaming free nationwide, while local groups host watch parties across the country. The event is co-presented by the Committee for the First Amendment, a coalition of artists and cultural figures, and frames the US’s 250th anniversary as a moment of democratic reckoning.

The first No Kings day, held on Trump’s 79th birthday last June to coincide with a military parade in Washington DC, drew an estimated 5 million participants nationwide, and by October, organizers claimed 7 million people turned out.

A third mobilization in March brought an estimated 8 million people into the streets in all 50 states and more than two dozen countries – which organizers described as the largest single-day protest ever recorded.

This year’s action adds a cultural dimension to the street protests, pairing the concert format with local community gatherings that organizers say will include art-making and civic action alongside the broadcast.