On Saturday, March 28, 2026, cities across the United States—and even beyond its borders—are bracing for what organizers predict will be the largest coordinated protest in modern American history. Branded as the "No Kings" movement, these demonstrations are a direct response to President Donald Trump’s policies and perceived expansion of executive power. With more than 3,000 events planned nationwide, and additional rallies scheduled in Canada, Mexico, Britain, and Germany, the scale of this protest is nothing short of extraordinary, according to organizers and media outlets like NPR and The New York Times.
In Denver, anticipation is running high. Organizers expect as many as 70,000 people to gather at the Colorado Capitol for a day filled with speeches, musical performances, and a march set to begin after 1 p.m., as reported by Colorado Newsline. The Denver No Kings Coalition is a broad alliance, including Indivisible, Colorado 50501, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Colorado Youth Coalition, General Strike Colorado, Colorado AFL-CIO, No Concentration Camps Colorado, and PULSE Colorado. Safety is a top priority, with a bulletin warning of high wind gusts and asking participants to remove sharp corners from their signs. PULSE Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to protest safety, will deploy volunteer medical staff throughout the event.
The logistical challenges are considerable. The Regional Transportation District has prepared contingency plans, as up to 23 bus routes and five rail lines could be disrupted, especially with a Denver Summit FC game at Empower Field kicking off at noon—the same time as the protest. Organizers have ensured accessible seating at the main stage and will collect mutual aid donations, including winter clothes and food, for those in need.
Denver is just one of dozens of Colorado cities hosting events, with rallies also planned in Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Steamboat Springs, and beyond. This marks the third No Kings protest since Trump began his second term, and the numbers have swelled since the previous Denver gathering of 25,000 in October 2025.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, is set for its own massive demonstration. According to WHYY, the city’s protest will begin at City Hall at noon, with a march onto the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 12:30 p.m. and speeches at 22nd Street at 1:15 p.m. Indivisible, the self-described nationwide movement against authoritarianism, is leading the charge. Philadelphia holds a special place in the movement’s history, having hosted the flagship protest in June 2025, which coincided with a military parade in Washington, D.C., and President Trump’s 79th birthday. That event, organizers say, drew millions nationwide.
These protests are not limited to a single issue. As The New York Times explains, the No Kings movement is a catchall for grievances ranging from immigration enforcement and voting rights to health care costs and the ongoing war in Iran. The demonstrations also come at a time when the country is grappling with a partial government shutdown. On Friday, the Trump administration announced that Transportation Security Administration workers, unpaid since February 14, would begin receiving paychecks on Monday, even as the shutdown drags on.
Organizers have emphasized the peaceful nature of the protests, offering online training in safety, security, and de-escalation. Events are designed to be inclusive, open to all ages and backgrounds, and are scheduled for about two hours in public parks and downtown streets. The centerpiece event this year is expected in Minnesota, a state that has become a flashpoint following controversial immigration raids. There, Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez will perform at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, with Jane Fonda slated to address the crowd. Springsteen will also kick off his "Land of Hopes and Dreams" protest tour at Minneapolis’s Target Center on March 31.
The movement’s broad coalition includes national groups such as Indivisible, 50501, and MoveOn, as well as local organizations. Anyone can sign up to host an event, and organizers have mapped out local gatherings online, which continue to grow as the day approaches. The protests are expected to draw even larger crowds than the October 2025 demonstrations, which, according to organizers, saw more than seven million participants nationwide—though that number could not be independently confirmed. Still, cities like New York saw massive turnouts, with officials estimating more than 100,000 attendees in Manhattan alone.
Symbolism plays a significant role in the movement. In Fort Myers, Florida, for example, demonstrators dressed as characters from Margaret Atwood’s "The Handmaid’s Tale"—a nod to fears of authoritarianism and loss of rights. The movement’s website is unequivocal: “Trump wants to rule over us as a tyrant,” it declares. “But this is America, and power belongs to the people—not to wannabe kings or their billionaire cronies.”
Intergenerational solidarity is a key theme. Bill McKibben, founder of Third Act—a No Kings-affiliated group for Americans aged 60 and up—told NPR, “If you’ve been to any of the No Kings protests that have happened so far, you’ll see a lot of people with hairlines like mine, which is to say, scant. People of all kinds are outraged by what’s happening in the country right now, but older people have a particular role to play here.” He added, “There’s never been any [president] that I thought were fascist, and I think that that’s very clear what we’re now starting to deal with in this country.”
Not everyone is impressed. The White House, for its part, has repeatedly dismissed the protests. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson described them as “Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions,” telling reporters, “The only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.” President Trump himself has scoffed at the movement, calling last year’s October protests a “joke” and insisting, “I’m not a king at all.” He has even leaned into the royal comparisons, posting an AI-generated video of himself wearing a crown while mocking his critics.
Yet, for protest leaders like Dana Glazer of the Visibility Brigade in New Jersey, the movement is about more than one man. “We are a force of treating people with individual human dignity and respect, and connection,” Glazer said. “That’s why this kind of event is powerful, is that people suddenly go, ‘Oh wow, we have some power.’” He hopes the No Kings movement will inspire civic engagement well beyond the headlines, warning that “the reason why we’re in this mess is because there has been a lack of civic engagement overall.”
As Americans take to the streets in record numbers, the No Kings protests have become a powerful symbol of resistance, unity, and hope for those who fear the erosion of democratic norms. Whether these demonstrations will alter the course of the Trump administration—or simply mark another chapter in the nation’s ongoing debate over the limits of presidential power—remains to be seen. But for now, the message is unmistakable: power, the protesters say, belongs to the people.