Live updates | Trump, Vance among speakers set to honour Charlie Kirk at massive memorial

Tens of thousands expected at az arena for Charlie Kirk commemoration today

Tens of thousands expected at Arizona stadium for Charlie Kirk memorial today

Charlie Kirk's public memorial expected to draw more than 100,000 in Phoenix

While people continue to trickle in, most of the seats are filled at State Farm Stadium, although there are still some empty spots at the front and side of the stage.

The floor seats, reserved for special guests, all had placards placed on them, along with a tissue package. Each placard reads Never Surrender: Remembering Charlie Kirk, and the date of his birth and death.

On the back of the placard is a drawing of Kirk, along with the biblical verse: “Here I am Lord, send me.”

It’s a spiritual atmosphere, much like a giant revival meeting. The crowd, many on their feet, some with their arms in the air, are listening to the musical performers, with the music all centred on Jesus and Christianity.

We’ll be watching for the arrivals of U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice-President J.D. Vance, and Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, who are all among speakers paying tribute during the memorial service.

The program also includes:

The service will feature worship songs from Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes, Cody Carnes.

Musical performances by Lee Greenwood and Steve Amerson.

Hi, I'm Verity Stevenson. I'll be writing live updates as the memorial for Charlie Kirk unfolds in Arizona. The State Farm Stadium is starting to fill up ahead of the memorial, set to begin in about 30 minutes at 2 p.m. ET. As people trickle in, Christian singers Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham are performing.

In between songs, Wickham said "the presence of God," was in the venue.

Even if it was standing in line. “We are all leaving super encouraged because this is an overwhelming response and love — love for Charlie and love for this country,” said Stephanie Flores, who travelled from Knoxville, Tenn., to be here. She started her journey to the stadium around 6:00 a.m. And gave up about three and a half hours later.

Another couple we spoke with, Blake and Annie Terry, who arrived at the stadium with their 11-month old son Roman, also gave up after waiting in line for a few hours. Once they saw a photo of how many people were already inside the venue, they decided to watch the livestream elsewhere.

A no-bag policy is in effect for this event, so not even clear bags are allowed. There’s an extensive list of prohibited items, including weapons of any kind.

Strollers won’t be permitted into the arena and there’s extremely limited parking. No personal items are allowed other than one 16 ounce bottle of water per person, about 500 ml.

Any flowers or gifts should be sent to the Turning Point USA headquarters and should not be brought to the stadium.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated the service with its highest security rating.

"This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event," officials told several news agencies.

Alan Hildago, a conservative influencer, said he arrived at the line around 2 a.m., and that he wanted to attend, in part, because he knew Kirk.

“He’s a friend of mine so it affected me personally,” he said.

Hidalgo said Kirk had put his life on the line, and that at any point, he knew he could be assassinated for espousing his beliefs.

“He just did something that not many people are willing to do on our side of the aisle. And so I think if he was willing to do that, I'd be willing to wait in line at like two in the morning. It was devastating for me when this happened. So I really wanted to show my support.”

Shah Mahdi was at the front of one of the lines that circled the parking lot. He had driven from Prentice, Wis., nearly 2,000 miles to be at the memorial, and arrived on Thursday.

“It’s history. It’s part of history. I want to be part of history.”

Shah said he and his friend Kelly Bird, from St Louis, Mo.

“We were like working as a team. When she's going to the motel, I was holding the spot. And when I have to go somewhere else, she was holding that spot.”

People started gathering on the streets around the stadium late Saturday evening. By around 2 a.m., thousands were already in huge lines that wrapped around the sidewalks, at different entrances to the stadium.

Some lines appeared more orderly, like the one that wrapped along the parking lot. But others became a disorganized, chaotic mess, with many not knowing where the line began or ended.

Police drove along the street pleading with people to get off the street, but were mostly ignored. Many complained about the lack of organization, and of people ignoring the line, instead just heading to the front.

At one point, a crush of people flocked to the gate, with a few organizers begging people to move back, that they were going to crush the people at the front of the gate. The crowd did halt the push.

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