A public memorial service for conservative icon Charlie Kirk has been scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 21, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, according to a statement from Turning Point USA.
“Join us in celebrating the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Charlie Kirk, an American legend,” the organization announced in a post on X. The stadium is home to the Arizona Cardinals, who will be on the road that day against the San Francisco 49ers.
Doors are set to open at 8 a.m., with the program scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
The announcement follows hundreds of vigils and memorial services held in Kirk’s honor across the nation. In Phoenix, large crowds have gathered outside Turning Point headquarters, where multiple memorials have been erected, including one featuring a photo of Kirk alongside the words, “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior.” That memorial was adorned with flowers beneath a flag flying at half-staff, ordered by President Donald Trump.
At Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, hundreds of students linked arms in prayer and sang “Amazing Grace.” At Texas A&M, students held a candlelight vigil for Kirk.
Kirk’s casket arrived in Phoenix on Thursday evening, escorted aboard Air Force Two by Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance. A military honor guard accompanied the return, with the vice president personally helping carry the casket.
Air traffic control operators in Phoenix paid tribute as the aircraft landed: “Welcome home, Charlie. You didn’t deserve it… May God bless your family,” one said over radio.
On Saturday evening, Kirk’s widow, Erika, posted a video alongside her husband’s casket that included family photos and footage of the casket being loaded onto Air Force Two.
“Two days ago, my husband went to see the face of his Savior and his God. And one of the final conversations that he had on this earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now and for all eternity he will wear the glorious crown of a martyr,” she said.
Erika Kirk also thanked Vice President Vance and his wife for their support, and expressed gratitude to President Trump and his family. “Mr. President, my husband loved you. And he knew that you loved him too. Your friendship was amazing. You supported him so well.”
The student who was debating with Charlie Kirk just before the conservative activist was shot and killed at Utah Valley University has spoken out about the tragedy.
Hunter Kozak asked Kirk about transgender mass shooters. A gunshot rang out as Kirk answered, hitting him in the neck and killing him.
Kozak later discussed the event on social.
“First off, you sick f*cking psychos that think this is the answer, I don’t know what else to say. It’s f*cking not. It’s awful and a father doesn’t have his kids anymore,” Kozak began.
He continued: “Charlie had two kids and a wife. And, like, not to make this about me, but I have two kids and a wife and if my 1-year-old boy, like his 1-year-old will grow up without memories of his dad, it’s a tragedy and it’s hard to grapple with.”
Speaking about the debate he was having with Kirk at the time, Kozak said “the point” he “was trying to make is how peaceful the left was, right before he got shot.”
“That only makes sense if we stay peaceful,” he continued.
“As much as I disagree with Charlie Kirk, I’m on the record for how much I disagree with Charlie Kirk, but like, man, dude, he is still a human being. Have we forgotten that? Are we crazy? Like, I stand by so little of everything that he said, but one of the things that he stood by was conversation,” he asked.
