Thousands of protesters gather at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza as part of the No Kings Day demonstrations against President Donald Trump.
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
A pair of costumed kings converse at the No Kings Day protest at San Francisco’s Civic Center.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
Hundreds march down Webster Street in Oakland during the No Kings Day protest at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Hundreds of protesters gather near Lake Merritt in Oakland during Saturday’s No Kings Day protest.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Francisco Mena stands by his handmade flamethrower while watching hundreds of protesters march down 11th Street in Oakland during the No Kings rally.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Hundreds gather in defiance of President Donald Trump during Saturday’s No Kings Day protests.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Julie Duff holds baby Trump balloons at the No Kings Day rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Former costume designer Miguel Gutierrez Ramsey dons a king outfit on San Francisco’s Market Street during the third No Kings Day protest.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
A demonstrator holds a homemade sign depicting the image of late civic rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the third No Kings Day protest in San Francisco.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
A crowd marches up Market Street to Civic Center Plaza during the third No Kings Day protest in San Francisco.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
A crowd marches on Market Street in San Francisco during Saturday’s No Kings Day protests against the Trump administration.
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
Crowds join a nationwide day of defiance against the Trump administration a Oakland’s No Kings rally.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
The Epstein files make an appearance during the No Kings rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.
Jungho Kim/For the S.F. Chronicle
Thousands of protesters form a human banner at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.
Ryan Curry/S.F. Chronicle
Dean Gloster, former clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court, attends the No Kings rally in Oakland.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
A protester waves a U.S. flag while cruising down Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica on an electric skateboard as a crowd gathers for the third No Kings Day event in Palisades Park.
Téa Price/S.F. Chronicle
No Kings protests drew thousands of people across the Bay Area on Saturday as part of a global day of action against President Donald Trump’s administration.
Local organizers said they hoped to match or exceed the size of crowds seen at the previous No Kings Days, which were among the largest protests in the nation’s history. However, Indivisible SF said many participants have not registered online, making turnout difficult to predict.
Protesters gather at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza during Saturday’s No Kings Day demonstrations.
Stephen Lam SF Chronicle
The protests were aimed at opposing the administration’s immigration crackdown, military actions abroad, and what they describe as attacks on civil rights and democratic norms.
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San Francisco hosted one of the region’s largest gatherings. The main march began around noon, moving along Market Street before ending with a rally at Civic Center Plaza. Participants began gathering much earlier near Embarcadero Plaza, and after the march a rally was held at Civic Center Plaza, along with a fair at nearby Fulton Plaza. Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters formed a human banner at Ocean Beach.
Here are the highlights of No Kings Day in the Bay Area.
A man who gave his name as Greg protests the Trump administration outside San Francisco City Hall during the third No Kings protests Saturday.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
As the crowd thinned out around San Francisco’s City Hall, a man who gave his name as Greg held up a sign that many protesters could relate to: “IKEA has better cabinets than Trump.”
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JT Dermody of San Francisco adopts the persona of PBS icon Fred Rogers at San Francisco’s No Kings Day protest at Embarcadero Plaza.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
JT Dermody of San Francisco joined the third No Kings Day event dressed as PBS icon Fred Rogers at Embarcadero Plaza before marching to Civic Center Plaza for the afternoon rally.
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Dermody said he adopted the persona of Mr. Rogers “because I know people are anxious, scared about what’s happening. So I come out here to hopefully provide a sense of security, safety, familiarity and community.”
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Nicole Edgar, Claire Kelly and Shelley Kelly attend Oakland’s No Kings Day protest Saturday.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Nicole Edgar, Claire Kelly and Shelley Kelly attended the Oakland protest representing Montclair Presbyterian Church. A group of church officials led the procession because “what’s happening in the world is against what we believe in,” Shelley Kelly said.
Edgar said it’s been “the worst time in government” she had ever witnessed. “I just couldn’t stay home,” she said.
Claire Kelly left the protest feeling hopeful after seeing so many people show up. It “was really neat to see and like a nice beacon of (hope) during an otherwise kind of dark time,” she said.
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A sign greets protesters near the Lake Merritt Amphitheater during Saturday’s No Kings Day rally.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
A large yellow sign reading, “We will be free,” welcomed protesters at Oakland’s Lake Merritt Amphitheater, where the rally continued with performances and speakers. People were searching for shady spots to rest under after walking about a mile from the Frank Ogawa Plaza.
Nearby, a group of kayakers on the waters of Lake Merritt held a sign saying, “End empire, take power,” as people snapped photos of them on their phones.
Kayakers wave a sign on Lake Merritt during Oakland’s No Kings Day protest.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Francisco Hulse shows his sign at San Francisco’s No Kings protest.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
Francisco Hulse said he saw this sign at another No Kings protest and had to “bring It back” to San Francisco’s demonstration Saturday.
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“I’m against political violence. But cholesterol? Yes, please,” Hulse said.
Meanwhile, the smell of street hot dogs filled the air in front of City Hall from vendors, some of whom followed the protesters all the way from Embarcadero Plaza.
The mood was almost like a festival, with people lounging on the lawn and dancing in front of the stage to “What’s up” by 4 Non Blondes blaring through the speakers.
Protesters march on Market Street in San Francisco during Saturday’s No Kings Day rallies against the Trump administration.
Stephen Lam/S.F. Chronicle
A native American man who is also a 1969 Vietnam veteran, drafted right after he graduated from high school, addressing the San Francisco crowd from a stage in front of City Hall
“War is a crime, and I am a war criminal,” the man said. “We don’t want any more war.”
Thousands march on Market Street during a “No Kings” protest, part of the nationwide protests against President Donald Trump along with the administration’s domestic and foreign actions, in San Francisco Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Stephen Lam SF Chronicle
As the sun beat down on protesters resting on the lawn in front of San Francisco’s City Hall, a group of repeat No Kings participants wondered whether this year’s protest was larger than last year’s events.
“I haven’t seen any official numbers yet, but given how things have declined, I can only imagine yes,” one of the men said.
Frank Olivier woke up Saturday morning and decided to offer a counternarrative: “Everything is fine.”
Walking against the crowd on San Francisco’s Market Street, Olivier invited protesters to lay down their signs and relax.
“I’m fine. You’re fine. And oil prices are going to go down,” Olivier said with a grin, dollar bills taped to his left hand, a nod to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright.
Matt, a former government professor, protests the Trump administration during No Kings Day in San Francisco.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
Hundreds of San Francisco protesters veered off Market street at Jones Street, heading down McAllister en route to City Hall.
At the intersection, a former government professor who gave his name as Matt said protesting has become a weekly activity for him. Every weekend for the past year, he joins a group protesting outside of Tesla dealerships across the Bay Area.
“He’s ignoring the Constitution,” said Matt about Trump. “I used to teach about government. This is personal for me.”
Drag queen Dirty Carol joins the third No Kings Day event at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
Nella the service dog attends the Oakland protest with Tara Ayes, her human companion.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Nella was one of many pups attending the protest with their humans, and it isn’t her first time at one.
Tara Ayes, a resident of the city of Richmond, said she brings her service dog to every protest she attends in the Bay Area.
“It’s really good to be among people I feel in community with,” Ayes said while holding a sign at the Oakland protest that read, “Support immigrants. Deport Trump.” Nella had a sign over her harness that said, “Proud to protest with you.”
Ayes said she was protesting because “we got a criminal in the White House and we have to stop him.”
Nella the service dog attends the Oakland protest with Tara Ayes, her human companion.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Brian Sanford displays his protest sign at the Oakland rally.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Brian Sanford said his protest sign at the Oakland march was dedicated to singer and actress Bette Midler, who serenaded Stephen Colbert on his late-night show last year with a rewritten version of her song “Wind Beneath My Wings” called “You Never Kissed the Orange Ass.”
The actress praised Colbert for not bowing down to political pressure after CBS canceled his long-running show.
“I’ve taken it to three protests now,” the Oakland resident said, adding that it took “one long Sunday afternoon” to make it.
“My goal is for Bette Midler to see this and autograph the back,” he added.
Ken Katz wears a crown during the No Kings rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Thousands of protesters gathered at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach on Saturday morning to form a human banner protesting the Trump administration.
The human banner, 300 feet high and at least 600 feet wide, spelled out “TRUMP MUST GO NOW!” followed by a U.S. flag and the words: “No ICE, No Wars, No Lies, No Kings.”
“Trump most go now!” human banner at Ocean Beach on March 28, 2026.
Ryan Curry S F Chronicle
Organizers said they received more than 2,500 RSVPs, though many more usually show up to participate.
The human banners at Ocean Beach, a frequent Saturday event since President Donald Trump returned to office last year, were organized by travel writer Brad Newsham and architectural designer Travis Van Brasch, who previously created protests spelling out “ABOLISH!” in February, in reference to Immigration and Customs Enforcement; “IT WAS MURDER/ICE OUT” in January; “NO KINGS” and “YES ON 50” last October during the second No Kings Day, in reference to the Proposition 50 redistricting measure; “FAMILIA!” last July during the Families First protests, “NO KING!” last June during the first No Kings Day; and “IMPEACH + REMOVE” last April.
Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, had planned to attend Marin County’s No Kings protest but was held over in Washington due to a late vote Friday on funding for Transportation Security Administration agents at the nation’s airports. He instead attended Washington’s protest at the Lincoln Memorial and issued this statement:
“I’m proud to join so many peaceful and patriotic Americans who are flexing the awesome power of public opinion to defend our democracy and fundamental values. Meaningful and durable change requires a mass movement of people showing up and speaking up. That’s why these rallies matter — not just today, but all the ones before and the ones to come this summer and fall. Trump’s corruption, chaos and abuses of power can be stopped if we unite against it. That’s what these rallies are all about: taking back our country, and reaffirming the founding principle of our democracy 250 years ago: our government is by the people, for the people, and No Kings will ever rule us.”
Jasper, the Chi-weenie, walks past Valentino, a Great Dane, during the No Kings rally at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.
Brontë Wittpenn/S.F. Chronicle
Shirley and Dennis Cruz wave their Trump balloon at the No Kings Day protest at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
Shirley and Dennis Cruz, who came to Embarcadero Plaza for the protest from San Francisco’s Sunset District, said they saw a Trump baby balloon in a store in their neighborhood and knew they had to get it.
They showed up to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement and President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies, which Dennis Cruz described as “sickening.”
Saturday marked the couple’s third time at a No Kings protest in San Francisco.
Amy Kim attends the No Kings protest in Oakland.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Amy Kim of Oakland was attending her first No Kings protest in California since recently moving from New York. She said she felt compelled to protest because “if you do nothing, you are complicit in what’s happening.”
“I feel like this is the tipping point,” Kim said, adding that she hoped Americans, regardless of their political party, could unite and protest the Trump administration.
Kim said she wished Americans could follow the footsteps of demonstrators in South Korea who in 2024 hit the streets to call for the removal of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“I wish we had that kind of feeling, that we could come in unity and do this, but we lack that,” she said.
Robin waves her sign symbolizing Russian President Vladimir Putin carrying U.S. President Donald Trump at the No Kings protest in San Francisco.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
Robin has been carrying the same sign at protests since Trump’s first administration: it depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin holding a baby Trump into the air.
“This sign is a nod to Putin’s control over Trump,” she said.
Steve Bloom, second from left, plays the trumpet with his band, Musicians Action Group, outside the Hyatt Regency during the third No Kings Day protests near Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco on Saturday. Demonstrators gather to protest actions orchestrated by the Trump administration.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
A group protests at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
Lily, 20, joined the No Kings movement for the first time Saturday and said she is “inspired” by the turnout at Embarcadero Plaza.
She carried a sign that depicts the Rolling Stones tongue and lips logo, and read: “Drop acid, not bombs.”
“I wanted to make something that the world can relate to,” Lily said before flipping over her sign and showing a more risqué message scribbled across the back: “Trump screwing America like it was his daughter.”
“I wanted to do this one for sure.”
Next to Lily, a woman who arrived with the 20-year-old is holding up a sign that reads: “We are out here living the hardest part of someone’s 2075 history exam.”
Nicki Jacobson said her sign was self-explanatory: “I hope Big Beautiful Bill is the name of his cellmate.”
“I think this would be his nightmare, and that’s what I want for him,” Jacobson said about Trump.
Nicki Jacobson protests the Trump administration at Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco.
Laura Waxmann/S.F. Chronicle
A group of senior citizens gathered Saturday morning in Oakland to protest the Trump administration as part of No Kings Day.
Organizers of Senior Citizens Against Tyranny, an ad-hoc community group known as SCAT, expected more than 100 seniors, many with walkers and wheelchairs, to gather at 41st Street and Piedmont Avenue to protest President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and attack on Iran.
Hundreds gather at the Lake Merritt amphitheater in national day of defiance during the No Kings rally in Oakland, Calif. on Saturday, March 28, 2026
Bronte Wittpenn S F Chronicle
“This is not the America I knew growing up,” SCAT spokeswoman Helen Burke said in a statement. “When I was in the eighth grade I won a prize for an essay supporting the ideals of democracy. Those ideals are being demolished one by one. Deporting foreign born immigrants for no reason is not just inhumane, it’s downright un-American. Turning ICE into secret police is not just undemocratic, it’s Fascism. Waging war without Congressional approval violates the Constitution.”
SCAT organized a “Signs of Fascism” protest last Saturday along Piedmont Avenue in Oakland in which seniors held up signs for passing cars recalling the Burma-Shave billboards of the 1940s and ‘50s. Videos and photos of last week’s protest were posted online.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., issued a message to his constituents participating in the third No Kings Day protests Saturday.
“Today is our day to reaffirm the spirit of our founders, and the American Revolution itself, that we are a republic, that we are a democracy, and that we are not, nor will we ever be, governed by a king,” Schiff said in the message.
“I am so heartened today to see California cities and towns, and communities all across America, once again rallying to the spirit of our democracy, and standing shoulder to shoulder for the safety and future of that democracy,” he said.
Schiff noted that Saturday marks one month since the Trump administration’s attack on Iran without the consent of Congress or the approval of the American public. He decried the loss of service members, the increased price of gasoline, and the continued chaos in the Middle East resulting from the war.
“I stand with you and join you today in this patriotic act of dissent,” Schiff said.
Pam protests the Trump administration outside Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland.
Jessica Flores/S.F. Chronicle
Pam, who declined to share her last name due to safety concerns, came to protest what she said were all the “terrible things” that President Donald Trump has done to immigrants, the United States and globally.
“I wish there were more I could do, but I can’t think of anything,” she said at the Oakland protest.
Members of the Musicians Action Group perform “Battle Hymn of the Republic” outside the Hyatt Regency during the third No Kings Day protest in San Francisco.
Yalonda M James
It was stop and go inside the Embarcadero BART Station as swarms of San Franciscans headed to the No Kings protest at Embarcadero Plaza formed long lines at the escalators and stairways to exit the station. Many already jumped off at Montgomery Station, anticipating traffic.
Already, the plaza and the intersection of Market and Spear streets flooded early with people carrying colorful signs and flags.
“We are here to create change — not just for a photo opp,” said an organizer with the SF Latino Task Force, who gave her name as Katia, before beginning to chant into her microphone.
The crowd was invited to dance.
Protesters gathered early at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland for the No Kings rally set to start at noon. Organizers handed out yellow signs shaped like a butterfly for people to wave that said, “We can be free.” The energy outside of Oakland City Hall was positive, with a live band performing for the crowd as people clap along to the music.
Protesters gather at Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland for the No Kings rally. Organizers handed out yellow signs shaped like a butterfly for people to wave that say, “We can be free.”
Jessica Flores
Demonstrators march near the Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C., during Saturday’s Kings protest.
Jose Luis Magana/Associated Press
Protesters rallied against President Donald Trump in more than a dozen other countries Saturday, from Europe to Latin American to Australia, Indivisible co-executive director Ezra Levin told the Associated Press. Countries with constitutional monarchies called the protests No Tyrants.
Several hundred people, mostly Americans living in Europe as well asFrench labor unions, gathered at the Bastille in Paris on Saturday morning to protest Trump.
“I protest all of Trump’s illegal, immoral, reckless and feckless endless wars,” Ada Shen, the Paris No Kings organizer, told the Associated Press.
In Rome, thousands of people marched with chants aimed at Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose right-wing government saw its referendum for streamlining Italy’s judiciary badly fail this week amid criticism that it was a threat to the courts’ independence. Protesters waved banners protesting the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran, calling for “A world free from wars.”
Protesters across the Plaza are being corralled toward Market Street, where the march is beginning in just a few minutes. A band is playing in the background land the energy is high but positive.
Laura Waxmann
In London, people protesting the war in Iran held banners that said, “Stop the far right” and “Stand up to racism.”
Protesters posted posters outside the Hyatt Regency during the third No Kings Day event near Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco on Saturday.
Yalonda M. James/S.F. Chronicle
Ocean Beach (Great Highway, Stairwell 17): 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (human banner)
Embarcadero Plaza: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Upper Great Highway and Judah Street: 1-3 p.m.
East Bay
* Alameda (City Hall): 1-2 p.m. (pre-rally at Chochenyo Park, 10 a.m.-noon)
* Albany (City Hall): 4-5 p.m.
* Antioch (Country Hills Drive and Lone Tree Way): 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
* Antioch (Hillcrest Ave. and Lone Tree Way): 1:30-4 p.m.
* Berkeley (UC campus to MLK Park): 1:15-2:30 p.m.
* Berkeley (Downtown BART Plaza): 1-3 p.m.
* Berkeley (2000 San Pablo Ave.): 11 a.m.-noon
* Berkeley (I-80 pedestrian bridge): 1-2:30 p.m.
* Brentwood (Heidorn Ranch Rd. and Lone Tree Plaza Drive): 1:30-4 p.m.
* Concord (Waterworld Parkway and Willow Pass Road): 10:30 a.m.-noon
* Concord (Contra Costa Boulevard, “honk and wave”): 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
* El Cerrito (El Cerrito Plaza): 3-5 p.m.
* El Sobrante (San Pablo Dam Road and Appian Way): 1-3 p.m.
* Fremont (Walnut Avenue and Paseo Padre Parkway): 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
* Hayward (City Hall): 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
* Kensington (Arlington and Amherst avenues): 2-4 p.m.
* Lafayette (Mount Diablo Boulevard and Moraga Road): 4-5 p.m.
* Oakland (Piedmont Avenue and 41st Street): 11-11:30 a.m.
* Oakland (Frank Ogawa Plaza): noon-2:30 p.m.
* Oakley (Vintage Parkway and Main Street): 1:30-4 p.m.
* Pinole (San Pablo and Tennent avenues): 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
* Pittsburg (Railroad Avenue): 1:30-4 p.m.
* Pleasant Hill (100 Gregory Lane): 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
* Port Costa (2 Canyon Lake Drive): 10-11 a.m.
* Richmond (Civic Center Plaza): 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
* San Leandro (1401 San Leandro Boulevard): 2-4 p.m.
* Union City (Kennedy Park Amphitheater): 1-3:30 p.m.
* Walnut Creek (1666 North Main Street): 12:30-2 p.m.
Peninsula
* Burlingame (Bayside Park/Airport Boulevard overpass): 9-10:30 a.m.
* Colma (Junipero Serra and Serramonte boulevards): 2-3:30 p.m.
* Half Moon Bay (Highway 92 and Main Street): noon-2:30 p.m.
* Menlo Park (1010 El Camino Real): 2-4 p.m.
* Pacifica (Highway 1 and Mori Point Road): noon-1:30 p.m.
* Palo Alto (Stanford Shopping Center): noon-2 p.m.
* Palo Alto (El Camino Real and Embarcadero Road): 2-4 p.m.
* Redwood City (County Center): 10 a.m.-noon
* Redwood City (1250 Jefferson Avenue): 2-4 p.m.
* San Mateo (Hillsdale Shopping Center): 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
* Woodside (2995 Woodside Road): 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
South Bay
* Los Gatos (15500 Los Gatos Bpulevard): 10 a.m.-noon
* Milpitas (North Milpitas and Calaveras boulevards): 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
* Mountain View (Gateway Plaza): 2-4 p.m.
* San Jose (3137 Stevens Creek Boulevard): 10-11:30 a.m.
* San Jose (St. James Park): noon-2 p.m.
* Sunnyvale (780 East El Camino Real): 2-4 p.m.
* Willow Glen (Meridian and Hamilton avenues): 2-4 p.m.
North Bay
* Benicia (First Street gazebo): 9-10:30 a.m.
* Corte Madera (Town Park): 10 a.m.-noon
* Corte Madera (Tamalpais overpass): 10:30 a.m.-noon
* Fairfax (Bolinas Road and Broadway): 10:30 a.m.-noon
* Kentfield (Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and College Avenue): 10:30 a.m.-noon
* Larkspur (Ferry Terminal): 10:30 a.m.-noon
* Mill Valley (multiple locations): 10:30 a.m.-noon; 1:30-2:30 p.m.; 4-6 p.m.
* Novato (multiple locations): 9 a.m.-noon
* Petaluma (Walnut Park): noon-2 p.m.
* San Anselmo (the Hub): noon-1:30 p.m.
* San Rafael (multiple locations): 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
* Sausalito (Bridgeway and Napa Street): 10:30 a.m.-noon
* Sonoma (Sonoma Plaza): 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
* Vallejo (Unity Plaza): 10 a.m.-noon
Napa County
* American Canyon (American Canyon Road and Broadway): 3-5 p.m.
* Calistoga (Pioneer Park): noon-1 p.m.
* Napa (Oxbow Commons): 1-2:30 p.m.