Thousands took to Arlington’s highway overpasses and streets Saturday as part of the third nationwide “No Kings” day of demonstrations against the Trump administration.
Advocacy group We of Action Virginia organized two of the day’s main Arlington events: a morning “Bridge Brigade” that stationed protesters on about 20 overpasses across I-395, I-66 and Route 50, and an afternoon “Hands Across Arlington” that lined Glebe Road from S. Glebe Road near Shirlington to N. Glebe Road at Walker Chapel.
A separate march organized by Third Act DMV started at Memorial Circle and crossed Memorial Bridge into D.C.
More than 5,000 people turned out across the Arlington events, according to We of Action Virginia, despite spring break travel and cold weather. Social media posts showed large crowds at the Arlington Cemetery Metro station ahead of the Memorial Bridge march and protesters lining Glebe Road in the afternoon.
Bill Nye, the science educator, TV host and D.C.-area resident who has now participated in all three No Kings days, was among those on the bridges.
“The U.S. is headed for authoritarianism unless we stop this,” Nye told NBC 4. “It’s headed for the equivalent of a dictatorship, and we don’t want that.”
Nye reportedly brought a pocket Constitution and cited provisions he said the administration is violating.
Thank you, Bill Nye, for amplifying our voices in Arlington. We agree-No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings! #velshi #nokings @wofava.bsky.social
— Julie Hanson Swanson (@juliehansonswanson.bsky.social) 2026-03-28T17:30:14.125Z
The Bridge Brigade ran from 8 to 10 a.m., with protesters holding signs with messages including “No Kings Since 1776” and “We the People Say No to Kings” on bridges along the DC-inbound side of major highways. The Hands Across Arlington event ran from 1 to 3 p.m. along an 8.2-mile route on Glebe Road’s east side, as ARLnow previously reported.
Highlights along the Glebe Road route included a performance by the Rapid Response Choir near the Route 50 intersection and a “Tesla Takedown” rally at 2710 S. Glebe Road, according to the organizers. Organizers said some participants returned from the D.C. march to join the Glebe Road event around 2:30 p.m.
Hands across Arlington protests along Glebe Road #NoKings
— Daniel Bond (@dwbond.bsky.social) 2026-03-28T19:37:08.912Z
“I just love young, old, all of us are here in this together and braving the cold and doing what we need to do to take that message all the way to the top,” Micaela Pond, who founded We of Action Virginia, told NBC 4. “No kings in America.”
The Memorial Bridge march kicked off at 10 a.m. and continued across the bridge and into downtown D.C. Protesters came from across the country, with some telling the station they had traveled from Vermont, Texas and Minnesota, according to Fox 5. The march was organized by Third Act DMV and featured speakers including former assistant U.S. attorney Glenn Kirschner, along with giant puppets, a bucket drum brigade and a street band, according to a press advisory from the group.
we have the full bridge this time, not just the sidewalk #NoKings
— Daniel Bond (@dwbond.bsky.social) 2026-03-28T14:48:54.790Z
Protests also took place across the region, including in Alexandria where hundreds lined Richmond Highway from Powhatan Park to the Potomac Yard Shopping Center, according to ALXnow. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) and state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-39) were among those who appeared at the Alexandria event.
Saturday’s Arlington demonstrations were part of a nationwide wave of more than 3,000 “No Kings” protests, according to organizers. Bruce Springsteen headlined the flagship event at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, and large demonstrations took place in Washington, New York, San Diego and other cities, according to the Associated Press. National organizers had estimated 9 million participants, though it was unclear whether that figure was reached.
The first two No Kings days drew large crowds to Arlington in June and October 2025. We of Action Virginia’s first Hands Across Arlington event last June brought together more than 5,000 people along Langston Blvd from Rosslyn to Falls Church, according to the group.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson dismissed the protests, saying in a statement that the “only people who care about these Trump Derangement Therapy Sessions are the reporters who are paid to cover them.”
