On Saturday, March 28, 2026, hundreds of people in the Rochester area gathered at three separate locations for three No King’s Day protests throughout the day. Though each protest was a little different, with changing weather throughout the day, a variety of setups and various locations, each had many participants protesting against the Trump administration.
Pittsford
At 9:30 a.m. on the intersection of State Street and North Main Street, protestors kicked off the day enthusiastically with chants and signs. The crowd of hundreds stretched down State Street all the way to the bridge crossing the Erie Canal. Between chants, attendees chatted with one another, uniting with friends both new and old.
For Brian and Jean Hickey, two attendees, this protest was an opportunity not only to meet new people but also to make a point that the American flag is for liberals and conservatives alike. The two of them had brought a stash of miniature star-spangled banners along with them to hand out to the crowd. With fingers made clumsy by the cold weather, they carefully attached the flags to small poles, laughing with each other and joking that for the next protest, they would have to make sure to construct them in the warmth of their own home.
Jean Hickey stated, “The other side is trying to kind of take the flag and claim it as their own, and we just want to make sure that we’re all that people know we’re all American — on both sides.”
However, the protests did not go down without input from counter-protesters. Those trying to walk down State Street to the Erie Canal bridge were forced to step into the road or be drenched by sprinklers set up by one of the neighborhood houses. Volunteer safety officials in neon green vests helped keep them safe as they did so. Some protesters chose to stand directly in the line of the sprinklers with umbrellas, which gathered layers of ice as time passed. Additionally, the owner of the house sat in his car in the driveway, honking at passersby to show his dissent.
One attendee who only wished to be identified as H. said regarding the sprinklers that since the protest had started, “He has turned them up and moved them closer.” She expressed concern that the usage of the sprinklers blocked the usage of the sidewalk in front of his house, which is public property and owned by the town.
The owner of the sprinklers also refused to be identified, but stated that he had moved the sprinklers in an effort to “make sure people stay off the lawn and don’t leave any trash and debris.”
Another small group of four counter-protesters stood in the midst of the protest, holding a sign that called for the deportation of illegal immigrants. One individual was dressed as Batman with two Thin Blue Line American flags attached to the costume at the shoulders. Another repeatedly performed the Nazi salute.
A small struggle occurred when a couple of protesters attempted to move in front of the deportation sign, but everyone remained unharmed, and no actual violence occurred. The counter-protesters left about 30 minutes before the end of the protest. There were no other incidents afterward.
Rochester
Thousands attended the Rochester “No Kings” protest at noon in the Genesee Gateway Park. Speakers were erected at various locations across the grass field to play music and ensure speeches were audible. Organizations tabled in a long line against the fence opposite the main tent, and protesters lined the streets with signs encouraging cars to honk in support.
The protest started uniquely – with a dance party. In typical Rochester fashion, the wind picked up, and the wind chill dropped the temperature several degrees, inspiring one of the event leaders to encourage attendees to show off their moves to keep warm.
As more protesters arrived on shuttle buses sponsored specifically for the event, so too did counter-protestors. Batman — or specifically the Dark Knight, as one of the “No Kings” protestors pointed out — returned with his crew, sans the individual who had previously chosen to display the Nazi salute. The Dark Knight walked through the crowd for about half an hour, trailed at all times by two or three safety officers who immediately de-escalated any potential verbal or physical conflicts. He then left the crowd and stood atop a piece of stone landscaping, quoting bible verses at a group of people gathered under the anarchist flag, who ridiculed him until he left.
After a couple of speeches, the protesters led a parade down the streets, chanting slogans. Some residents of the area stood out on their front porches to cheer on the parade or hold their own signs in solidarity with the cause. The rest of the event went on without a hitch. Many protesters hugged friends at the end of the parade before heading out, promising to reconnect at the next such event.
Henrietta
At 2 p.m. in Henrietta, residents assembled on the sidewalk from the Henrietta Town Hall to the Senior Center. Though this protest was overall more lowkey — and colder, due to the snow that began to fall during the final hour — it still attracted an impressive amount of attendees.
“During the peak, I walked from one end down to the other… with the tap app,” stated one of the volunteers providing security. “660.”
Some of the protesters at this particular event got creative with their costumes, from a group of women dressed as characters from Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” to a pair of individuals dressed as dinosaurs. Though the day was certainly cold, morale appeared to remain high, especially as passing cars continued to honk in support of the cause.
These three protests join hundreds of protests worldwide against the Trump administration. Event organizers estimate that more than 8 million people attended overall.
