No Kings 3 Tips & Tools: Pre-Event Checklist

No Kings 3 Tips & Tools: Final Prep + Day-Of Checklist

Last week, we talked about creative resistance. For our final Tips & Tools, we’re bringing everything together with a quick, practical checklist for organizers and attendees. At this point, the goal isn’t more planning. It’s making sure your event runs smoothly, safely, and with strong visibility.

Final Prep (This Week)

• Make sure your team has completed at least one safety or marshal training (virtual or in-person). Check out our calendar for several online trainings this week. You can also view past trainings at NoKings.org. 
• Confirm roles: safety lead, peacekeepers, first aid team (if needed), press contact, photographer, and headcount tracker.
• Do a quick media check-in. Confirm who’s coming, resend your press release if needed.
• If you will have speakers, confirm attendance, gathering point, schedule, and time limits. Ensure your audio system is in good shape.
• Prep your visuals: signs, props, music, anything that adds energy and visibility.
• Prep handouts. This could include small flyers or preprinted business cards with a QR code or link to your organization's mailing list signup form. Many more folks may attend than have signed up via Mobilize. Make sure you capture and hold their interest!
• Connect with a service organization like a local food pantry with the event. Invite them to host an information/donation table.
• Some organizers also collect cash donations for local groups to show that No Kings is about caring for the community as much as protesting the Administration. Let attendees know you'll be collecting cash donations. Print QR codes that lead to the group's donations page for those who don't bring cash. Safety-pin these to the back of your coat for hands-free access.
• Set up Signal chats. You may want one just for safety marshals and a separate one for organizers. Or include everyone in the same chat if you're a small group.
• Finalize plans for carpooling if you plan to attend several events throughout the day.
• Send your final email to Mobilize signups with logistics, safety reminders, parking advice, ADA information, donation information, and tone (peaceful, welcoming).

Day-Of: Organizers

• Arrive early to set up any tables, tents, or other equipment.
• Do a quick team huddle to focus and energize.
• Confirm your Signal chat is up and running. Check in every 20 minutes or so to make sure everyone is paying attention.
• Make sure safety marshals are visible and positioned at strategic points. Remind them to focus on observing their surroundings and to check the Signal chat often.
• Greet media and help them get what they need.
• Greet speakers and ensure they remain close until they have spoken.
• Take photos and short videos to capture the energy. Before doing so, let folks know they should hold their signs in front of their faces if they don't wish to be visible.
• Distribute handouts so people can stay connected after the event.
• Keep messaging consistent: peaceful, welcoming, community-focused.
• Take a head count about halfway through the event, after latecomers arrive but before folks start drifting away. Thank people for coming and remind them how to stay involved

Day-Of: Attendees

• Dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.
• Prep your phone. Consider basic privacy steps like turning off facial/fingerprint ID, limiting location services, and using airplane mode when possible. Make sure you can still access what you need (contacts, maps, emergency info) before the event.
• Bring water and any essentials you’ll need. Bring extras for folks who may have forgotten.
• Follow directions from safety marshals.
• Stay on sidewalks and out of the road. Cross streets only at crosswalks and pay careful attention. Drivers can be distracted by large crowds.
• Stay aware of your surroundings and support de-escalation. Remind folks to "smile and ignore" negative attention.
• Bring a sign, wear a fun costume, or just bring your positive energy!

One More Thing

Your event doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be visible, peaceful, and welcoming. When people see their neighbors showing up calmly and confidently, it builds momentum—and that’s what this is all about.

No Kings 3 Tips & Tools: Creative Resistance

No Kings 3 Tips & Tools: Building Joy, Fun, and Creativity into Our Resistance

Last week, we talked about safety planning. This week, we’re focusing on something just as important: bringing joy, humor, and creativity into our demonstrations.

Why Does Creative Resistance Matter?

Joyful protest sends a powerful message. It shows our neighbors that they are not alone and that it is safe to participate in peaceful civic action. It reminds people that standing up for democracy can be welcoming, hopeful, and community-building. 

Creativity also helps counter the narrative that protesters are angry, violent, or dangerous. When families show up with music, costumes, and laughter, it becomes very clear that we are ordinary people standing up for our communities. Humor can also take the wind out of the sails of those who show up looking to harass or intimidate.

Creative demonstrations also attract attention. Local and regional media outlets love a strong visual—costumes, music, playful signs, and unexpected moments that photograph well and tell a story. When your event is colorful and creative, it’s more likely to be shared by reporters, photographers, and on social media, helping your message travel beyond the people standing on the sidewalk that day.

Ideas for Creative Resistance

Across the country, communities are finding their own ways to express the spirit of creative resistance. There is no single formula. The goal is to let each town’s personality shine while keeping the focus on peaceful, positive visibility. Some creative ideas we’ve seen include:

• Costumes and visual themes. The frog costumes that started in Portland have now spread across the country. Other groups create themed outfits tied to local identity or humor.

• Bubble guns and playful visuals. In Holliston, bubble guns have become a signature element—turning a roadside standout into something joyful and memorable.

• Music and singing. Some demonstrations bring portable speakers or musicians and adapt well-known songs with protest lyrics. Sites like the Raging Grannies song archive share humorous, sing-along protest lyrics that groups often use.

• Creative signs. Funny or clever signs often get shared widely on social media and help a message travel far beyond the demonstration itself.

• Street theater and playful satire. Skits, mock ceremonies, or exaggerated characters can highlight the absurdity of harmful policies in ways that stick with people.

Balancing Creativity and Care

Humor can be a powerful organizing tool, but it also requires care. The goal is to mock the powerful institutions and decision-makers responsible for harm, not the communities that are suffering from it. Satire works best when it exposes hypocrisy or absurdity while keeping the moral focus clear. 

If you’re thinking about using humor or performance in your demonstration, these resources offer thoughtful guidance:

• The Museum of Protest: Humorous Skits and Pranks

• New Tactics: Using Humor to Expose the Ridiculous

At its best, joyful protest reminds people what we’re fighting for—not just what we’re fighting against. It turns a moment of resistance into a moment of community. And sometimes, a little laughter is exactly what helps people find the courage to show up.

No Kings 3 Safety Planning Tips

  

No Kings 3 Tips & Tools: Safety Planning

Last week, we shared tips for publicizing your event. This week, we're talking about safety. No Kings National takes safety seriously. Every event is required to designate a Safety Lead and complete a written Safety Plan.

Why? Because we are organizing in a tense political moment. Careful planning protects participants, prevents escalation, and ensures no one has an excuse to crack down on peaceful demonstrations. When we are calm and prepared, we show our communities that it is safe to lift up our voices.

Creating a Safety Plan

The Safety Plan template is available in the No Kings Host Toolkit and must be completed for every event. Plans will look different depending on your format and location, but at a high level, they include:

• Event overview (including primary safety concerns)
• Safety team (peacekeepers and safety lead roles and contact information)
• Support needs (medical, jail support if needed, press coordination)
• Communication (team communication plan and how you’ll communicate with attendees)
• Exit, dispersal, and emergency meeting point

All No Kings events are committed to lawful, nonviolent action, no civil disobedience, and no weapons of any kind.

Finding Safety Marshals & Volunteers

It can be challenging to find enough safety marshals, especially if you're not sure how many folks will attend. Some organizers estimate the need for 1 marshal per 50 attendees (for larger, more complicated events), or per 100 attendees (for brief, less complicated events). It can also help to plan for safety by zones. Think about where your event will take place. Think about potential safety choke-points, such as streets, crosswalks, public buildings, etc.

Before seeking safety support, come up with a brief statement of what a peacekeeper or safety marshal will need to do. For example, they must attend safety training prior to the event, provide their cell phone number and agree to be on Signal for the duration of the event, and focus on observing rather than holding signs or participating actively in the demonstration. 

To find volunteers, start by emailing your Mobilize list and asking directly. Then reach out to aligned local groups, such as Democratic Town Committees, Indivisible groups, diversity organizations, faith communities, and others. Ask each to provide 1–2 volunteers.

Training Opportunities

There are many virtual and in-person safety trainings. Recommend that your volunteers visit the No Kings training hub to view one or more past trainings and to find upcoming virtual sessions.

An in-person Safety Marshal Training is also being offered in Millis on March 11 from 6-9pm. This training will focus on site safety preparedness and practical de-escalation strategies for community demonstrations. Learn more and register here.

Strong organizing is safe organizing. When we prepare well, our message stays front and center, and our communities feel confident showing up. For more safety and de-escalation resources, check out our public Google folder, No Kings National Days of Action. It includes direct access to the No Kings Host Toolkit, a sample safety plan, and other tips and tools.