GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The memorial for conservative icon Charlie Kirk will be held on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The 31-year-old Kirk — a confidant of President Donald Trump — was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder and other crimes related to the shooting.
Here are a few things to know about the venue that will host Kirk's memorial service:
State Farm Stadium is a multipurpose, retractable roof stadium that can hold up to 73,000 people for its largest events. It's located in Glendale, which is a suburb just west of Phoenix.
Its most recognizable tenant is the NFL's Arizona Cardinals and the franchise has played at the facility since it opened in 2006. The Cardinals do not own the stadium and confirmed through spokesman Mark Dalton that the team was not involved in booking Kirk's memorial service.
College football's Fiesta Bowl is also played each year at the stadium.
The facility is owned by the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority and operated by ASM Global, which handles events. AZSTA spokeswoman Kristen Pflipsen wrote in an email response that the Kirk memorial is a “paid, private, contracted event. As with all private events, we do not release specific contract information.”
The stadium is the largest facility in the Phoenix metropolitan area and also has air conditioning, which is useful in the Sonoran Desert where the temperature routinely tops 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), even in late September.
Kirk also has ties to Arizona. His conservative organization Turning Point USA is based in Phoenix and Kirk lived in the area.
The Cardinals will not be in Glendale on Sunday, instead playing in California against the San Francisco 49ers. That left the stadium available for rental on short notice.
State Farm Stadium is no stranger to big events, hosting three Super Bowls, including mostly recent in 2023 when the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
The facility also hosted the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in 2017 and 2024, and a pair of games in soccer's CONCACAF Gold Cup in June.
The stadium also has hosted many non-sporting events over the years, including concerts by the Rolling Stones, U2, One Direction, Metallica, Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Morgan Wallen. There also are smaller events like trade shows, corporate events and weddings. The State Farm Stadium website says it is booked approximately 120 times per year.
FILE - Spectators attend an NFL football game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)
FILE - The exterior of State Farm Stadium is seen before the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)
