Over ten thousand people gathered at London’s OVO Arena Wembley on 11 March to send a clear message: trans people are “loved, valued and celebrated”, and the entertainment industry stands proudly beside them amid an increasingly hostile political climate. Let’s repeat that, because the scale of that solidarity matters: over ten thousand people. 

Dubbed “A Night of Solidarity For a Lifetime of Change”, the event raised funds for vital LGBTQIA+ charities Not a Phase and Good Law Project. Organised by Olly Alexander and Mighty Hoopla’s Glyn Fussell, the concert blended rousing performances with powerful calls to action.

Screen and stage icon Ian McKellen delivered a stirring rendition of the pro-immigrant monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More, while trans stars and activists including Juno Dawson, Munroe Bergdorf and the cast of What It Feels Like For a Girl took to the stage to reflect on the importance of Trans Mission’s statement — and the impact it could have had on them growing up as trans kids.

Balancing joy and protest — a combination the LGBTQIA+ community knows all too well, particularly trans people — the evening became a full-scale pop extravaganza. Performances came from Sugababes, Adam Lambert, Kate Nash, MNEK, Wolf Alice and Christine and the Queens, alongside rising talents such as Jasmine.4.T., Kae Tempest, Rose Gray and Tom Rasmussen.

The entire night was unforgettable, but we’ve singled out five standout moments that embodied the evening’s spirit of trans joy and resistance, from calls to action to euphoric pop performances that had 10,000 fans dancing in solidarity.