Why Turning Point USA’s AmFest is Integral to the Conservative Movement
Stepping up when we are called: Turning Point USA is fighting for the future of America.
More than 13,000 attendees, thousands of students, hundreds of pastors, over 200 media outlets, and more than 100 Christian or conservative-owned businesses arrived in Phoenix, Arizona over the weekend to attend Turning Point USA’s most impactful and energetic event of the year: AmericaFest.
Turning Point USA has earned a national reputation for hosting premier events that introduce people of all ages to intellectually inspiring speakers, innovative ideas, encouraging messages, and powerful tools that equip them to fight for the culture of the country they love. AmFest, being TPUSA’s largest and most electric event of the year has year after year fostered a strong sense of community among conservatives who otherwise feel alienated by progressive political ideologies. TPUSA provides a place for young people to realize that they are not alone in their conservative values — and this year’s AmericaFest is no exception.
This year, TPUSA had a record number of student attendees who started nearly 50 new high school and college chapters were started over the weekend, giving TPUSA a presence on more than 3,500 campuses nationwide. Additionally, Turning Point Faith had its largest event yet, with more than 4,000 people attending Strong Church at AmFest on Sunday evening.
Each “breakout session” was filled to maximum capacity and featured TPUSA contributors and guest speakers including Coach Joe Kennedy, who was fired from his job after praying with students after football games, Ann Atkinson who was ousted from ASU for inviting Charlie Kirk and Dennis Prager to speak on campus, and Fr. Frank Pavone, who was removed from his position within the Catholic Church for supporting pro-life causes, among many other outstanding and inspirational speakers.
AmFest has grown exponentially since its conception, from just one hundred student attendees at the first-ever winter conference, to now more than 13,000 attendees regularly attending TPUSA events.
“I want to show you that in America, you can start small and dream big, and make a difference,” Charlie Kirk said. “This was our first-ever Christmas event. A hundred students, eight years ago. Eight years ago we had a hundred kids at a Holiday Inn Express in West Palm Beach, Florida. People laughed at Turning Point USA, they made fun of Turning Point USA, they said Turning Point USA is never going to be anything,” Kirk said during his opening speech at AmFest. “What started as a hundred kids, look around everybody, is now the largest event in the conservative movement.”
Kirk stated in his opening speech, and again throughout the conference, that he is “sick of the negativity” that has captured American culture, both on the left and the right. TPUSA exists not only to fight the culture war on every present-day issue but also to celebrate the freedoms and liberties that Americans uniquely enjoy daily.
“What [the left] fear[s] is a grass-roots, decentralized, people-first movement,” Kirk said in his groundbreaking speech to a room full of fired-up attendees of all ages. “This is not supposed to be happening — where you are right now. 13,000 people in Maricopa County right before Christmas? Gathering and hearing from top speakers, being filled with energy and enthusiasm and marching orders, and dispensing all across the country to go take back communities and take back school boards and these little micro-sources of light against this overwhelming force of darkness? This is not supposed to happen, and you guys can make it happen.”
“I can’t wait to see what God does these next couple of days,” Kirk added.
