Dear Class Of 2020: When & How To Watch YouTube’s Graduation Event With Beyonce & More

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Across the nation, millions of high school and college graduates are missing their graduation ceremonies due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 outbreak. But through the incredible use of technology, this year’s bright, young graduates will get the send-off they deserve. On June 7, YouTube will present the four-plus-hour commencement special entitled Dear Class of 2020. Originally scheduled for June 6, the event was pushed back one day in observance of the George Floyd memorial being held in Raeford, N.C. Here’s everything you need to know about who will be there, how you can watch, and more!

Dear Class of 2020 will kick-off at 3 pm ET/ 12 pm PT on June 7 and be streamed on YouTube. For our devoted readers, you can simply bookmark this page to check out the video above when the event starts streaming. The virtual commencement celebration will bring together “inspirational leaders, celebrities, and YouTube creators to celebrate graduates, their families, and their communities,” per the logline for the YouTube event.

So who will be there? Well, YouTube has gone above and beyond to secure some of the biggest talent to perform and impart wisdom to this year’s graduating class. Among the bevy of speakers, former President Barack Obama will address the graduating class during the fourth hour of the ceremony, and Grammy-winning singer Beyonce will impart her wisdom to the young minds who have just begun to write the first sentences of their exciting next chapter in life! More stars like prima American Theatre ballerina Misty Copeland will join actresses in a reading of Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise,” Emmy-winner and Pose star Billy Porter will share his words of wisdom, Grammy-winner Taylor Swift will make an appearance and more will be in attendance for the event.

But there’s more! Not only will the stars align for their thoughtful messages, some will also perform during the virtual event. Among those slated to provide their singing and performing talents are Lizzo, BTS, and Chloe x Halle. The “Truth Hurts” Grammy-winner will kick off the event with a rendition of Pomp and Circumstance with the New York Philharmonic orchestra. So not only will the graduating class get the best advice from some of the world’s most famous faces, they will get a celebration worthy of all of their hard work and achievements from the last four years! Finally, singer Katy Perry will lead the tassel-turning at the end of the celebration.

In spite of the incredibly fractured world we’re living in, there are still moments of celebration and collaboration that need to take place. The next generation of graduates brings the promise of new, progressive ideas into the next year. On behalf of the HollywoodLife staff, congratulations to the class of 2020; we cannot wait to see what you do in the future!