The Obamas, Malala Yousafza, Lady Gaga, BTS and more join YouTube's 'virtual graduation' line-up

Barack and Michelle Obama are among the headliners of YouTube's 'festival-style' virtual graduation ceremony, organised for the countless students across the world who will be unable to celebrate their graduation in person due to COVID-19 restrictions.

As well as featuring commencement addresses by the Obamas, the 'Dear Class of 2020' event promises appearances from the likes of Malala Yousafzai, Lady Gaga, BTS, Alicia Keys, Zendaya, former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle and more.

"Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” Youtube's global head of content Susanne Daniels explained in a statement about the event. “We hope bringing together noteworthy, influential speakers along with performances from some of their favourite artists will provide encouragement for the students who have worked so hard to get here.”'Dear Class of 2020' will be streaming live on Saturday, July 6, on the YouTube Originals channel, as well as the YouTube's Learn@Home website.

Facebook are also holding a star-studded virtual graduation ceremony of their own, featuring Oprah Winfrey, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X, Simone Biles, Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner and more on May 15.