Students will be treated to an impressive lineup of performers and speakers at the upcoming Free The Children’s We Day in Calgary.

Scotiabank Saddledome will host Calgary’s first We Day — an event that brings together thousands of students and educators in a stadium setting to engages youth in global issues.

It was announced Tuesday that former president of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as performers such as Hedley and Lights will be amongst the speakers and artists hitting the stage in Calgary.

More than 18,000 students from 500 schools will hear the invited guests on We Day.

“Over the past five years, we’ve seen a fundamental transformation in the students that attend We Day,” said Craig Kielburger, founder of Free The Children in a release.

“Not only have they gained greater confidence in forming their personal identities, but the impact they’ve had on society is incredible.  In fact, in the 2011/2012 school year, youth raised $6 million to support local and international causes, and volunteered a total of 1.7 million hours. We are thrilled to bring We Day to Alberta and provide local students with a platform to become active global citizens.”

We Day Alberta will be taking place on Oct. 24. Here is a full list of invited guests:

• Mikhail Gorbachev – Former President of the Soviet Union and Nobel Peace Laureate
• A performance by ONE DROP, a Cirque du Soleil Founder’s initiative
• Chief George Stanley – Regional chief for Alberta for the Assembly of First Nations
• Jessi Cruickshank – TV personality, co-host of We Day Alberta
• Shawn Desman – Platinum selling, JUNO and MMVA Award winning recording artist
• Theo Fleury – Former Canadian hockey player and Olympian
• Jesse Giddings – Recording artist and TV personality, co-host of We Day Alberta
• Rick Hansen – Canadian icon, gold-medal Paralympian and world-renowned activist
• Hedley – Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA Award winning recording artists
• Lights – Canadian electro-rock singer, songwriter and JUNO Award winner
• Amanda Lindhout – Canadian humanitarian, former journalist kidnapped in 2008 by Islamist insurgents in Somalia
• Liz Murray – Author of the New York Times Bestselling memoir Breaking Night: My Journey from Homeless to Harvard
• Spencer West – Me to We motivational speaker and Free The Children Ambassador