Inauguration Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009

Whistle-Stop Train Tour
Stop 1: Event in Philadelphia, 10:05AM; Tickets required
Stop 2: Public event in Wilmington, Del., 1PM
Stop 3: Public event at the War Memorial Plaza in Baltimore, 4:15PM
More: Saturday morning, President-elect Barack Obama and his family will hold an event in Philadelphia before boarding a train for Wilmington, Del., where they will be joined by Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family. Together, the families will travel to Baltimore and hold another event, before finally arriving in Washington, D.C. for the Inaugural weekend.

Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009

Opening Inaugural Ceremony
When and Where: 2:30PM, steps of the Lincoln Memorial
Musical Performers: Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, Stevie Wonder and more
Readers: BJamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington
Access: Free, open to the public; doors open at 8AM

Monday, Jan. 19, 2009

Renew America Together: A Call to Service
More: In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the President-elect and Vice President-elect and their families will participate in community service activities across the Washington, D.C. area.
Access: Open to the public; Find a service event in your community
Watch at Home: The concert will be broadcast from 8-9:30PM on The Disney Channel, be simulcast on Radio Disney and streamed on Disney.com immediately following the telecast.

Kids' Inaugural: We Are The Future Concert
Where: 7PM, Verizon Center
Hosts: Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and their families
Musical Performers: Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, Bow Wow, Usher and more
Access: Free, but tickets needed

Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2009

Swearing-In Ceremony
When and Where: 11:30AM ET on the west front of the U.S. Capitol,
Theme: "Renewing America's Promise"; The full program will include:
- Musical Selections: The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus
- Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Sen. Dianne Feinstein
- Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren
- Musical Selection: Aretha Franklin
- Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court John Paul Stevens
- Musical Selection: John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet)
- President-elect Barack Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln's Inaugural Bible, administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Inaugural Address
- Poem: Elizabeth Alexander
- Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
- The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters"
Access: Tickets needed for Capitol grounds; National Mall open to the public

56th Inaugural Parade
When and Where: No official start time, but traditionally begins around 2:30PM; The parade will go down Pennsylvania Ave. from the Capitol to the White House
Participants: Armed Forces, NASA, Special Olympics athletes, The Azalea Trail Maids, Suurimmaanitchuat Eskimo Dance Group, drummers of the Bonnie Brae Knights, the Lawn Rangers and others groups. Get more details

10 Official Inaugural Balls
When: Doors open at 6PM ET
- Neighborhood Inaugural Ball: Hosted by Barack Obama, this is the premier event of the night, with musical performances by Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder and more; D.C. residents invited; Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Youth Inaugural Ball: Young Americans aged 18-35; Washington Hilton
- Obama Home States Inaugural Ball: Ill. and Hawaii invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Biden Home States Inaugural Ball: Del. and Penn. invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Eastern Inaugural Ball: Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., R.I., Vt., Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands invited guests; Union Station
- Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball: Md., Va., D.C., N.Y., N.J., W.Va., Dems Abroad, and invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Midwest Inaugural Ball: Kan., Ind., Iowa, Mich., Minn., N.D., Neb., Ohio, S.D., Wisc., and Mo. invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Southern Inaugural Ball: Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., Ky., La., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tenn., and Texas invited guests; National Guard Armory
- Western Inaugural Ball: Alaska, Calif., Idaho, Mont., Ore., Wash., Wyo., Ariz., Colo., Nev., N.M., Utah, Okla., Guam/American Samoa invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center
- Commander-in-Chief's Inaugural Ball: Enlisted active duty and reserve military; National Building Museum