"A New Birth of Freedom" Inauguration events officially start on January 17th!

[FrenchieCat]

January 17 — Whistle Stop Tour by Train

The schedule has not been released. As soon as it is available, it will be posted here. Authorities are expecting that hundreds of thousands of people will watch the train pass from overpasses, stations, and other locations.

Time Event
TBD President-Elect Obama speaks in Philadelphia before boarding a train to Wilmington, DE, Baltimore, MD, and Washington, DC.
TBD Vice President-Elect Biden boards the inaugural train in Wilmington, Delaware.
TBD President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden speak in Baltimore before continuing on to Washington, DC.
Evening Obama and Biden families arrive at Washington's Union Station by train. The Obamas will depart Philadelphia in the morning, stop in Wilmington, Delaware, to pick up Vice President-Elect Biden, and continue on to Washington via Baltimore in the evening.


January 18

Time Event
12:00 Children's Inaugural Ball Noon-5 PM
2:00 PM We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial: A public celebration, free to the public.
Musical performers scheduled for the event include Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Bono, Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow, Renee Fleming, Josh Groban, Herbie Hancock, Heather Headley, John Legend, Jennifer Nettles, John Mellencamp, Usher Raymond IV, Shakira, Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, will.i.am, and Stevie Wonder. Among those reading historical passages will be Jamie Foxx, Martin Luther King III, Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington. The Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson will give the invocation. Rob Mathes will be the music director and arranger for the backing band, which will support all of the artists. Additional performers will be announced as they are confirmed.

7:00 PM The "We Are One" inaugural celebration will be broadcast on HBO to all cable and satellite subscriber as an open feed -- you do not need to subscribe to HBO to watch this special event. It will be broadcast live at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm ET/PT.
Evening Various inaugural balls held around Washington, DC. They generally take place in the evening; times vary -- check each ball's web site for details.
Maryland Inaugural Ball 7-11 PM (New 1/1)
Lincoln 2.0 8-11 PM (New 1/2)


January 19 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Time Event
Day President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden will participate in service activities to commemorate Dr. King.
Evening Concert at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington, DC. Though it is free and open to the public, tickets are required. Information on obtaining tickets is not yet available.



January 20 — Inauguration Day

According to the National Weather Service, a typical Inauguration Day's normal temperature for the noon hour is about 37°F under a partly cloudy sky with a 10 mph wind. They rate the chances of precipitation at 1 in 6 and the chances of snow at 1 in 20. On the plus side, if it does rain or snow, there is a strong likelihood (a 4 to 1 chance) it will only wet the pavement.

Time Event
8:00 AM Gates open for ticketed attendees -- if you have tickets, it will be wise to arrive very early as crowds will be huge and security heavy.
10:00 AM Preliminary festivities begin, including music by The United States Marine Band, The San Francisco Boys Chorus, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
11:30 AM If you have tickets to event, you must have passed through security by this time.
Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Senator Dianne Feinstein
Invocation by "you know who"
Aretha Franklin will sing
Vice President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn into office
Music composed by John Williams and performed by Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero, and Anthony McGill.

12:00 Noon As specified by the U.S. Constitution (20th Amendment), presidential terms of office begin and end at 12:00 noon on January 20. Barack Obama will take the oath of office, which is this simple, 36-word, statement:
I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.
12:05 PM (approx) President Barack Obama will give his inaugural address, speaking to the nation and world, for the first time, as President of the United States, followed by:
Poem: Elizabeth Alexander
Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters"

1:00 PM (approx) Inaugural Luncheon. For details on the menu and invited guests, see the news release.
2:00 PM (approx) Parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. If you have tickets, you need to be in your seats by 1:00 PM.

The Presidential Inauguration Committee announced on January 9 that 5,000 tickets to the parade would go on sale through Ticketmaster at 1:00 PM that day. They sold out quickly -- no more are available.

Evening There are many inaugural balls held around Washington, DC. Some will be hosted by President Obama, others are just parties.
Balls Hosted by President Obama
For details, see the press release.

Youth Inaugural Ball - Young Americans aged 18-35
Obama Home States Inaugural Ball - Illinois and Hawaii invited guests
Biden Home States Inaugural Ball - Delaware and Pennsylvania invited guests
Eastern Inaugural Ball - CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, PR, and USVI invited guests
Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball - MD, VA, DC, NY, NJ, and WV invited guests
Midwest Inaugural Ball - KS, IN, IA, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI, and MO invited guests
Southern Inaugural Ball - AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, and TX invited guests
Western Inaugural Ball - AK, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY, AZ, CO, NV, NM, UT, OK, GUAM/AS invited guests
Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, hosted by President Obama (New 1/5)
Washington Convention Center. Low Cost and open to public.
Commander-in-Chief's Ball, hosted by President Obama (New 1/1)
For men and women in uniform only.

Unofficial Balls

All American Ball
Change Has Come Inaugural Gala
NEW 1/9: "The Dream Come True" Inauguration Gala (7:30 PM EST – 1:30 AM)
Hawaii State Society Inaugural Ball
The Hill Ball
Inaugural Purple Ball
Link Live Inaugural Gal
MTV Be the Change Inaugural Ball
State Society of Arizona Inaugural Ball
Unity Ball
Blue Diamond Ball
Hip Hop Inaugural Ball


January 21

Time Event
TBD National Prayer Service, led by The Rev. Sharon Watkins, at the National Cathedral. This non-denominational service will include prayers, readings and hymns delivered by religious leaders of a variety of faiths.

http://inaugurationday2009.com/schedule.html

[Jennicut]

1. Wow, that is quite a schedule. I will be checking out HBO on the 18th.

Thanks.

[Bicoastal]

2. All this talk of trains reminds me of this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nH3fKH10oM

I was crying on Election Day because of this song.

[FrenchieCat]

3. How Excellent!

Love it! Thanks.

[FrenchieCat]

4. Kick!

For those wanting to know the schedule!

[firedupdem]

5. What a beautiful weekend! Thanks for posting this! n/t

[firedupdem]

6. kick!