Inauguration Day 2017 Schedule: Official Events, Protests Will Overlap In A Crowded Washington, D.C.
The schedule for Inauguration Day 2017 and its related events is shaping up to make for a crowded day for Washington, D.C. While hundreds of thousands of of people are expected to show up in support of President-elect Donald Trump on Inauguration Day, still hundreds of thousands more are expected to come to the nation’s capital to protest the incoming president.
The number of people expected, and the anticipation of tension between supporters and protesters, is causing complications in ironing out a schedule for all the events of the inauguration weekend.
The Clintons (both of them) and the Bushes will attend Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.https://t.co/GbcZrNWymM
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) January 3, 2017
As the New York Times has noted, the number of requests for protest permits has nearly quadrupled that of presidential inaugurations in previous years. It should be noted that about half of the permits were granted for anti-Trump protests while the other half are for pro-Trump rallies.
“The National Park Service, which controls much of the public land in Washington, from sidewalks to the National Mall, has already seen permit requests from groups hoping to host events both for and against Mr. Trump skyrocket to 23,” Nicholas Fandos writes for the Times. “In typical inauguration years, the agency receives just a handful of requests.”
What are you marching for 2 WEEKS FROM TODAY? We hope you’ll join us on January 21st at the #WomensMarch on Washington! pic.twitter.com/NJRXgjVWUT
— Women’s March (@womensmarch) January 7, 2017
The increase has burdened officials and organizers who are trying to create an Inauguration Day schedule that accommodates all parties.
Donald Trump’s inauguration committee has released a “schedule” of official events, but it is missing some of the standard features of a schedule — such as the times that many of the events will begin. It appears that not all of the details have been ironed out, or they at least are not being shared with the public yet.
A rundown of the Inauguration Day schedule published by UPI is riddled with the phrase “Details have not been publicly announced.”
The schedule offered by groups organizing protests provide greater details for their events.
The schedule below is compiled from the UPI rundown, the calendar on the Donald Trump inauguration committee’s official website, an article from local news station WTOP, and the websites and press releases of groups organizing protests (linked below).
Thursday, Jan. 19
Event: Wreath Laying Ceremony
Location: Arlington National Cemetery
Time:
Ticket Information:
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of the nation’s veterans.
No other schedule details are currently listed.
Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration
Location: Lincoln Memorial
Time:
Ticket Information: Ticket required for special viewing areas. No ticket required for general public viewing areas.
“This celebration will combine a diverse group of performers and is the official kick-off to the inaugural events,” according to the inauguration committee website. “The concert will include an appearance by the President-elect and Vice President-elect.”
No other schedule details are currently listed.
Inaugural Gala
Location:
Time:
Ticket Information:
“The country performers Big & Rich plus Cowboy Troy will headline an Inauguration Gala presented by the Great America Alliance, a superPAC that supported Donald Trump’s campaign,” according to UPI. “Celebrity cameos announced so far include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, actor and conservative commentator Jon Voight, ‘conservative star Sheriff David Clarke’ and Dr. Dorothy Woods. It’s not clear if Trump or Pence will be present.”
No other schedule details are currently listed
Friday, Jan. 20
#InaugurateTheResistance: Mass Protest against the Trump Agenda
Location: Freedom Plaza, 1355 Pennsylvania Ave NW (14th St and Pennsylvania Ave)
Time: 7:00 a.m. EST
Tickets: No ticket required
“Progressive people from all over the country will be descending on Washington, D.C. on January 20, 2017 to stage a massive demonstration along Pennsylvania Avenue on Inauguration Day,” says a press release from the ANSWER coalition, the organization sponsoring this protest. “It is critically important that we keep building a larger grassroots movement against war, militarism, racism, anti-immigrant scapegoating and neoliberal capitalism’s assault against workers’ living standards and the environment.”
For a list of anti-Trump protests and pro-Trump rallies compiled by Politico, click here.
Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony
Location: West front of the U.S. Capitol Building
Time: Musical performances begin at 9:30 a.m. EST, and guest speakers begin at 11:30 a.m. EST
Ticket Information: Tickets are required for sections “near the event.” No tickets are required to view from the National Mall area.
“Trump and Pence will be sworn in on the west front of the Capitol,” UPI reports. “Their families and members of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, diplomatic corps and other invited guests will be seated on the ceremony platform. Amid tight security and frigid weather, the best seat is likely going to be your couch.
An estimated 250,000 people will attend in the ticketed areas, and an additional 500,000 are expected to attend in non-ticketed areas. The swearing-in will also be televised live and live-streamed on numerous media outlets.
Musical guests scheduled so far include America’s Got Talent winner Jackie Evancho, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Radio City Rockettes, and the Missouri State University Chorale.
Guest speakers on the schedule listed by UPI include New York Archbishop Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, the Reverend Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Pastor Paula White of New Destiny Christian Center, Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Reverend Franklin Graham of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International.
Inaugural Parade
Location: Pennsylvania Avenue
Time: After the swearing-in ceremony concludes
Ticket Information: Ticket required for special viewing areas. No ticket required for general public viewing areas.
“Trump and Pence will make their way from the Capitol to the White House down Pennsylvania Avenue as part of a parade that includes high school and college bands; police posse, motorcycle and cavalry units; veterans and active members of the military; and the Boy Scouts of America, among others,” UPI reports.
No other schedule details are currently listed.
Inaugural Balls
Location: Various
Time: Various
Ticket Information: Tickets required — limited availability, and various prices.
“Three official inaugural balls are planned featuring appearances by Trump, including one being dubbed the Big Apple Ball in Washington but with New York-themes dominating under Trump’s personal direction,” UPI reports.
Details are “still developing.”
In addition to the three “official” balls, there are numerous unofficial balls the night of January 20. For a listing, click here and scroll down.
Saturday, Jan. 21
Women’s March on Washington
Location: Marchers will meet at the intersection of Independence Ave and Third St SW
Time: 10:00 a.m. EST
Ticket Information: No ticket required
“In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore,” reads the Mission Statement from the organizers of the protest. “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”
Organizers hope that at least 200,000 people will attend this protest, which is expected to be one of the largest of the anti-Trump protests scheduled for the inauguration weekend.
For a list of anti-Trump protests and pro-Trump rallies compiled by Politico, click here.
National Prayer Service
Location: Washington National Cathedral
Time:
Ticket Information:
“On Saturday, January 21, an interfaith prayer service will be held at Washington’s National Cathedral. More information coming soon,” reads the inauguration committee website.
No other schedule details are currently listed.
[Featured Image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]
