The Tick-Tock of Donald Trump's Inauguration
The festivities begin later this week.
— -- On Friday, Donald Trump and Mike Pence will participate in a tradition that’s over 200 years old -- the presidential and vice-presidential inauguration.
“We're going to have a very, very elegant day. The 20th is going to be something that will be very, very special, very beautiful," President-elect Trump has said of his big day.
But the festivities for Trump and Pence are set to begin even before Inauguration Day.
Here is what's planned and the approximate timing, according to incoming press secretary Sean Spicer:
Jan. 19 - The Pre-Inauguration Day Festivities
12 PM
Kicking off all the inaugural festivities, Trump and his wife Melania Trump will attend a luncheon.
3 PM
The day before Inauguration Day, Trump and Pence will lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
4-6 PM
Country singer Toby Keith, actor Jon Voight and the band 3 Doors Down, among others, are set to appear. The concert concludes with a fireworks show.
Before the concert, several marching band performances will take place at the "Voices of the People," celbration held on a stage on the southwest end of the Reflecting Pool.
After "Voices of the People," the president-elect and vice president-elect will deliver remarks at the "Make America Great Again! Welcome" concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
Jan. 20 - Before the Inauguration
On Friday morning, Trump, Pence and their families are scheduled to attend services at St. John’s Episcopal church near the White House.
9:30 AM
President Barack Obama and President-elect Trump will have coffee or tea at the White House before Trump’s swearing-in, according to Tom Barrack, chairman of the inaugural committee.
10:30
The two men and their wives will ride together to the Capitol.
Inauguration Ceremony at the U.S. Capitol
11:30 AM
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) released the official program of Trump and Pence’s swearing-in ceremonies at the Capitol.
The D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is planning for 800,000 to 900,000 people to attend the inauguration festivities.
The U.S. Marine Band, which has played at every inauguration since Thomas Jefferson’s ceremony in 1801, will play the prelude. Also known as the “The President’s Own,” the Marine Band has roughly 130 musicians.
If the ceremony follows tradition, inauguration announcer Steve Ray will introduce the past presidents, the families of Trump and Pence, and the congressional leaders that are in attendance, before announcing Pence and then finally the man of the hour, Trump.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Missouri, will conduct the “Call to Order” and deliver welcoming remarks.
Following Sen. Blunt’s remarks, Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, Reverend Dr. Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and the New Destiny Christina Center’s Pastor Paula White-Cain will deliver the readings and invocation.
In an interview with Catholic News Service, Cardinal Dolan shared that for his reading he chose Wisdom, Chapter 9, King Solomon's prayer for wisdom in leading Israel.
The program continues with a musical selection from the Missouri State University Chorale.
Taking the Oaths
Vice President-elect Mike Pence will take his oath of office administered to him by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
After Pence is sworn in as the 48th vice president, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will then perform, making it the sixth time the chorus has sung at an inauguration ceremony or parade.
Then, Donald J. Trump will take the presidential Oath of Office. Chief Justice John Roberts will administer the oath.
“I do solemnly swear that I will execute the office of the president of the United States faithfully, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, defend, and protect the Constitution of the United States. So help me God,” Trump will say.
The Marine Band will then play “Hail to the Chief” and Trump will receive a 21-gun salute.
Look back at US presidential inaugurations
Inauguration Speech
Trump, the 45th president of the United States by this point, will then deliver his inaugural address to the masses gathered at the Capitol. Trump’s speech, which he has been working on with his policy aide Stephen Miller, will be “short,” historian Douglas Brinkley, who met with Trump, told CNN.
Next, Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Reverend Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse and The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Bishop Wayne T. Jackson of Great Faith Ministries International will wrap with readings and the benediction.
To conclude the ceremony proceedings, 16-year-old Jackie Evancho will sing the national anthem. A runner-up on the show “America’s Got Talent,” Evancho has sung at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 2010 and at the 2015 “World Meeting of Families” held in Philadelphia, which Pope Francis attended.
After the Inauguration Ceremony
1 PM
Trump and Pence are expected to attend the Congressional Lunch, a tradition since President Dwight D. Eisenhower, hosted by the JCCIC.
2:30 PM
President Trump and Vice President Pence will conduct a military review at the east front of the U.S. Capitol.
3 PM
The day is not done -- President Trump and Vice President Pence will then join the inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House, leading the procession of over 8,000 parade participants, including veterans and active members of the military, high school and college bands, police, motorcycle and cavalry units, and the Boy Scouts of America, among others. President Jimmy Carter was the first president to walk in the inaugural parade and since then, presidents have ridden in limos and walked part of the parade route.
Steve Ray and CEO of the presidential inaugural committee Sarah Armstrong told CNN on Monday that the parade would last an hour and a half, shorter than parades of the past.
Talladega College, a historically black college in Alabama, is sending its marching band to perform in the inaugural parade, despite protests by some alumni and members of the public.
7 PM
To celebrate Trump’s inauguration, there will be three official inaugural balls in Washington, D.C. The two main balls will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, with guests from across the country. The invitation-only Salute to Our Armed Services Ball, in honor of the military, first responders and other service personnel, takes place at the National Building Museum.
Jan. 21
10 AM
Trump and Pence, along with their families, conclude their inaugural festivities by attending the the National Prayer Service at the Washington National Cathedral.
ABC News’ Dee Carden, Michael Edison Hayden and Luchina Fischer contributed to this report.
Related Topics
Popular Reads
ABC News Live