Everything you need to know to follow the Biden-Harris inauguration

Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday. While many of the traditional inauguration festivities have been tamped down because of security concerns and the coronavirus pandemic, Biden will still deliver an in-person inaugural address at the U.S. Capitol.

Here’s your guide to watching Biden’s inauguration live online and how to follow POLITICO’s coverage of the ceremony:

Where can I watch the inauguration online?

POLITICO will stream Biden’s inauguration on our homepage and in our newsroom live chat, where POLITICO reporters and editors will break down the ceremony in real time.

When does the inauguration begin?

As of Tuesday afternoon, Biden’s inaugural committee has not released a specific start time for the inauguration festivities, but the Constitution specifies that the new president’s term begins at 12 p.m. on Jan. 20. The ceremony will kick off just before noon on Wednesday.

The inauguration ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m., and Biden is scheduled to give his inauguration address after he is sworn in. POLITICO's live chat will launch at 11:30 a.m.

Biden's inaugural committee is also hosting an inaugural celebration for young Americans between 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. EST, streamed online on a variety of platforms.

Who is expected to attend the inauguration?

Most members of Congress are expected to attend the ceremony, as are three of the four living former presidents: Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

President Donald Trump won’t be there, he said in a tweet shortly before Twitter permanently suspended his account. Trump is set to become the first president in modern history not to attend the next president’s inauguration. Vice President Mike Pence, though, has said he will be in attendance.

Former President Jimmy Carter, 96, and former first lady Rosalynn Carter, 93, will also not be in attendance. The couple has spent most of the Covid-19 pandemic at home in Georgia. A spokesperson said the Carters have sent Biden their “best wishes.” The couple has been to every inauguration since 1977.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will swear Biden in, and Justice Sonia Sotomayor will swear in the next vice president, Kamala Harris.

How many people are expected to attend?

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers have slashed attendance from 200,000 tickets for Congress members and guests down to just over 1,000 people — with one ticket for each member of Congress and one for them to bring a guest.

There won’t be the usual throngs of members of the public watching, either. Amid threats of violence, the Interior Department is closing the National Mall until after Biden's inauguration, although some First Amendment demonstrations allowed elsewhere in Washington, D.C. Biden’s inaugural committee has urged the public to not come to D.C. for the event.

The increased security measures come in the wake of a riot at the Capitol earlier this month staged by supporters of the president that left five people dead.

Where will President Donald Trump be during the inauguration?

Trump, who won’t be at the inauguration ceremony and has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent days, will travel to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Wednesday morning after a sendoff ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where guests will be allowed as many as five plus-ones.

Which celebrities will perform at the inauguration?

Biden will have more big names performing at his inauguration than Trump did in 2017.

Lady Gaga will sing the National Anthem, and Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks are also scheduled to perform at the ceremony.

Who will be reading poetry and other ceremonial items?

Amanda Gorman, the first National Poet Laureate, will read a poem at the inauguration.

Father Leo J. O’Donovan, a former president of Georgetown University, will give an invocation and Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman, the pastor of Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Del., will deliver the benediction.

What will inauguration security be like?

A presidential inauguration is always a high-security event, but Wednesday’s inauguration will have even more layers of security than normal.

After the Jan. 6 riot that forced organizers to reassess security measures and amid threats of violence, roadblocks have been put in place about a half of a mile from key Washington landmarks like the White House and the Capitol. The National Mall will be closed and the military has put up a seven-foot fence around the perimeter of the Capitol.

The Pentagon has deployed 750 active military troops this week to support security in addition to up to 25,000 National Guardsmen that could be in the area to help civilian authorities.

The FBI has been vetting National Guardsmen amid fears of an insider attack, and multiple guardsmen with ties to right-wing militias have been removed from inauguration security.

Biden had been scheduled to travel to Washington via Amtrak, a nod to his long history of commuting back and forth to Delaware during his tenure as a senator, but that plan was scrapped over security concerns. The president-elect instead traveled to Washington on Tuesday in a private aircraft.

Tech companies are also getting involved in security efforts. Airbnb said last week it planned to cancel all D.C.-area reservations during inauguration week and Facebook said it will block Capitol-area event listings through the inauguration.

What can we expect from Biden’s speech?

As he often spoke of on the campaign trail, Biden is widely expected to deliver a message of national unity on Wednesday.

“You could expect to hear very similar themes that President-elect Biden has been saying through the course of this election, including after he won the presidency, that he will be a president for all Americans,” said Stephanie Cutter, an executive producer of the inauguration, on Fox News Monday. “This is a time particularly with multiple crises facing the country to come together, to heal the nation, have a fresh start, work together to get things done.”

Will there be an inauguration parade?

The parade is being “reimagined” this year, according to Biden’s inaugural organizers. Biden will get an escort to the White House, with a virtual “Parade Across America” to come after at 3:15 p.m.later Wednesday afternoon. The parade will have performances in every state and territory.

The Howard University and University of Delaware drumlines will join the escort, along with members from every military branch.

Producer, director and actor Tony Goldwyn will host the parade, which will feature comedian Jon Stewart, the band Earth Wind & Fire and five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer Katie Ledecky.

What happens after Biden is inaugurated?

After the ceremony, Biden, Harris and their spouses will do a “pass in review” with the military, which inauguration planners call “a long-standing military tradition that reflect[s] the peaceful transfer of power to a new Commander-in-Chief.”

Biden, Harris and their spouses will also go to Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony, along with the Obamas, Clintons and Bushs before their escort to the White House.

Actor Tom Hanks will host a primetime inauguration night show from 8:30-10:30 p.m. featuring performances and remarks from artists including Justin Timberlake, Eva Longoria, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen and Demi Lovato.

Are there any events before the inauguration?

Inaugural organizers installed close to 200,000 flags from every state and territory on the National Mall representing people who can’t come to D.C. for the inauguration, which organizers called the Field of Flags.

Biden’s inaugural committee will also host a nationwide Covid-19 memorial honoring those who have died from the virus at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. The committee is calling on cities around the country to light buildings and ring church bells at that time.

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misstated the day of the inauguration ceremony. It is Wednesday.