On Tuesday millions of people will flock to Washington DC to see President-elect Barack Obama sworn in as our 44th President. But what if you can't get there? Well, turns out in this digital age it's not a problem; as Obama recently pointed out "you don't have to brave the crowds and commotion in order to participate in this celebration."
While various news outlets will be streaming the event, we've compiled this list of online resources to make it easier for those of you who wish to navigate the inauguration virtually. Included are Inaugural Week events, where to watch the Inauguration online, how to stay up-to-date with news, what to do if you're heading to DC, and links to interesting and [we hope] fun sites.
Sunday January 18
Inaugural Week begins tomorrow at 2.30pm with a free and open to the public celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. HBO will broadcast the event at 2.30pm ET and Encore will run the footage at 7pm ET or, just watch it online.
Monday January 19
President-elect Obama has chosen the eve of his inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day to launch "Renew America Together," a call for Americans to make an ongoing commitment to serve their communities. Along with Vice President-elect Biden, Obama will be participating in service projects in Washington D.C. to honor Dr. King's legacy. To find an event in your community, visit USA Service and type in your zip code.
Kids' Inaugural: We Are The Future
On Monday night at 7 pm Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host a free kids' inaugural concert at The Verizon Center to honor the children of military families. The concert will be broadcast on the Disney Channel at 8/7c, simulcast on Radio Disney and streamed on Disney.com. Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers are two of the artists confirmed.
Tuesday January 20: Inauguration Day
At 11:30 am, at the west front of the U.S. Capitol, the President-elect will become President Obama. For the first time ever, the length of the National Mall will be open to those wishing to attend the swearing-in ceremony. No tickets are required; download a map (PDF) here.
At around 2.30 pm, the 56th Inaugural Parade makes its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House. You can browse the list of groups that have accepted an invitation to march at this year's event.
The first-ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 7 pm and include performances by some of the music world's finest. ABC will air the event live from 8:00 - 10:00 pm ET, and the main event will be linked to other neighborhood ball parties happening across the country.
Live Feed and Virtual Flight over Washington DC
Harris Corporation is offering Internet and television viewers high definition views of the Presidential Inaugural Parade route and 3-D virtual views of downtown Washington, D.C. Harris is also providing a live video feed of the parade route from a webcam positioned atop the J.W. Marriott Hotel in the heart of downtown Washington. The feed has been live since Friday.
Presidential Inauguration Committee Web Site
Using Silverlight technology, the Presidential Inauguration Committee website will be live streaming video of the official swearing-in ceremony on its site. The swearing-in ceremony begins at 11:30 am ET on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Hulu - The Obama Presidency
Hulu will also be live streaming the 2009 Inauguration, but until then you can watch past inaugural speeches (23) or check out the Obama Presidency page that hosts a variety of videos by category: Speeches and Press Conferences (11), Weekly Addresses (8), Commentary (224), Humor (52), Debate (1).
Ustream: Barack Obama Inauguration Day Live
If you want a more social experience watch live video on Ustream which gives you the option of interactive chat.
For more ideas on where to watch the inauguration online, take a look at Liz Gannes list over on NewTeeVee.
Note: You can now download Obama videos directly from the ChangeDotGov channel on YouTube as pointed out yesterday by Anthony Ha over on VentureBeat.
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On Tuesday millions of people will flock to Washington DC to see President-elect Barack Obama sworn in as our 44th President. But what if you can't get there? Well, turns out in this digital age it's not a problem; as Obama recently pointed out \"you don't have to brave the crowds and commotion in order to participate in this celebration.\"\n\nWhile various news outlets will be streaming the event, we've compiled this list of online resources to make it easier for those of you who wish to navigate the inauguration virtually. Included are Inaugural Week events, where to watch the Inauguration online, how to stay up-to-date with news, what to do if you're heading to DC, and links to interesting and [we hope] fun sites.