ReadWriteWeb Guide to Celebrating Inauguration Day
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.
Inaugural Week Events
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.
Where to Watch the Inauguration Online
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.
Staying Up To Date with Inaugural News
- Follow the Presidential Inaugural Committee on Twitter
- Follow the US Government on Twitter
- Follow the District of Columbia on Twitter
- Join Be Ready DC on Facebook
- Read the latest news on the Presidential Inaugural Committee's blog
- Check out the latest pictures on the Presidential Inaugural Committee's photostream on Flickr
- Watch videos from the Presidential Inaugural Committee on YouTube
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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You've provided an excellent summary of what's coming-up.
If people would like to learn more about Inauguration, they might find this list of resources -- compiled for student and teacher use in schools -- helpful:
http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2008/12/23/the-best-sites-for-learning-about-the-presidential-inauguration/
Larry Ferlazzo
Thanks for this list. Although Canadian I am very interested in what is going on down your way. My TV satellite dish was just damaged by ice falling off the roof and so I will not be able to view these events on TV so I find your list very helpful. I am a subscriber and really enjoy your blog
I'm not 100%, but I think Obama is actually sworn in at 12 noon. The ceremony starts at 11:30, but they have to swear in Biden first, and do whatever else they do.
That is wonderful. I am looking forward for that. I didn't know it was so big.
CNN will use Microsofts Photosynth.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/44.president/inauguration/themoment/
The Inauguration 2009 will be live on CNN right? Will definitely watch this one.
Great article. I just love to see so much Web 2.0 stuff happening around the election...
I love the way "Web.20" is really getting to the forefront of Politics, and that's why I call Obama: "President 2.0:
Read here for more info: http://www.colinfitz.com/barack-obama-president-20/
Glad Hulu will have it, it works pretty good on my companies slow a$$ network connection!
It would be so cool if whoever could point the satellites that do Google maps at DC that day.
Thank you for this list. I have added you to my blog entry as a resource for others to see. Thank you. I do appreciate the work you've done.
I walked down to the Capitol Building Sunday to see how they set it up. I have posted the pictures on my blog already. Feel free to visit.
Sincerely,
Joseph R. Mays
There's some (well a lot) of live streams here on the Inauguration.
http://www.webtvhub.com/watch-obama-inauguration-acceptance-speech/
Spoiled for choice on places to watch it online.
We're showing the ustream feed and Facebook user webcam feeds live together in the same Facebook app. People can video chat and watch the inauguration at the same time:
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=11621746459
Quick video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylxs8KQTK5U
The time has come.. We hope that he would bring peace and make a change in United States.. We hope that his election is worth it..
Full inauguration day 2009 watch on CNN web-site:
watch here
High speed and quality is checked!
I must have missed something - why 44th President and there is a 56th Inaugural Parade - are there 56 Presidents or 44 Parades??
Look forward to the difference...
@art - A president may get 2 inauguration parades if reelected.