Donald Trump’s inauguration: A guide to everything that will happen on 20 January

Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on 20 January.

The ceremony will take place in Washington DC and marks the peaceful transition of power from Joe Biden to Mr Trump – who is returning to the White House for a non-consecutive second term.

Here is your guide to everything we know so far about the events that will happen during the day and night.

When to expect oaths of office and Trump’s speech

The inauguration ceremony will take place at the US Capitol building.

Vice president-elect JD Vance will be first to take his oaths of office on 20 January, followed by Mr Trump.

This typically happens at around midday local time (about 5pm UK time).

John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, is expected to administer the oath to the incoming president, in line with tradition.

Mr Trump will hold up his right hand and place his left on a Bible. The Bible is usually held by the incoming president’s spouse.

Mr Trump will then recite the following: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Mr Trump’s first presidential address of his second term will follow.

The length of the speech varies from president to president, with Mr Trump’s last inaugural speech in 2017 lasting around 17 minutes, while Mr Biden spoke for just over 20 in 2021.

The inaugural procession

Following a signing ceremony and an inaugural luncheon, which often features cuisine from the president and vice president’s home states, Mr Trump will lead the inaugural procession down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The parade goes from the US Capitol to the White House and is a celebrated and much-anticipated event for millions of Americans across the country.

The procession will begin at approximately 3pm local time (around 8pm UK time). The day ends with a series of inaugural balls across Washington DC.

How to get tickets or watch from home

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies makes a limited number of inauguration tickets available to the public through members of Congress in the weeks leading up to the event.

Tickets are free and allow people to watch the ceremony on the grounds of the US Capitol as the president and vice president are sworn in.

Viewers will be able to watch live coverage of inauguration day on Sky News.

For those wanting to want the action elsewhere, all major US broadcast networks will cover the event live including NBC, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, CSPAN, Fox News and PBS.

A live stream of the event will also be available through the White House.

World leaders invited for first time

Outgoing president Mr Biden has confirmed he will attend the inauguration later this month.

In an opinion article for The Washington Post at the beginning of January, he wrote that he was “determined to do everything [he] can to respect the peaceful transfer of power and restore American traditions”.

He said he had also invited Mr Trump to the White House on the morning of the inauguration.

It is also customary for living former presidents to attend the ceremony, with Mr Biden having already ordered flags be flown at half-mast to honour Jimmy Carter – who died on 29 December at the age of 100 – to the annoyance of Mr Trump.

Republican Mr Trump is sure to put his own mark on the event.

He is already the first president-elect to invite world leaders to his inauguration, including China’s President Xi Jinping.

Experts have suggested the Chinese president is unlikely to attend, but at least one foreign leader, the Argentinian President Javier Milei, is planning to be there.

Who will perform?

Every inauguration attracts famous faces to perform – whether it is singing the national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner on the steps of the Capitol, or taking to the stage at the various inauguration balls throughout the evening.

Beyonce, Lady Gaga and rock band 3 Doors Down have all performed in the past.

Back in 2017, Mr Trump seemed to struggle to secure celebrity attendees, with a host of names including Elton John, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli publicly declining an invitation.

Country singer Toby Keith ended up as the biggest name in the final line-up, while classical singer Jackie Evancho, a former America’s Got Talent contestant, sang the national anthem.

There is currently no confirmation about who will be performing at the inauguration this time around, but the singer Kid Rock has been a vocal supporter of the president-elect.

Singer Mary Millben also stands a chance of performing, having sung the national anthem at both Mr Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally and the Republican National Convention back in July.

Heightened inauguration day security

US officials have said they are not anticipating any major disruptions or protests on the day of the inauguration.

But they are operating in a “heightened threat environment” due to the New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans.

“At this time, we are not tracking any credible or specific threats associated with these events,” Dave Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said.

The District of Columbia National Guard will deploy roughly 7,800 soldiers for security, which includes traffic control and patrolling underground stations.

Thousands of federal agents, police and other law enforcement officials will also be on hand.

In the build-up to the inauguration, authorities said they are having to deal with a string of high-security events in the nation’s capital.

Former president Jimmy Carter’s state funeral will take place on Thursday 9 January, while Mr Trump is planning to hold a major victory rally at the Capital One Arena the night before the inauguration on 19 January.

Stark differences to Biden inauguration

Mr Trump’s inauguration will stand in stark contrast to President Biden’s four years ago, an event that the president-elect skipped amid his false claims that the election had been stolen from him.

His claims sparked an insurrection at the US Capitol on 6 January.

More than 1,000 people were later charged in connection with the riot.

As a result of the COVID pandemic and subsequent violence from the Capitol riots, the National Mall, where thousands traditionally gather to see the new president sworn in – was closed to the public on Mr Biden’s inauguration day.

In addition to events during the day, a prime-time inauguration day TV programme entitled Celebrating America was hosted by Tom Hanks on the evening of 20 January 2021.

The programme was shown by all major broadcasters and included performances by Foo Fighters, John Legend, and Bruce Springsteen from iconic locations across the country.

There is no confirmation if a similar programme will be aired following Mr Trump’s inauguration this year.