Presidential Inauguration 2017: Road Closures, Weather Concerns, Protests Plans and More

WASHINGTON, DC — Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next president of the United States on Friday, Jan. 20, but the schedule of events will stretch into a long weekend of celebrations and protests. Events around the swearing in will bring 800,000 guests — and protesters — to D.C. for days, beginning with free events Thursday.

A New York businessman, Trump was elected in November to be the 45th U.S. president. He defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will be attending the swearing-in ceremony as a former first lady. The bruising general election contest split the country.

Road closures on Thursday include much of the area around the National Mall, particularly for the concert events at the Lincoln Memorial. There will also be road closures around Union Station Thursday evening, due to a candlelight dinner hosted by Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. See more road closure info.

The weather forecast for the presidential inauguration will be warmer than most, with an expected high of 48 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. There is a 70 percent chance of rain at 12 noon, the time Trump is expected to take the oath of office. Note to those who are planning to be at the inauguration: Umbrellas are not allowed in the ticketed area. Small, collapsable umbrellas will be allowed on the Mall and along the parade route.

The first official event of the inauguration will be the wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. The event will begin at 3:30 p.m. and will last until 4 p.m.

Two free concerts will be held at Thursday, Jan. 19, at the Lincoln Memorial and free to the public. Headliners for the main event at 4 p.m. include Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, The Piano Guys and Lee Greenwood.

The surge of guests will cause big delays on highways and public transportation while getting around D.C. More than 3,000 law enforcement officers from around the country will assist with security during the inauguration events.

Turnout expectations have increased for the "Women's March on Washington" protest rally the day after the inauguration. As many as 200,000 people are expected for the event, with many more busses permitted for parking at RFK stadium than there are for the inauguration.

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The Official Schedule

Thursday, Jan. 19

• Wreath Laying Ceremony, Arlington National Cemetery
• Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration, Lincoln Memorial. No ticket required for general public viewing areas.

Friday, Jan. 20

• Inaugural Swearing-in Ceremony, US Capitol
• Inaugural Parade, Pennsylvania Avenue. Ticket required for special viewing areas. No ticket required for general public viewing areas.
• Inaugural Balls. Ticket required – limited availability.

Saturday, Jan. 21

• National Prayer Service, Washington National Cathedral

Welcome Celebration Concert at Lincoln Memorial

The two musical events, expected to run from 4-6 p.m., will be at the Lincoln Memorial on Thursday will be free and no ticket is required.

"Voices of the People" will include marching bands and other performers that submitted applications to be included in inaugural events. They include DC Fire Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, the Republican Hindu Coalition, American Tap Company, TwirlTasTix Baton Twirling, Celtic United Pipes and Drums, and more.

That will be followed by the "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration," a concert event that will reportedly be broadcast live. It will feature remarks from Trump and musical performers Toby Keith,The Piano Guys, Lee Greenwood, RaviDrums, 3 Doors Down, and The Frontmen of Country. It will conclude with a fireworks show.

The concerts will cause some traffic and scheduling delays around the area of the memorial, with road closures beginning at 4 a.m. Thursday and nearby National Park Service sites closed until the event is over.

Swearing-In Ceremony

National faith leaders will be taking part in the inauguration, including Detroit's Bishop Wayne T. Johnson, who hosted Trump at his Great Faith Ministries International in September. Other faith leaders taking part include Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic archbishop of New York; the Rev. Franklin Graham; Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance; and more.

Pennsylvania's Jacki Evancho, a sixteen-year-old finalist on "America's Got Talent," will perform the national anthem at the inauguration ceremony.

Attendees at the swearing-in ceremony will include former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But there have been some announced inauguration boycotts, including Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts. "I do not feel that I can contribute to the normalization of the President-elect's divisive rhetoric by participating in the inauguration," she wrote in a statement.

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2017 Inaugural Parade

Forty organizations have been confirmed as participants in the 2017 inaugural parade. The annual march down Pennsylvania Avenue will be held following the swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.

Event organizers noted in a statement that more than 8,000 will be included. “As participants follow in the footsteps of our new president and vice president down Pennsylvania Avenue, they will be adding their names to the long list of Americans who have honored our country by marching in the inaugural parade.”

Some groups participating in the event have faced backlash due to their association with the event. Members of the Texas State University precision dance team deleted a social media account following criticism. Marist College administrators defended their marching band's spot in the parade, noting the application to participate wasn’t a political act, and the college would have done so regardless of whoever was being sworn in as president.

More: 40 Organizations Marching in Inaugural Parade

Trump Inauguration Protests

Large groups of protesters are plotting trips to D.C. around the inauguration, and other events are being held throughout the country in response to the event. More than 11,000 have signed up for a mass protest at Trump's Inauguration.

The D.C. Cannabis Campaign is planning to hand out 4,200 joints of marijuana on Inauguration Day as a protest of federal laws against pot. Organizers plan to meet in Dupont Circle and march to the National Mall on Friday morning, handing out weed along the way.

One of the largest protests outside of D.C. is expected to be in Chicago. "We want Trump to worry that if he proceeds with his agenda against immigrants, women, Muslims, and workers rights that he will provoke even further struggle," the event's description stated. "Moreover, we want him and the entire establishment to worry that working people are gaining the confidence to take even further independent and radical action."

Possibly more than 100,000 protesters could be joining the Women's March on Washington on Saturday, Jan. 21, at the U.S. Capitol. The four-hour event is expected to run from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. More than 8,000 have signed up online for a parallel Women's March event in Massachusetts.

Other protest events around the inauguration include the protest/concert "Homes Not Bombs."

More: Trump Protesters Claim Victory in Battle with NPS, Inaugural Committee, Jan. 6, 2017

Top photo by Patrick Martin, Patch