Trump inauguration 2025 guide: Schedule, traffic closures and parties
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
President-elect Trump will be sworn in Monday inside the Capitol Rotunda, and D.C. will be packed with events surrounding the inauguration.
Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of people will gather in D.C. for the event, sparking road and Metro closures plus a massive security operation.
Here's everything you need to know:
Schedule
Monday, Jan. 20
Inaugural ceremonies have been moved indoors due to the cold weather forecast. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to begin shortly before noon in the Capitol rotunda, with Vice President-elect Vance going first and Trump to follow.
- Country music star Carrie Underwood is set to perform.
- Afterward, Trump will deliver his inaugural address and a farewell will be held for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
- Trump will then head to the President's Room for a signing ceremony, during which he'll sign nominations, memorandums or executive orders.
Capital One Arena will be open to spectators during the ceremonies. The Presidential Parade will follow inside the arena, which has a capacity of 20,000 people.
- Trump is expected to make remarks.
Tuesday, Jan. 21
The National Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral will begin at 11am. It's not open to the public but will be streamed online.
Road and Metro closures
🚗 Roads
Most of the roads surrounding George Washington University, the White House, the National Mall and the memorials, Chinatown and the Capitol will be either closed or restricted to local traffic.
- It's a huge list — 126 roads will be closed, and 95 open to local traffic only. There will be 106 roads closed to parking. See all the closures here.
Plus: Several roads around the National Cathedral and the Naval Observatory will be closed or restricted to local traffic Tuesday.
- There will be several highway exit closures on 1-395/I-695 from Sunday through Tuesday, too.
🚇 Metro
The following Metrorail stations will be closed until 5am Tuesday: Archives, Federal Triangle, Mt Vernon Square, McPherson Square, and Smithsonian.
- On Monday only: The Pentagon station will be closed.
- Some of the entrances at the Metro Center, Farragut West, Gallery Place-Chinatown, Union Station and Judiciary Square stations will be closed Sunday and Monday.
Metro opened at 4am Monday and runs until midnight. There will be enhanced service between 6am and 8pm.
- Yellow Line service will be extended to Greenbelt.
🚌 Bus
The following Metrobus routes will take detours from Saturday until Tuesday:
- 3F, 3Y, 7A, 10A, 11Y, 16A, 16C, 16E, 16Y, 22A, 38B, 31, 32, 33, 36, 42, 43, 52, 54, 59, 64, 70, 74, 79, 80, 96, D4, D6, D8, G8, L2, N6, P6, S2, S9, X2, X8, X9.
Parties
Remember the free-flowing Fireball for Trump's first inauguration? The vibes are more moneyed this time around, with Silicon Valley billionaires, popstars and internet personalities descending on D.C.
- Over the weekend, nearly 20 unofficial balls will be held around the city, hosted by state societies, super PACs and conservative groups.
- Plus a bunch of lavish private parties hosted by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg (location: secret until RSVP).
Here are a few highlights from the party circuit:
Friday, Jan. 17
Bitcoin ballers kicked off the weekend at the first Crypto Ball. The exclusive, buzzy soiree at the Mellon Auditorium celebrated "the first crypto president," spearheaded by Trump's crypto and AI czar, David Sacks.
- Performers included Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy.
Monday, Jan. 20
Three official inaugural balls are happening, and Trump is expected to deliver remarks at each.
- The Commander in Chief Ball for military service members.
- The Liberty Inaugural Ball aimed at Trump supporters (on stage: the Village People).
- The Starlight Ball for high-dollar donors.
The other side: Not every party is a Trump world celebration. Counterprogramming includes:
- The nonpartisan Peace Ball at Arena Stage on Saturday with a roster of activist speakers and a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock.
- The Anti-Inaugural Ball at Black Cat on Monday is an inclusive night of music and dancing.
- The Bipartisan Inaugural Ball celebrates American agriculture and partially benefits DC Central Kitchen.
How to watch
The inauguration will air live on several major broadcast networks, including ABC, CBS, CNN, CSPAN, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC and PBS.
- The White House is also planning a livestream of the day's events.
Unlike election night, not a lot of bars are advertising watch parties in left-leaning D.C. But Union Pub on Capitol Hill opened early, at 9am, with $9 hot cocktails and the inauguration on all TVs.
This story is developing and may be updated.