Obama Inauguration Tickets

Barack Obama's historic win in the 2008 Presidential Election will without a doubt assure a historic inauguration on January 20, 2009 as well. So it is no surprise that those wishing to attend will have to pay a hefty price to do so. To see the inaugural parade, tickets range from nearly $600 to $1,400. Tickets for the swearing-in ceremony are between $700 and $1,500 and tickets to an inaugural ball start at close to $2,000.

Local congressional offices will have a limited number of free tickets in January, and were already bombarded with requests on Wednesday for the event. Although the local congressional offices don't know how many tickets they will receive or how they will be distributed, they expect to have more requests than tickets. After their own January swearing-in, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will generate about 240,000 tickets and allocate them to the members of Congress. The Presidential Inaugural Committee will receive a share of tickets to distribute.

Until Jan 20th, Obama will carry the title of president-elect, which means people have voted him as the next president, but he hasn't taken office yet. During this period, President Bush will have the time and opportunity to make the transition a smooth one. The inauguration generally takes place at noon in Washington D.C., on the steps of the west front of the U.S. Capitol building. Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., a President Bush appointee, will administer the oath on a Bible. The vice-president elect, Joe Biden will take his oath first.

After the infantry guard gives a 21-gun salute, Obama will make his inaugural address, the first speech to the country as president. The United States Congress then invites Obama and Biden to lunch, which is then followed by a parade from the Capitol to the White House.