John Legend, Lady Gaga, Demi Lovato and Justin Timberlake to perform at Biden-Harris inauguration

COVID and insurrection attempts can’t stop the procession of events happening in Washington DC on Wednesday, 20 January. While the current political and public health situation has stripped this year’s inauguration of its traditional motorcade parade and galas, the ceremony will go on with another quintessentially American facet: celebrities. And that is exactly who will flank the Biden-Harris inauguration on Wednesday.

Set to air at 8pm EST, the televised version of the inauguration will be shown in the form of a 90-minute live special called, “Celebrating America”, hosted by actor Tom Hanks, with a robust list of performance and appearances by musical artists, actors and celebrities, that can be viewed from the safety of home.

The musical aspect of the “Celebrating America” special boasts a genre-crossing lineup from artists including Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, plus past #legend cover stars, John Legend and Demi Lovato. Actresses Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria will also appear, most likely with a message in alignment with the program’s stated theme to “showcase the American people’s resilience, heroism and unified commitment to coming together as a nation to heal and rebuild.”

Tweeting with the official #InaugurationDay hashtag, the Biden Inaugural Committee revealed the current ceremony schedule.

Trump has publicly announced he will skip the swearing-in ceremony, and will miss performances led by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez in the U.S. Capitol where Biden takes the official oath of office. Lady Gaga took to social media to express her enthusiasm for joining the festivities where she will sing the national anthem.

Pop artist Justin Timberlake is also anticipated to perform, and shared the story behind, BETTER DAYS, a song written with artist Ant Clemons which the duo will perform at the inauguration.

Many of the celebrities and artists set to appear on Wednesday, such as John Legend, have been particularly vocal about the 2020 elections, urging voters throughout the entirety of the campaign period to register and make their vote count.

Longoria and Washington will also be joined by NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, civil rights activist Dolores Huerta, celebrity chef José Andrés, and first woman the Major League Baseball manager, Kim Ng.

The chosen participants for the Inaugural Ceremonies are intended to “represent one clear picture of the grand diversity of our great nation and will help honour and celebrate the time-honoured traditions of the presidential inauguration as President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take the oath of office,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO Tony Allen.

Tune in to watch the 59th Presidential Inauguration here.