On Wednesday (January 20), Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in as President and Vice President. This year, the inauguration ceremony will lack some of the traditional pomp and circumstance because of the coronavirus pandemic and the security concerns following the events on January 6 when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol Building.

To secure the inauguration, around 25,000 National Guard troops have been sent to Washington, D.C. The National Mall, where massive crowds typically gathered to watch the incoming President take the oath of office on giant screens, will be closed to the public. Instead, the National Mall has been covered with 200,000 American flags.

Biden and Harris, who will become the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian American to be vice president, will be sworn at noon eastern time in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

After the ceremony, Biden and Harris will review the readiness of the military troops in a review at the Capitol before heading to Arlington National Cemetary to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

Instead of the traditional parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, there will be a virtual Parade Across America that will include performances from all 50 states to "celebrate America's heroes, and highlight the diversity, heritage, and resilience of the country."

Biden is expected to enter the Oval Office for the first time as President around 5:15 p.m. ET and sign more than a dozen executive orders.

The Inauguration Day festivites will conclude with a 90-minute virtual television event that will feature musical performances and remarks from Biden and Harris.

Listen to live coverage of the inauguration on NBC News Radio on iHeartRadio.

Photo: Getty Images

Garret Lewis

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