INFORMATION ON THE 57th PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURAL PARADE

PRESS RELEASE from Presidential Inaugural Committee
For Immediate Release: Friday, January 18, 2013

PIC Announces Inaugural Parade Participant Lineup
Additional Media Coverage Opportunities on Sunday and Monday 

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) released additional details about the Inaugural Parade including the list of groups planned to participate in the parade and the marching order.
 
The Inaugural Parade will feature eight official inaugural floats, fifty-nine groups - including marching bands, mounted units, cultural organizations, and more – along with military units representing our nation’s Armed Forces. In total, more than 8,800 people and close to 200 animals will take part in the parade that follows President Obama and Vice President Biden from the Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue after the swearing-in ceremony.
 
The President, Vice President, and their families will watch the processional from the reviewing stand in front of the White House. The parade is scheduled to begin at about 2:30 PM.

Members of the public attending the parade should click HERE to find maps and additional information on entry points. Parade attendees cannot bring the following items to the parade: aerosols, animals (guide dogs will be allowed), backpacks, bags larger than 6”x4”x8”, balloons, bicycles, coolers, glass or thermal containers, horns, laser pointers, mace/pepper spray, packages, structures, sign supports, weapons, and any additional items deemed a safety hazard by security.
 
The list below reflects the planned order for the Inaugural Parade. Please note that the participants and their order in the Inaugural Parade are not considered final until the parade begins. For additional information on the parade and participants, you can find the full media guide HERE.
 
Planned Order for the Inaugural Parade
  • The Presidential Escort
  • The Presidential Escort is a military and civilian formation that escorts the President, Vice President, and their families from the Capitol to the White House following the swearing-in ceremony. The escort will include representatives from the five branches of the United States Military, elected officials, and local and national law enforcement organizations.
  • Division One
  • United States Army Staff
  • United States Army Field Band
  • United States Military Academy
  • United States Army 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment
  • United States Army Color Guard
  • District of Columbia Army National Guard
  • United States Army Reserve 200th MP Command
  • Punahou High School Marching Band and JROTC Color Guard, Hawaii
  • Hawaii Home State Float
  • Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corps, Iowa
  • Caisson Platoon, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment
  • Miami University Marching Band, Ohio
  • Illinois Home State Float
  • South Shore Drill Team, Illinois
  • Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission, South Carolina
  • Kamehameha Schools “Warrior” Marching Band, Hawaii
  • Ambulance 255 Project, Connecticut
  • 81st Regional Support Command Wildcats, South Carolina
  • Jackson Memorial High School “Jaguar” Band, New Jersey
  • Seguro Que Si, Florida
  • Kansas University Trumpet Ensemble, Kansas
  • Division Two
  • United States Marine Corps Staff
  • United States Marine Band “The President’s Own”
  • United States Marine Corps Active Company
  • United States Marine Corps Color Guard
  • United States Marine Corps Reserve Company
  • Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe, Delaware
  • Delaware Home State Float
  • University of Maryland “Mighty Sound of Maryland” Marching Band, Maryland
  • Pennsylvania Home State Float
  • Boy Scout Troop 358, Germantown, Pennsylvania
  • Palm Springs High School "Spirit of the Sands" Marching Band and Visual Corps, California
  • Ballet Folklórico De La Raza, Colorado
  • 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company A, Massachusetts
  • Utuqqagmiut Dancers, Alaska
  • A Therapeutic Equine Assisted Self-Confidence Experience (A.T.E.A.S.E.), Wisconsin
  • Palmview High School Mariachi and Folkloric Group, Texas
  • NASA - Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Curiosity Rover
  • Dobyns-Bennett High School Band, Tennessee
  • 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company B, Maryland
  • Boston College “Screaming Eagles” Marching Band, Massachusetts
  • Division Three
  • United States Navy Staff
  • United States Navy Band
  • United States Naval Academy
  • United States Navy Active Company
  • United States Navy Color Guard
  • United States Navy Reserve Company
  • Georgia State University Marching Band, Georgia
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Float
  • Ballou Senior High School "Majestic" Marching Knights, District of Columbia
  • Multi-Jurisdictional Mounted Police Drill Team and Color Guard, Michigan
  • Calera High School “Eagle” Marching Band, Alabama
  • Gym Dandies Children’s Circus, Maine
  • Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps, Massachusetts
  • Civil Rights Float
  • Lesbian and Gay Band Association
  • Native American Women Warriors, Colorado
  • Little Rock Central High School Band, Arkansas
  • Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance, Utah
  • Central Valley High School Marching Band and Color Guard, Washington
  • Division Four
  • United States Air Force Staff
  • United States Air Force Band
  • United States Air Force Academy
  • United States Air Force Active Company
  • United States Air Force Color Guard
  • District of Columbia Air National Guard
  • United States Air Force  Reserve Company
  • Grambling State University “Tiger” Marching Band, Louisiana
  • Tuskegee Airmen Float
  • Norwich University Regimental Band, Vermont
  • Montana Delegation, Montana
  • Wind River Dancers, Wyoming
  • Canine Companions for Independence
  • Navajo Nation Band, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
  • United War Veterans Council, New York
  • Pearl River Community College Marching Band, Mississippi
  • Union High School Air Force JROTC, Oklahoma
  • Fergus Falls High School Marching Band, Minnesota
  • Asheville High School Marching Band, North Carolina
  • Division Five
  • United States Coast Guard Staff
  • United States Coast Guard Band
  • United States Coast Guard Academy
  • United States Coast Guard Active Component
  • United States Coast Guard Color Guard
  • United States Coast Guard Reserve Component
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy Staff
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy Band
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy Color Guard
  • United States Merchant Marine Academy Company
  • Northern State University “Marching Wolves,” South Dakota
  • Military Spouses of Michigan, Michigan
  • Londonderry High School Marching Band and Color Guard, New Hampshire
  • Culver Academies, Indiana
  • Portsmouth High School “Patriots” Marching Band, Rhode Island
  • The Native American Tribes of North Dakota, North Dakota
  • Liberty North High School Band, Missouri
  • Sarpy County Nebraska Metro Area Law Enforcement Honor Guard, Nebraska
  • Frankfort High School Marching Band, West Virginia
  • Comparza Morelense, Nevada
  • Letcher County Central High School Marching Band, Kentucky
  • Our People, Our Future Float & Citizen Co-Chairs
  • Firefighters of Idaho, Idaho
  • Virginia Military Institute, Virginia
PRESS RELEASE from JTF-NCR    see also more participants (below, updated Jan. 4, 2013)
December 21, 2012

PIC selects military participants for Presidential Inaugural Parade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON ― Joint Task Force – National Capital Region announces military participation for the 57th Presidential Inaugural parade.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee officially announced several selections of Inaugural Parade participants, including military organizations, Dec. 18.  Military support is designed to provide appropriate honors to the commander in chief, recognize civilian control of the military and celebrate democracy.

Traditionally, military units from each of the five branches have marched in the Presidential escort and in the Inaugural Parade.  More than 2,100 military personnel will be marching in the Inaugural Parade, with approximately 5,000 supporting the inauguration all together.

Additionally, for the current inauguration, 2,807 groups applied to march in the parade. All applications were collected and organized by JTF-NCR and 317 were submitted to the PIC, which is appointed by the President-Elect. These applications were reviewed by the PIC with assistance of the JTF-NCR, including members of several military bands, musical acts and drill teams.     

“The Inauguration day parade is the largest, most complicated event that takes place in the nation’s capital, which requires a multitude of mission partners to work together,” said Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington, JTF– NCR commanding general.  “The role of the military in this event is one of support. We are here to support the Presidential Inauguration Committee, Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, and the other civilian agencies.”

Service members involved in the 2013 Presidential Inauguration represent an integrated Total Force - Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coast Guardsmen - proudly serving their country at home and around the world. This support comprises musical units, marching bands, color guards, salute batteries and honor cordons, which render appropriate ceremonial honors to the commander in chief.

Below is the complete list of military organizations selected to participate on Jan. 21, 2013:

Military support to the Presidential Escort

JTF-NCR senior service representatives led by Maj. Gen. Michael S. Linnington

Joint Staff led by Col. James C. Markert, commander 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment

The United States Army Band (Pershing's Own), led by Drum Major, Master Sgt. Scott Little

3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)

U.S. Marine Corps. Ceremonial Guard Company, Marine Barracks Washington

Armed Forces Color Guard

U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard

U.S. Air Force Honor Guard

U.S. Coast Guard Honor Guard

The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps led by Drum Major Master Sgt. William White

The Commander and Chief's Guard

The Presidential Escort is often viewed by the general public as part of the Inaugural Parade. However, the Presidential Escort is actually a smaller, distinct procession that, in addition to the President and Vice President, includes the U.S. Army Band, Commander-in-Chief’s Guard, Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps., Honor Platoons for each of the armed services, and the Armed Forces Color Guard.


There are five distinct parade divisions and each division is comprised of various elements of the five armed services.

Division 1

U.S. Army, Staff comprising academy, active, guard and reserve members           

The U.S. Army Field Band               

The U.S. Military Academy Marching Company, West Point, N.Y.                       

The U.S. Army Marching Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry                   

The U.S. Army Color Guard, 3rd U.S. Infantry      

The U.S. Army National Guard, D.C. National Guard                    

The U.S. Army Reserve, 200th Military Police Command, Fort Meade, Md.

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
       

Division 2     

U.S. Marine Corps, Staff comprising active and reserve members              

The U.S. Marine Band (The President’s Own)                     

The U.S. Marine Corps Marching Company, Ceremonial Guard Company                        

The U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Marching Company     
                             

Division 3

U.S. Navy, Staff comprising academy, active, guard and reserve members

The U.S. Navy Band            

The U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.              

The U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard    

The U.S. Navy Color Guard             

The U.S. Navy Reserve           
        

Division 4

U.S. Air Force, Staff comprising academy, active, guard and reserve members                 

The U.S. Air Force Band                  

The U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.                  

The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard                 

The U.S. Air Force Color Guard                              

The U.S. Air National Guard, 113th Wing, D.C Air National Guard

The U.S. Air Force Reserve, 459th Air Refueling Wing                  


Division 5

U.S. Coast Guard, Staff comprising academy, active and reserve members

The U.S. Coast Guard Band             

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.                   

The U.S. Coast Guard Honor Guard            

The U.S. Coast Guard Color Guard             

The U.S. Coast Guard Reserve                     

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Staff Element

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Band                         

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Color Guard              

The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

In addition the PIC has selected the following military elements as representatives of their home states: Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, Fort Riley, Kan. in historic cavalry uniforms, and the 81st Reserve Support Command Wildcats Color Guard, Fort Jackson, S.C. in historic World War I era uniforms.

Military involvement in the Presidential Inauguration is a centuries-old tradition. The U.S. military has participated in this important American tradition since April 30, 1789, when members of the U.S. Army, local militia units and Revolutionary War veterans escorted George Washington to his first inauguration ceremony at Federal Hall in New York City.

                                               
For more information on JTF-NCR visit www.dvidshub.net/units/JTF-NCR and www.facebook.com/jointtaskforceNCR#!/jointtaskforceNCR.  For more information on the Presidential Inaugural Committee visit http://2013pic.org/.
PRESS RELEASE from Presidential Inaugural Committee
For Immediate Release: Monday, January 14, 2013

Presidential Inaugural Committee Announces Inaugural Parade Floats and Announcers
New Video Shows Behind-the-Scenes Footage of Float Construction
 
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) released new details today about the Inaugural Parade, including information about parade floats and the announcers selected for the historic event.
 
The parade will include eight custom-designed floats commissioned by PIC for the parade. Four floats will represent the First Family and Second Family’s home states, and four floats will honor the extraordinary progress we’ve made as a nation.
 
  • The Hawaii State Float – Hawaii is the birthplace of President Obama. The float features a large volcano modeled after the famous Diamond Head Volcano and a tribute to the late Senator Daniel Inouye.
  • The Illinois State Float – Illinois is the birthplace of First Lady Michelle Obama. The float features American flags, the state flag and a panorama of the Capitol.
  • The Pennsylvania State Float – Pennsylvania is the birthplace of Vice President Joe Biden. The float includes a replica of the Liberty Bell and the Pennsylvania State Seal.
  • The Delaware State Float – Delaware is the home state of Vice President Joe Biden and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden. The float includes a replica of State Capitol Bell Tower.
  • The Martin Luther King, Jr. Float – The float’s design features an image of Dr. King and a representation of his quote “out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”
  • The Civil Rights Movements Float – The Civil Rights float features images representing historic struggles of many of the civil rights movements in our country. The images represented include Immigration, Women's, LGBT, Civil and Labor Rights. The float also includes Martin Luther King's quote “The Arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice."
  • The Tuskegee Airmen Float – The float is a tribute to the brave young men who were the first African-American military aviators in the United States Armed Forces. The float features a model North American P-51 Mustang.
  • The Inaugural Theme, “Our People. Our Future.” Float – The American people are the focus of this float. Riding on the float are the citizen co-chairs for the National Day of Service.
Earlier today, the PIC also released a new video featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the floats, which are being constructed by Hargrove, Inc. Please click HERE to watch the new video.
 
The PIC today also released the names of the Inaugural Parade announcers. Charles Brotman, a veteran announcer of 14 Presidential Inaugural Parades, will lead a diverse group of local personalities. Brotman’s voice has been heard at Inaugural parades since 1957, and this year he will announce participants from Lafayette Park for President Obama, Vice President Biden, and parade watchers at that location. The announcers will also work from six additional locations along the entire parade route to inform the crowd lining Pennsylvania Avenue.
 
Joining Brotman will be Bob Madigan from Silver Spring, Maryland; Carol Renee Eubanks from Hollywood, Florida; Jim Bohannon from Montgomery Village, Maryland; Christine E. Brennan from Washington, DC; Robert D. Goldwater from White Plains, New York; and military announcers from the Joint Task Force – National Capital Region (JTF-NCR).
 
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More Inaugural Parade Participants
(alpha and by state)
alpha
 by state

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company B
Silver Spring, Maryland

81st Regional Support Command Wildcats
Fort Jackson, South Carolina

A Therapeutic Equine Assisted Self-Confidence Experience (ATEASE)
Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Ambulance 255 Project
North Franklin, Connecticut

Asheville High School Marching Band
Asheville, North Carolina

Ballet Folklóico de la Raza
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Ballou Senior High School “Majestic” Marching Knights
Washington, D.C.

Boston College Screaming Eagles Marching Band
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps
Boston, Massachusetts

Boy Scout Troop 358
Grace Baptist Church of Germantown
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Calera Eagle Marching Band
Calera High School
Calera, Alabama

Canine Companions for Independence
Fauquier County, Virginia

Central Valley High School Marching Band
Spokane Valley, Washington

Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe
Newark, Delaware

Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard
Fort Riley, Kansas

Comparsa Morelense
Nevada

Culver Academies
Culver, Indiana

Dobyns-Bennett High School Marching Band
Kingsport, Tennessee

Fergus Falls High School Marching Band
Fergus Falls, Minnesota

Firefighters of Idaho
Idaho

Frankfort High School Marching Band
Ridgeley, West Virginia

Georgia State University Marching Band
Atlanta, Georgia

Grambling State University Marching Band
Grambling, Louisiana

Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission
Awendaw, South Carolina

Gym Dandies Children’s Circus
Scarborough Maine Schools
Scarborough, Maine

Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corp
Des Moines, Iowa

Jackson Memorial Jaguar Band
Jackson Memorial High School
Jackson, New Jersey

Kamehameha Schools Warrior Marching Band
Honolulu, Hawaii

Kansas University Trumpet Ensemble
Lawrence, Kansas

Lesbian and Gay Band Association
St. Louis, Missouri

Letcher County Central Marching Band
Letcher County Central High School
Whitesburg, Kentucky

Liberty North High School Band
Liberty, Missouri

Little Rock Central High School Marching Band
Little Rock, Arkansas

Londonderry High School Marching Band and Color Guard
Londonderry, New Hampshire

Miami University Marching Band
Oxford, Ohio

Michigan’s Multi-jurisdictional Mounted Police Drill Team and Color Guard
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Military Spouses of Michigan
Michigan

Montana Delegation
Montana

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, D.C.

Native American Women Warriors
Pueblo West, Colorado

Navajo Nation Band
Window Rock, Arizona and New Mexico, Utah

The Tribes of North Dakota
North Dakota

Northern State University Wolves’ Marching Band
Aberdeen, South Dakota

Northwest Dragon and Lion Dance Association
Portland, Oregon

Norwich University Regimental Band
Northfield, Vermont

Palm Springs "Spirit of the Sands" Marching Band and Visual Corps
Palm Spring High School
Palm Springs, California

Palmview High School Mariachi and Folkloric Group
Mission, Texas

Pearl River Community College Marching Band
Poplarville, Mississippi

Portsmouth High School Marching Band
Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Punahou Band
Punahou School
Honolulu, Hawaii

Sarpy County Nebraska Metro Law Enforcement Honor Guard
Sarpy, Nebraska

Seguro Que Si
Orlando, Florida

South Shore Drill Team
Chicago, Illinois

Union High School Air Force Junior ROTC
Tulsa, Oklahoma

United War Veterans Council
New York, New York

University of Maryland Mighty Sound Marching Band
College Park, Maryland

Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance
Sandy, Utah

The Utuqqagmiut Dancers
Wainwright, Alaska

Virginia Military Institute Marching Unit
Lexington, Virginia

Wind River Dancers
Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming

Calera Eagle Marching Band
Calera High School
Calera, Alabama

The Utuqqagmiut Dancers
Wainwright, Alaska

Navajo Nation Band
Window Rock, Arizona and New Mexico, Utah

Little Rock Central High School Marching Band
Little Rock, Arkansas

Palm Springs "Spirit of the Sands" Marching Band and Visual Corps
Palm Spring High School
Palm Springs, California

Ballet Folklóico de la Raza
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Native American Women Warriors
Pueblo West, Colorado

Ambulance 255 Project
North Franklin, Connecticut

Chinese American Community Center Folk Dance Troupe
Newark, Delaware

Ballou Senior High School “Majestic” Marching Knights
Washington, D.C.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Washington, D.C.

Seguro Que Si
Orlando, Florida

Georgia State University Marching Band
Atlanta, Georgia

Kamehameha Schools Warrior Marching Band
Honolulu, Hawaii

Punahou Band
Punahou School
Honolulu, Hawaii

Firefighters of Idaho
Idaho

South Shore Drill Team
Chicago, Illinois

Culver Academies
Culver, Indiana

Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corp
Des Moines, Iowa

Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard
Fort Riley, Kansas

Kansas University Trumpet Ensemble
Lawrence, Kansas

Letcher County Central Marching Band
Letcher County Central High School
Whitesburg, Kentucky

Grambling State University Marching Band
Grambling, Louisiana

The Gym Dandies Children’s Circus
Scarborough Maine Schools
Scarborough, Maine

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts

Boston College Screaming Eagles Marching Band
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Crusaders Drum & Bugle Corps
Boston, Massachusetts

54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment Company B
Silver Spring, Maryland

University of Maryland Mighty Sound Marching Band
College Park, Maryland

Michigan’s Multi-jurisdictional Mounted Police Drill Team and Color Guard
Ypsilanti, Michigan

Military Spouses of Michigan
Michigan

Fergus Falls High School Marching Band
Fergus Falls, Minnesota

Pearl River Community College Marching Band
Poplarville, Mississippi

Lesbian and Gay Band Association
St. Louis, Missouri

Liberty North High School Band
Liberty, Missouri

Montana Delegation
Montana

Sarpy County Nebraska Metro Law Enforcement Honor Guard
Sarpy, Nebraska

Comparsa Morelense
Nevada

Londonderry High School Marching Band and Color Guard
Londonderry, New Hampshire

[Navajo Nation Band
Window Rock, Arizona and New Mexico, Utah]

Jackson Memorial Jaguar Band
Jackson Memorial High School
Jackson, New Jersey

United War Veterans Council
New York, New York

Asheville High School Marching Band
Asheville, North Carolina

The Tribes of North Dakota
North Dakota

Miami University Marching Band
Oxford, Ohio

Union High School Air Force Junior ROTC
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Northwest Dragon and Lion Dance Association
Portland, Oregon

Boy Scout Troop 358
Grace Baptist Church of Germantown
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Portsmouth High School Marching Band
Portsmouth, Rhode Island

Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission
Awendaw, South Carolina

The 81st Regional Support Command Wildcats
Fort Jackson, South Carolina

The Northern State University Wolves’ Marching Band
Aberdeen, South Dakota

Dobyns-Bennett High School Marching Band
Kingsport, Tennessee

Palmview High School Mariachi and Folkloric Group
Mission, Texas

Utah Hispanic Dance Alliance
Sandy, Utah

Norwich University Regimental Band
Northfield, Vermont

Canine Companions for Independence
Fauquier County, Virginia

Virginia Military Institute Marching Unit
Lexington, Virginia

Central Valley High School Marching Band
Spokane Valley, Washington

Frankfort High School Marching Band
Ridgeley, West Virginia

A Therapeutic Equine Assisted Self-Confidence Experience (ATEASE)
Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Wind River Dancers
Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming






PRESS RELEASE from Presidential Inaugural Committee
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, December 18, 2012

PIC Announces First Wave of Organizations to Participate in 57th Inaugural Parade

WASHINGTON – Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) officially announced the first wave of organizations who have accepted invitations to march in the 57th Inaugural Parade.

A list of the organizations that have already accepted an invitation to march in the historic parade following the President Obama and Vice President Biden’s swearing-in can be found HERE. Invitations are being made and accepted as part of an ongoing process, so please check back for rolling additions to this list.

“The talented groups chosen to participate in the Inaugural Parade reflect the spirit, values, and diversity of our great nation,” said President Obama. “Vice President Biden and I are honored to have them join us in the parade.”

Organizations wishing to participate in the parade submitted online applications to the Joint Task Force – National Capital Region (JTF-NCR). The deadline for submissions was November 30, 2012.

Applications were reviewed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee with the assistance of the JTF-NCR, including members of several of the military bands, who used their expertise to help assess the presentation skill of marching bands, musical acts and drill teams.

All told, more than 2,800 applications were submitted to the JTF-NCR website – more than double the over 1,380 organizations that applied to take part in President Obama’s first inauguration.

All participants in the Inaugural Parade are responsible for paying their own lodging and transportation to and from Washington, D.C. The PIC has been working closely with area governments and civic organizations to facilitate access to affordable accommodations.

The Inaugural Parade in History The origin of the Inauguration Day parade dates back to George Washington’s inauguration in 1789. On his way from Mount Vernon to the inaugural event in New York City, Washington was accompanied by local militias on the way to Federal Hall where the first inauguration was held.

When the ceremony moved to the newly established capital city of Washington, Thomas Jefferson charted the modern day parade route in 1805 when he rode on horseback from the Capitol to the White House after being sworn in for his second term. What began as a spontaneous processional behind Jefferson of local workers and a Marine band has evolved into an inaugural tradition stretching down Pennsylvania Avenue every four years. Since Jefferson, nearly every Presidential inauguration has featured a parade. In 1985, freezing temperatures led organizers to cancel Ronald Reagan’s inaugural parade and most public festivities.

James Madison’s inauguration in 1809 was the first year the parade was formally part of the inaugural occasion. The earliest inaugural parades served as military escorts for incoming Presidents to the swearing in ceremony and soon expanded to include floats by Martin Van Buren’s inauguration in 1837, and grew to include thousands of participants. At Abraham Lincoln’s 1865 inaugural parade African-Americans participated for the first time, and Lincoln famously shook hands with 6,000 people as he was sworn in for his second term. As crowds grew even larger for the inaugural event, President Ulysses S. Grant set a precedent by constructing a reviewing stand at the White House where he watched the processional in 1873.

Since then, instead of serving as a procession to the Capitol, the parade has followed Jefferson’s course from the swearing in ceremony to the White House. In 1909 Helen Herron Taft accompanied her husband President William Howard Taft in the parade, and women were first participants in the parade as part of Woodrow Wilson’s second inauguration in 1917.

In recent years, the parade has averaged two hours in length. The record for the longest and largest parade is held by President Dwight Eisenhower, whose inaugural parade lasted four and a half hours and included 73 bands and 59 floats, some of which featured artistic depictions of events in Eisenhower’s life. President Warren Harding was the first President to proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue in a car in 1921, and Jimmy Carter modified the tradition by walking from the Capitol to the White House.
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