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Article by: Tamara Belden; Licensed DC Tour Director / Guide
Although our first two presidents, George Washington and John Adams, were inaugurated prior to Washington becoming the nation’s capital, large crowds did accompany them on their routes to and from their inaugurations. Thomas Jefferson was the first president to be inaugurated in the District. For his first inauguration, he simply walked with a few friends back to his hotel nearby and had dinner. However, for his second inauguration, in 1805, Jefferson left the Capitol where he had taken the oath of office and walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House. He was joined by several hundred well wishers as well as the Marine Band who played as they walked along. And that was our first inaugural parade!
Today, the newly elected president takes the oath of office outside on the east front of the U.S. Capitol and then, with his or her spouse and new vice president, attends a luncheon in the Capitol in Statuary Hall (the original House chamber). Then, the president and his or her vice-president and their spouses proceed down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House leading what has become a large and impressive parade of floats, bands, and all sorts of things. A viewing stand is built every four years in front of the White House (encased in bullet-proof glass since the assassination of President Kennedy). There, in a comfortable and heated enclosure, the president and vice president review the parade as it passes by (see the image below).
The longest parade in our history belongs to that of Dwight Eisenhower – the parade (ten miles long) took four hours and thirty-nine minutes to pass by! In 1829 the inaugural parade for Andrew Jackson was followed by a public reception at the White House, open to all. The crowd was so large and so rowdy that much of the interior and furnishings of the White House were damaged. Legend has it that Jackson himself had to leave through a window to make his escape from the crowds. Supposedly, the White House steward finally moved the celebration outside by simply removing the punch to the lawn (everyone followed, of course). Jimmy Carter and his wife were the first to walk the entire parade route to the White House. Others in recent years have walked a part of the route. In 2021, with the Covid pandemic raging, the inaugural parade for Joe Biden was held virtually. The 2025 parade route will be one and a half miles – however, from gathering point to dispersal area, participants will have to walk about two and a half miles. Groups have until December 4, 2024, to submit a proposal for inclusion in the parade. We will be posting more information about the parade in the coming weeks and months!
