Inaugural Celebrations You Can Afford
You have friends in town who came specifically to celebrate the Inauguration, and they want to go out and do something festive. You don't want to pay $375 to go to some stuffy dinner and dancing gala hosted by the senior citizens of the state of Florida or whatever, but you're willing to spend a little more than you usually do on a night out. Unfortunately, you don't seem to have the hook-up to score free tickets to anything. You were hoping you might snag some of the D.C. resident tickets to the official Neighborhood Ball, but weren't one of the lucky few who got tickets through a local non-profit. There are approximately 5,683 Inauguration-themed events and parties happening tonight through Wednesday, and your head is swimming.
Have no fear, DCist is here! Here's our picks for Inauguration-themed parties and balls. We did our best to weed through them all and only pick parties that a) actually sounded like fun to us, b) cost less than $100 per person, and c) still have tickets available. If you don't see something on this list that you want DCist readers to know about, feel free to add them in the comments. But remember that these are just our suggestions -- there's no way we could list every single event, nor would we want to. Other publications have more comprehensive guides: here's the Washington Post's, Washingtonian's, and Washington City Paper's.
Photo by Sanjay Suchak
FRIDAY:
Wake Up World
Featuring The Daily Show creator Lizz Winstead
Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse
Tickets: $20 (also Saturday)
Jay-Z's Inaugural Gala
Love
Tickets: $75 in advance
The People's Inaugural Premier
Hosted by the DC Statehood Fund and lots of other local Democratic groups
Featuring Doug E. Fresh
Tickets: $75
SATURDAY:
The Afrofunk Inaugural Ball
Featuring Chopteeth
Rock and Roll Hotel
Tickets: $15
Soiree Obama
Hosted by the Alliance Francaise
Russia House
Tickets: $20, RSVP to info@planetechic.com by 6 p.m. on Saturday.
SUNDAY:
We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Featuring Bruce Springsteen, U2, Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder, and more
Steps of the Lincoln Memorial at
2:30 p.m.
Free
Obama Wonderama
A burlesque ball
Warehouse Theater
Tickets: $25
MONDAY:
Obama for Change Ball
Zanzibar
For Obama Organizers, Volunteers and Supporters
Tickets: $85 in advance
TUESDAY:
51st State Ball
Hosted by the D.C. Council
Featuring Chuck Brown
John A. Wilson Building
Tickets: $51 each, available for purchase on Saturday, January 17 only from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre
Burger Ball
Hosted by Top Chef star Spike Mendelsohn
Good Stuff Eatery
Tickets: $99 each, call 202-543-8222 or e-mail info@goodstuffeatery.com.
Brightest Young Things Inauguration Spectacular
Bohemian Caverns
Featuring Wale
Tickets: $20 in advance
The Art of Change (The Artists Ball)
Hosted by local artists
Featuring two dance floors and a fire performance
Warehouse Theater
Tickets: $50 per person
Wonderball
Wonderland Ballroom
Includes free T-shirt, open bar
Tickets: $69
Demand in DC
Featuring Anti-Flag
Black Cat
Tickets: $10
Inaugural Night Celebration Party
Featuring Federico Aubele, Vandaveer, Revival, Brandon Butler
Comet Ping Pong
Free