How to watch Inauguration Day and concert as Joe Biden is sworn in wherever you are

(Image credit: Andrew Harnik-Pool/Getty Images)

published 20 January 2021

In just a couple of hours the nation - and, indeed, the world - will watch as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are sworn in as the President and Vice President of the United States.

Make sure you're tuned into what is sure to be a historic day in American politics. Find out exactly how you can watch Inauguration Day and concert wherever you are across the world.

What time can I watch Inauguration Day and concert?

As Inauguration Day 2021 arrives, there is set to be a whole host of events across the day. If you want to know exactly when you can catch the all-important swearing in though, you can watch Inauguration Day and concert from 11.30am ET. For those on the west coast, that's 8.30am PST and across the Atlantic 4.30pm GMT in the UK.

The Inauguration Ceremony will begin with a performance of the US national anthem by Lady Gaga at the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Vice President-Elect, Kamala Harris, will be sworn in just before 12pm ET / 9am PST / 5pm GMT, with President-Elect, Joe Biden, taking the oath of office at noon. Thereafter, we can expect the President-Elect to deliver his inaugural address.

The newly inaugurated President and Vice President are scheduled to head to the East Front of the Capitol to assess military troops in the traditional Pass in Review, before laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Biden and Harris will then receive a Presidential Escort to the White House at around 3.15pm ET / 12.15pm PST / 8.30pm GMT. At this time you can expect a virtual Parade Across America hosted by Tony Goldwyn.

In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, the usual parade and balls have been put on pause and swapped for an itinerary of virtual events. Instead you can watch Inauguration Day and concert in its entirety from your screens, with Tom Hank's presenting a 90-minute TV special with performances from Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters, Bon Jovi and more. Watch Celebrating America from 8.30pm ET / 5.30pm PST / 1.30am GMT.

Watch Inauguration Day and concert from your favorite broadcaster with a VPN

No matter where you are in the world, it's easy to assume that no matter which news station you tune into, you'll be able to find coverage and watch Inauguration Day and concert. That being said, some people certainly have their preferences when it comes to broadcasters. If you happen to be outside of your native country when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are due to be sworn in, why not consider a VPN to get access to your preferred channel?

With geo-restrictions in place across a lot of streaming services, by installing a VPN you can scour through its list of countries and hop onto a server within the boundaries of your chosen broadcaster. For instance, if you want to tune into CBS, choose a server within the US and the VPN will switch your IP address to appear as if you're browsing right for home.

A foolproof way to ensure you don't miss this historic event, our best VPN pick is certainly a good place to start.

How to watch Inauguration Day and concert in the US

A better question is where can you watch something other than Inauguration Day 2021? US viewers can expect to find coverage of Joe Biden's inauguration on just about every TV news channel. NBC News will begin coverage at 10am ET / 7am PST, while its on demand service NBC News Now has coverage from 7am ET / 4am PST.

Alongside NBC News, CBS, ABC, and CNN will also be carrying coverage, allowing you to watch Inauguration Day and concert from beginning to end. If you don't have cable, you can catch CBS' broadcast of the event by utilising the channel's more affordable streaming service. Benefit from a 7-day free trial and pay $5.99 a month for CBS All Access.

For viewers glued to ABC, coverage of Inauguration Day is set to begin with a special edition of Good Morning America at 7am ET. You watch Inauguration Day and concert live by signing in using your cable provider details. Alternatively, get instant access to ABC content by subscribing to FuboTV from $64.99 a month with a 7-day free trial thrown in, too. This is the only streaming service that provides that essential live coverage.

CNN is allowing its viewers to watch the momentous occasion for free regardless of whether or not they have cable. Watch Inauguration Day and concert live from 6am to midnight ET / 3am to 9pm PST on CNN's homepage or on its apps for iOS and Android. CNN content can also be found on Sling TV, starting from $30 a month with a 3-day free trial.

Peacock's free streaming service, The Choice, is offering accessible coverage for all from 8am ET / 5am PST / 1pm GMT. This can be found on YouTube, though you can also choose to sign up to Peacock's free plan, too. Alternatively get Peacock Premium from $4.99 a month or Peacock Premium Plus from $9.99 a month with a 7-day free trial on both packages.

Want to watch Inauguration Day and concert outside the US? Here's how:

As one of the biggest, most influential players in the world, it's unsurprising people will be looking to tune in and watch Inauguration Day and concert across the globe as Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.

Just a hop, skip and a jump away from the big day, viewers in Canada can tune into coverage on CTV at 9am ET / 6am PST for a three hour special, available on CTV, CTV News website and CTV News app.

If you're in the UK and keen to watch Inauguration Day and concert, you can get coverage from 4pm GMT on both BBC One and ITV, with live coverage available on their respective streaming services, too. Visit BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub to get in on the historic action. The best part - it's all free, keeping in mind you'll need a TV license for all BBC content.

Of course, if you have Sky you'll also find Sky News bringing all the latest from the Capitol, too.

For those down under, coverage in Australia will begin in the wee hours of January 21 at 3am AEDT on SBS, which is completely free to watch.

Alice is eCommerce Editor at Future, with a focus on streaming services such as Disney Plus, Hulu, and HBO Max, as well as VPN. Nowadays she looks after and writes guides and how to watch articles across TechRadar and CinemaBlend. Previously a Commercial Content Writer for Trusted Reviews, Alice has worked in the eCommerce space for over five years and over two years writing about consumer tech.