Wes Moore to be sworn in as the 63rd Governor of Maryland

Wes Moore will be sworn in as the 63rd Governor of Maryland on Wednesday, Jan. 18, and will make history as the state's first Black governor.

Aruna Miller will also be making history as the first woman South Asian Lieutenant Governor of not just Maryland but the entire country. 

The Swearing-In Ceremony of Governor-Elect Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Aruna Miller is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. at the State Capitol in Annapolis. The ceremony is free and open to the public, but space will be limited, of course, as there is vast interest in witnessing the historic event. 

Attending the Swearing-In Ceremony In Annapolis

Free parking for inaugural attendees will be available at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD), and free MTA shuttles will be running from the Stadium to Lawyer’s Mall where the swearing-in will be taking place. More information on this is available on the Moore-Miller Inauguration Website.

The City of Annapolis has been busy preparing for the inauguration and those visiting Annapolis should expect road closures before, during, and after the event. Details on what roads are closed in Annapolis and how non-inaugural visitors can park and navigate can be found here

Parking for attendees will be available for free at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD).  If you plan to drive to the ceremony, please plan to park at the Stadium, as very limited parking elsewhere will be available.

Swearing In Program Details

At approximately 12 p.m., the ceremony will begin at the State House in Annapolis. You'll be able to stream it on FOX5DC.COM as well as on our YouTube channel. Moore will take the oath on Frederick Douglass' Bible.

The program will feature musical performances, remarks from the governor and lieutenant governor, and the formal swearing-in. It is expected to wrap around 1:30 p.m. and will include a ceremonial 19-gun salute between 12:45 and 1:00 p.m. 

Much like the Presidential Inauguration, the swearing-in ceremony will be completely outdoors.  Seating for the public will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis, and plenty of standing room will also be available. Attendees should dress to stay warm and be prepared to walk at least a block or two from the shuttle location or for pickups. 

Inaugural Ball

The celebration will continue later in the night at the Baltimore Convention Center where "The People's Inaugural Ball" kicks off at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the event is scheduled to end at 11:30 p.m. Dawn Moore and David Miller — the respective spouses of the governor-elect and lieutenant governor-elect — are chairing the ceremony. 

As of press time, some tickets are still available for about $125. Maxwell, Raheem Devaughn, DJ D-Nice, and Baltimore natives Dru Hill, are set to headline the main event. There will also be performances by the Peabody Jazz Institute, Prima ballerina Caroline Rocher Barnes, and the University of Maryland's Bhangra Dance Group, among others.