2025 U.S. Presidential Inaugural Parade
January 17–21, 2025
Washington, D.C.
Much, much more information to come.
The Board of Directors voted on September 15 to begin work on an application for the 2025 Inaugural Parade.
Please bear with the organizing committee as we work on the details over the next few weeks.
Overview Schedule
Tentative as of 09-15-2024
January 17
Arrivals
- Individual Arrivals
- Registration
- Leadership Meeting
January 18
Rehearsal Day 1
- Drumline Meeting
- Sectionals
- Full Band Rehearsal
- Leadership Meeting
January 19
Rehearsal Day 2
- Full Band Rehearsal
- Group Photo
- Dress Rehearsal
- Leadership Meeting
January 20
Inaugural Parade
- Buses Depart
- Breakfast in D.C.
- Staging
- Parade
- Disperse
January 21
Departures
- Return Equipment
- Departures
Pre-registration closed on October 22.
Sixteen years ago, we made history as the first LGBTQ+ group to march in a President’s Inaugural Parade — and then we did it again four years later. As we near Election Day 2024, Pride Bands Alliance is working to make another appearance at this premier marching event on Monday, January 20, 2025.
The process of getting to the Inaugural Parade is a fast one, happening in the month following the election. Our band will be screened first by the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee. If we comply with their standards, our application moves on to the Presidential Inaugural Committee who makes the final decisions on who marches in the parade. For a timeline of how quickly this went in 2009, please read this article in Halftime magazine.
One of the many details required for the parade application is the total number of participants who plan to march in our group. This number reflects the maximum size of our parade unit and is, therefore, very important for us. In order to provide an accurate number for our entry, the Pride Bands Alliance Board of Directors will ask our members to indicate their intentions to march through a pre-registration system.
Pre-registration will run through Tuesday, October 22, 2024. This will be the only time you can join the massed band. A $100 deposit is required to pre-register; this deposit can be refunded should Pride Bands not participate in the Inaugural Parade.
- You should be an active member in Pride Bands Alliance or your local Pride Bands Member Band.
- You should have some marching experience and understand basic marching commands. This is a formal parade with high visibility and marching appearance will be important.
- Be prepared to be outside in rain, snow or freezing cold for several hours with few warming stations.
- The actual parade route is 1.5 miles, but be prepared to walk 3 miles total.
- You must be able to attend rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday, January 18 and 19.
- A lot of what we do will be determined by the parade organizers, so be flexible and be on time.
- You will need to provide information for a Secret Service background check, including your Social Security Number or a passport.
- Must be over 18 years of age by January 18, 2025, in order to participate.
- Participants who require special assistance will need to pre-register their assistant as well. All fees and uniform costs will apply to assistants as well as those performing.
- Spouses/partners/significant others need to register if they plan to march in the Honor Guard.
Anyone registering for a performing slot must have experience with marching, flags or twirling. The Honor Guard, which includes banner carriers and Pride/state flag bearers, will be limited to around 60 participants.
Financial Commitment
If Pride Bands is selected to march in the parade, each individual participant will be required to pay the balance of the registration fee, uniform fee and all other costs related to their participation.
A summary of expected expenses follows:
- $160 registration fee:
- $100* refundable deposit for pre-registration
- $60* final payment due in late December — if Pride Bands is invited to participate
- $100* uniform fee
- $35* Affiliate Membership due (if you’re not a member of a Pride Bands member band)
- Minimum three nights hotel stay (unless you have alternate housing options)
- Airfare or other transit to Baltimore, Maryland
- Meals for three days (minus one rehearsal lunch plus Inauguration Day breakfast and lunch, will be provided)
Registration Note
You pre-register via Eventbrite, the same online service we have been using for conference registration the past few years. In that system, you will be asked to complete payment before providing your band information on the following pages. Eventbrite transaction fees added to our registration fees and will not be refundable.
Artistic Director
Charles Roth
Charles Roth (he/him) is the 2025 Guest Drum Major for The Queer Big Apple Corps and former Marching Band Artistic Director for DC’s Different Drummers. Under his leadership, DCDD expanded its presence in and around our nation’s capital, featuring high-profile performances including the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, Smithsonian Institute, World Pride 2019 and two special appearances at the Naval Observatory, home of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Charles is an active music educator in Alexandria, Virginia, where he teaches band at an International Baccalaureate school. In his time there, he has increased student engagement, tripled the size of the band program, founded the schools music booster organization, led the band to multiple festivals and competitions with a legacy of success, and assisted/led the schools Gay Straight Alliance (GSA).
Charles’ professional affiliations (present and past) include Pride Bands Alliance, the National Association of Music Education (NAFME), the Ohio Music Educators Association (OMEA), Virginia Band Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) and the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA). Charles holds degrees from Miami University of Ohio (BME), and the University of Kentucky (MA) in Arts Administration among other certifications.
Logistics Team
The Consultants
- Leslie Becker
- Lindsay Becker
- Marita Begley
- Melissa Terrell
- Robb Blackwell
Board of Directors
- David Doan, President
- Amy Miller, Treasurer
- Courtney von Bergen, Director of Special Events
- Jason Stephens
Volunteers
- Brandon Strawn
- David McBee
- Gerry Ende
- Gwen-Marie Lerch
- Judy Ames
- Michel Boddie
- Robert Gamboa
- Tim Schmeling
Frequently Asked Questions
Registration
Waitlist
We have 420 people pre-register due to the overwhelming demand and interest. With the logistics it takes to manage all of these people and to make sure we have enough buses, hotel rooms and uniforms for everyone, and because we were also concerned about our band being too big for the Presidential Inauguration Committee to handle, we had to cap registration. We know it came as a surprise to everyone because we had to do it quickly as our numbers skyrocketed.
There are 170 people on the event waitlist. Folks on the waitlist will get the opportunity to register if someone decides they can no longer participate. To remain fair, available spots will be filled from the waitlist in the order they were received. You will be contacted directly from the team and through Eventbrite to complete and pay for your pre-registration if a space becomes available. Once notified by Eventbrite, you’ll have 72 hours to pre-register; the opportunity passes to the next waitlisted individual if you do not complete the process.
Affiliate Membership
If you’re a member of one of our member bands or partners, you are automatically a member of Pride Bands Alliance. If you’re not, you can register as an affiliate member. That covers you for a year.
Refunds
Refunds can be issued if we are not selected to march. If you have registered and you need to cancel your participation, refunds will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Age Limit
For legal and logistical reasons, at this time we are not able to accommodate anyone under the age of 18 years before the first rehearsal, Jan. 18, 2025. Pride Bands Alliance plans to host future events which may allow participation by youth members. Thank you for understanding.
Credential Information
The Presidential Inauguration Committee will run a basic background check on all participants. We will have to collect personal information from you in order to provide that information to the organizers; this will happen only if we are chosen to march in the parade.
While the exact requirements may vary, in 2013 the USSS required the following information for each participant:
- Full Legal Name – as shown on your government-issued ID
- Date of Birth
- Place of Birth
- Gender – as shown on your government-issued ID
- Passport-Style Photo – a photo of your face on a white background (specific requirements will be provided)
- Social Security Number
- Passport Number – required only if no SSN
- Country of Passport – required only if no SSN
The personal data collected will only be used by the USSS for background checks and production of access credentials. The data will be destroyed upon completion of the inauguration.
Logistics
Travel
Do not make travel arrangements at this time. Parade applications are due after the 2024 United States elections. The Presidential Inaugural Committee will issue invitations to march in the parade by mid-December. Please do not make any non-cancellable travel reservations until we have heard the status of our parade application.
You will want to plan to arrive by the evening of Friday, January 17, 2025, so you will be available for rehearsal on Saturday and Sunday and the parade on Monday. We strongly suggest you travel home on Tuesday, because Monday will be a long day so if you are driving you will be very tired and if you are flying we have no idea what time we will be back at our hotel. In the previous two Inaugural Parades, we arrived at our lodgings quite late, due in part to the traffic getting out of DC.
Hotel
We have hotel room blocks reserved in several hotels in Baltimore. Once we are selected, we will release this information so you can book your individual lodgings. If you decide to book lodgings on your own, know that our primary base of operations and Pride Bands Hotels will be around the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.
Schedule
We will be rehearsing Saturday and Sunday, indoors and out. You will receive a full schedule for the event, from arrival to post-event departure, once we are selected., For now, please plan on being available all day Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Uniform
Most of the uniform will be your own clothing, brought from home with you. We are still making final decisions but it might be:
- Black dress pants
- Black shoes
- Black socks
The uniform parts that you will be required to buy will vary by section. When it comes time to order, we will send you all information required to order.
Instruments
Many of you use colorful plastic instruments for marching in parades. While this is appropriate for a Pride Parade, for this parade we require all instruments to be of traditional colors. For uniformity of our look and sound in performance:
- Brass instruments should be made of metal: silver or brass. P-bones are not allowed.
- Woodwind instruments should be a traditional color and material. It’s ok for the clarinet to be plastic, but it should also be black.
These are the only kinds of instruments that will be allowed in the parade block. If you’re not sure about your instrument, our artistic leadership will be able to consult with you in December. No exceptions will be made on the day of the parade.
Participation Agreement
- I understand that all travel and lodging is at my own expense.
- I understand that participation is dependent upon the successful completion of a background check by the U.S. Secret Service.
- I understand that registration and uniform fees will be non-refundable if we are invited to perform.
- I understand that I will be allowed to perform only in the position for which I have registered it is expected that I have experience performing in that position. If it appears at rehearsal that I cannot perform as registered, I may be removed from the band without a refund.
- I understand that I must attend all rehearsals in their entirety in order to perform in the parade.
- I understand that I must abide by all dress code requirements for the parade as determined by Pride Bands Alliance and/or parade organizers.
- I understand that this event will require everyone’s flexibility and cooperation. If my behavior is viewed as disruptive by the Pride Bands Board and/or parade organizers, I may be removed from the event without refund.
- I understand that if large instruments, i.e. sousaphones or percussion are rented, I will incur the rental fee personally. I also understand that if an instrument cannot be borrowed or rented, I will need to bring my own in order to participate.
- I understand that we will be outside in the cold for several hours prior to the parade, and that we will walk as much as 3 miles. All participants will carry their own instruments or equipment.
- I understand that I participate in this event at my own risk, and will not hold Pride Bands Alliance, its leadership, its members or participants responsible for any injury or expense incurred by me related to this event. I also understand that should my behavior or participation in this activity expose Pride Bands Alliance, its leadership or its participant to claims for damages of any kind, I will hold them harmless and indemnify them.
