US Inauguration: All you need to know as Joe Biden becomes president

President-elect Joe Biden will officially make his move to the White House on Wednesday after his inauguration making him the 46th president of the United States.

The inauguration is a political parade and celebration, when Biden and his Vice-President Kamala Harris take the oath of office.

From the guest list, security concerns and coronavirus here's everything you need to know about Joe Biden's big day.

What is the inauguration?

The inauguration is the formal ceremony that marks the start of a new presidency, and it takes place in Washington DC.

The one thing the president-elect absolutely has to do during the ceremony is repeat the presidential oath of office: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Once he says those words, Mr Biden will then take his place as the 46th president and the inauguration will be complete and then there are lots of celebrations.

Kamala Harris will become vice-president once she takes the oath of office, which usually happens just before the president is sworn in.

Why is the inauguration in January?

Even though US elections happen in November the inauguration takes place on 20 January the following year. The ceremony is scheduled for around 11:00 US time, 4:00 here in the UK. And Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be sworn in at midday, 5pm UK time.

Mr Biden will move into the White House later on Wednesday - his home for the next four years.

A January inauguration wasn't always the case - the Constitution initially set 4 March as the day for new leaders to take their oaths of office.

Selecting a date four months from the November general election made sense at the time given how long it took for votes from across the country to be counted. But this also meant a length of time called a 'lame duck period' - the time when an outgoing president is still in office - even though everyone knows there's a new guy coming in to take his job.

Eventually, modern advances made it easier to count and report votes, and the lengthy wait for a new president was changed. The 20th Amendment, in 1933, said that the new president would be inaugurated on 20 January instead.

What will the security be like?

Presidential inaugurations typically involve detailed security plans, but even more so now, after a group of Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on 6 January.

Twenty five thousand National Guard troops are in Washington DC ahead of the inauguration.

The national guard is part of the US army that works just in America.

Four years ago for Donald Trump's inauguration about 8,000 National Guard troops were deployed.

Mr Biden has told reporters he is "not concerned about my safety, security, or the inauguration".

Will Donald Trump be there?

It's traditional for the outgoing president to watch the next president take their oath of office, which can make things a little awkward.

This year, it will be a different type of awkward: President Trump is a no-show.

"To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th," Mr Trump tweeted before his account was permanently deleted.

It comes shortly after the president committed to an "orderly" transition of power to a "new administration" - the closest he has come to publicly admitting he lost the election to Joe Biden.

Barack Obama was there to see Donald Trump sworn in

When Mr Trump was sworn in, Hillary Clinton joined her husband, former President Bill Clinton, at the inauguration - just two months after her election defeat and a bitter campaign against Mr Trump.

Also there was Barack Obama, who Trump had been critical off throughout his eight years as president between 2009 and 2017.

Only three presidents - John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson - have actively chosen to sit out the next president's inauguration. The last refusal to turn up, which was Andrew Johnson, was way back in 1869!

How will Covid-19 change this year's inauguration?

In normal circumstances, Washington DC would see hundreds of thousands of people celebrating close by to the Capitol building - an estimated two million came to the city when President Obama was sworn in for his first term in 2009.

But this year, the celebration's size will be "extremely limited", and Biden's team has urged Americans to avoid travelling to the capital, a call that has been repeated by DC authorities following the Capitol riots.

Mr Biden and Ms Harris will still take their oaths in front of the US Capitol, overlooking the Mall (a tradition that started with President Ronald Reagan in 1981) but viewing stands that had been constructed along the parade route have been taken down.

Barack Obama's first inauguration reportedly drew some two million people to the celebrations

In the past, up to 200,000 tickets were up for grabs to attend the official ceremony, but this year, with infections still surging across the US, only around 1,000 tickets will be available.

This year, there will still be a "pass in review" ceremony - a traditional part of the peaceful transfer of power, where the new president, known as the commander in chief inspects the troops from the US military, but instead of the usual parade, organisers say they will host a a "virtual parade" across the US.

Both Joe Biden, his wife Jill and Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff will be taken to the White House by members of the military.

Lady Gaga has been a big supporter of Joe Biden

Who is performing?

The national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, will be sung by Lady Gaga, a long time supporter of Joe Biden.

Meanwhile a concert, called "Celebrating America", will be hosted by Toy Story star Tom Hanks! The 90-minute concert, which will be streamed live on YouTube as well as being on TV in the US, will have performers and speakers such as Demi Lovato, John Legend, the Foo Fighters and Justin Timberlake.

Amanda Gorman, America's first Youth Poet Laureate, will read a poem she has written for the occasion called The Hill We Climb.

She will be followed by performances by Jennifer Lopez, and Garth Brooks.