Where and when
- Capitol
- Wisconsin State Capitol, 2 E Main Street, Madison, WI 53703
- Ceremony
- Wisconsin State Capitol, Rotunda (expected)
- When
- Mon, Jan 4 · Time to be announced
- Stream
- Posted when announced · official site
Where to stand, when to arrive
Wisconsin inaugurates in the Rotunda, which is open to the public and fills the upper galleries first. Arrive 90 minutes early, go through security at the ground-floor entrances, and look for a rail spot on the second or third floor for the best view.
General guidance from recent ceremonies. Security perimeters, screening and the exact public area are set by the state a few days out; we post the specifics here and in the ticket tracker as soon as they are public.
Also sworn in that day: Secretary of State JoCasta Zamarripa, the first Latina elected to statewide executive office in Wisconsin.
Weather in January
Average highs around 27°F, lows near 12°F. Snow and wind on the Square; the Capitol is warm.
Getting there
Airports
- Dane County Regional (MSN), 7 mi, 15 min to the Square
- Milwaukee (MKE), 80 mi; Chicago O'Hare (ORD), 150 mi, with coach service to Madison
Rail and road
No Amtrak station in Madison; the nearest is Columbus, WI (Empire Builder), 30 mi northeast. Van Galder and Badger coaches connect Chicago and Milwaukee.
All travel linksFirsts Corner
The meeting point within a short walk of the Capitol, an hour before the ceremony. Stamp table, coffee if we can manage it, a sign you can see across the street.
Location: TBA about a week out
Eat
Where locals send visitors
A few well-known places near the Capitol, named plainly. Confirm hours; inauguration day is not a normal day downtown.
- The Old Fashioned 23 N Pinckney St
Wisconsin on a plate, directly on the Square. - Little Palace 225 King St
American Chinese, a block off the Square. - Sardine 617 Williamson St
French bistro on Lake Monona. - The Harvey House 644 W Washington Ave
Supper-club dinner in the old depot. - Paul's Pel'meni 414 W Gilman St
Dumplings, fast and cheap, near campus. - Marie's Soul Food 1637 Monroe St
Soul food on the near west side.
An hour well spent
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
30 W Mifflin St
On the Square, free, and better than it needs to be. The Capitol itself also gives free tours daily from the ground-floor information desk.
Your stamp
Check in at the Firsts Corner during the ceremony window for 10 points, or tap the stream stamp from anywhere for 2. How the passport works.