By Chris Richburg
Rapper/mogul Jay-Z, Hip-Hop soul queen Mary J. Blige and music icon Stevie Wonder will be among the stars on hand to celebrate the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama at the first-ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.
Obama will host The Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration Celebration, which will take place at the Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. and air live from 8 to 10 p.m. ET Tuesday (Jan. 20) on ABC.
In addition to Jay-Z, Blige and Wonder, other performers include Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Faith Hill, Alicia Keys and Shakira.
The inaugural ball will not be the only occasion to catch a glimpse of the stars in the days leading up to the inauguration.
According to reports, celebrities such as Sean “Diddy” Combs, Denzel Washington, Queen Latifah and Jamie Foxx will be in Washington to see Obama take the oath of office on Tuesday to become the country’s 44th President of the United States and make history by being the first African-American to fill the position.
The day before Obama is sworn in to office, rapper Bow Wow will take the stage as part of the Disney Channel’s kids’ inaugural concert.
The event, which takes place Monday (January 19) at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., will honor military families while boasting performances from Bow Wow, the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.
Vocalists Usher and Rihanna will appear at the concert along with Billy Ray Cyrus, Keke Palmer and NBA all-star Shaquille O’Neal.
Hosted by Michelle Obama, Kids’ Inaugural: We Are The Future will be simulcast on Radio Disney, and streamed on Disney.com immediately following the Disney Channel broadcast, which will air from 8 to 9:30 p.m. ET/PT, Monday.
Disney.com visitors can mark the historic occasion by visiting the kids’ inaugural page on the web site, which features polls, games and videos on the concert performers.