Governor-elect Mike Braun greets supporters at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis on Nov. 5, 2024. (Whitney Downard/Indiana Capital Chronicle)
Events for Governor-elect Mike Braun’s inauguration will span three days, with a Saturday night gala and Sunday morning Catholic Mass preceding the official swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Jan. 13.
Previously, Braun announced that former GOP Chair Anne Hathaway will lead the inaugural committee while Emily Daniels Spaulding will be the inaugural director.
Braun’s celebration will kickoff with ticketed events on Saturday, Jan. 11, including a VIP and sponsor reception before the 6 p.m. gala and dinner at the JW Marriott, where he also held his first post-election press conference.
Sunday’s Mass will be held at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis at 10 a.m. The free event is open to the public but the church also hosts a livestream for virtual viewing.
Later that day, at a time yet to be determined, inauguration activities will include a Hoosier Heritage Family Day hosted by the Indiana State Museum, which will also be free and open to the public. An RSVP is not required to attend but is encouraged, according to the event page.
On Monday, Jan. 13, incoming First Lady Maureen Braun will host an 8:30 a.m. breakfast honoring Indiana’s female entrepreneurs, with tickets starting at $30.
At 9:30 a.m., doors will open to the Hilbert Circle Theatre — where the inauguration and swearing-in will take place at 11 a.m. Alongside Braun, Micah Beckwith will be sworn in as lieutenant governor and Todd Rokita will be sworn in as attorney general.
Though free and open to the public, the inauguration team asks that those interested in attending RSVP at ceremony@brauninauguration.com.
The festivities are a return to normal. When Gov. Eric Holcomb and Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch were sworn in for their second terms in January 2020, COVID-19 vaccinations were just materializing.
So, a socially distanced oath occurred with only 50 people in attendance rather than thousands, The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reported.
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