With a smidge less pomp and circumstance than in 2019, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont will be sworn in Wednesday to his second term as governor during a ceremony at the state Armory.
The public is invited to attend and tickets are not necessary. Doors will open at 11 a.m. and Grammy Award-winning singer and Connecticut resident Michael Bolton will perform the Star-Spangled Banner.
The ceremony will begin at noon and Lamont, along with all his constitutional officers will exit to a 19-gun salute.
There will be no parade this year.
Lamont will go straight to the House chamber where he will address the House and the Senate in a joint session at 1 p.m.
The House and Senate will be sworn in earlier in the day around 10 a.m. along with Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, who will preside over the Senate.
“It is an honor to have been selected by the people of Connecticut to serve a second term as governor,” Lamont said in a statement. “These inauguration events are a tradition dating back many years, and I look forward to joining the residents of Connecticut to commemorate the start of a new term.”
Following his state-of-the-state address Lamont will host an inaugural ball at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, across the street from the state Capitol starting at 6:30 p.m.
The tradition of the inaugural ball dates back to colonial times, but there will be nothing colonial about the entertainment this year.
Seeking a less formal setting for a governor who wears a Grateful Dead belt most days, the Bushnell provides a more intimate setting for the event.
This year’s entertainment will be the Bacon Brothers, DJ April Larken, and Phil “The Magic Man,” along with a surprise performance by an artist that Lamont’s staff has refused to name. The Bacon Brothers will perform in the Mortensen Hall and the orchestra pit will be covered with a dance floor. The Bacon Brothers will be paid for their performance and the budget for the event will be covered by ticket sales, sponsorships and the Lamont’s.
In 2019, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough’s band performed.
Tickets are on sale, with general admission costing $200 for anyone over 30 and $100 per ticket for anyone under 30.
Sponsorships are capped at $25,000 and lobbyists or state contractors are allowed to contribute to the event since it’s not considered a benefit to a politician, but an official state event.
The ball itself is expected to cost around $800,000.
