Winter weather forecast cancels Gov. Josh Stein’s inauguration ceremony, just like Cooper’s
Gov. Josh Stein has canceled his inaugural ceremony and other related events planned for this weekend due to forecasts of winter storms that are expected to hit Raleigh overnight Friday.
More than 6,000 people had requested tickets to attend Saturday morning’s ceremony on the Capitol grounds in downtown Raleigh, during which Stein and other Council of State members would again be sworn in, after being officially sworn in last week.
Stein said Wednesday a block party that would have been held on Fayetteville Street after the ceremony, and an open house at the governor’s mansion scheduled for Sunday afternoon, had also been canceled due to the weather forecast.
As governor, Stein will live in the Executive Mansion in downtown Raleigh, two blocks from the Capitol and Legislative Building.
The state’s 76th governor will still deliver his inaugural address Saturday. The speech will now be at 2 p.m. and will be carried live by PBS North Carolina.
Stein’s inaugural address will follow his “North Carolina Strong” theme and set the tone for his term in office.
The Junior League of Raleigh also announced that a cocktail reception to honor the new Council of State members, scheduled for Friday, as well as the Inaugural Ball, which was going to be held at the Marbles Kids Museum on Saturday night, would be rescheduled for later in the spring.
The nonpartisan women’s organization has hosted the ball since 1933.
The ball would have included performances from Rissi Palmer, Ben Folds, Charly Lowry and Cooper Alan.
Stein’s predecessor, Gov. Roy Cooper, also had to cancel, reschedule or scale back parts of his inaugural festivities after winning both of his terms in 2017 and 2021.
Cooper’s first inauguration ceremony was canceled because of a snowy forecast. Four years later, his second inauguration took place amid coronavirus restrictions that limited attendance to family and staff, again leaving the public to watch the ceremony remotely.
Stein is North Carolina’s first Jewish governor. Like Cooper, he is a Democrat. He previously served as attorney general and in the state Senate.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 10:55 AM.
