HOUSTON — Houston’s new mayor is about to take office and he’ll have two swearing-in ceremonies. One is open to the public.
Mayor-elect John Whitmire will first be sworn in at 12:01 a.m. Jan 1 in a small, private ceremony at Houston City Hall, then will take part in a formal event the next morning, Jan. 2, at Wortham Theater.
The private ceremony will happen at the mayor’s office. Whitmire will be sworn in by Judge Victor Trevino, III, with his family present.
The public inauguration at Wortham Theater will happen at 9:30 a.m. Whitmire will again be sworn in, as will Chris Hollins, the new city controller. After that, Whitmire will swear in the Houston councilmembers.
If you want to head over, admission is free on a first-come, first-served bases. You can get tickets at the Wortham Box Office at 8 a.m. on Jan. 2. The theater will open up at 8:15 a.m. and free parking will be available in the Theater District parking garages.
After inauguration, the first Houston City Council meeting will be at 11 a.m.
That night, Whitmire will host an event for first responders at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will have food trucks and live music.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story noted that the private ceremony was Jan. 2. It's actually just after midnight on Jan 1.