Barack Obama will mark the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in his hometown of Chicago today with a star-studded musical lineup including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Christina Aguilera.
The ceremony — hosted by the former president and former first lady Michelle Obama — takes place a day before the presidential center, which has been in the works for a decade, opens to the public on Juneteenth for thousands of guests.
The grand opening, which will be livestreamed starting at noon ET today, will feature performances by a roster of legendary singers, including The Roots, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Marc Anthony, American rapper Common and Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. They will also be joined by U2's Bono and The Edge, Nigerian singer Tems, and actress and producer Marsai Martin.
With a $850 million price tag, raised through private donations, the Obama Center is the most expensive presidential library ever built. U.S. President Donald Trump has been a consistent critic of the Obama Presidential Center over its budget and earlier this month, he posted on Truth Social that the project would be a “disaster.”
After his post, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett said the center would welcome Trump to view the center for himself on a tour — but that he was not invited to the grand opening, despite every other living president making the guest list.
Follow along for live updates of the Obama Presidential Center grand opening today…
Key points
- Star-studded lineup revealed
- Why Trump isn't there
- A look at the Obama Presidential Center
- How to watch the grand opening today
- Museum tickets are sold out until November
Celebrities start to arrive
16:09 , Carsen Holaday
Legendary activist Reverend Al Sharpton was seen arriving at today’s ceremony, along with comedian Quinta Brunson and Star Wars actor Mark Hamill.
Not your average presidential library
16:00 , Carsen Holaday
Rather than the traditional presidential library, the Obama Presidential Center is located on 19.3 acres of land on the South Side of Chicago and aims to serve as more of a community hub rather than just a place for archives.
The massive center includes:
- A 225-foot tall museum
- A Sky Room on top of the museum
- A Chicago Public Library branch
- An athletic center
- An NBA-regulation-size basketball court
- A playground
- A vegetable garden
Obama's favorite exhibit
15:45 , Carsen Holaday
Former president Barack Obama said that his favorite exhibit in the museum at his Presidential Center is the short film Ten Letters A Day.
The film, created by Chicago-based art and performance collective Manual Cinema, uses shadow puppets to show Obama’s ritual in office he would read 10 letters sent to him by Americans at the end of each day.
'It's a symbol of hope'
15:38 , Carsen Holaday
Former speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi said on MSNow that the Obama Presidential Center is a “symbol of hope.”
“This is about hope,” Pelosi said.
“When you go through there, you see signs of community, empathy, integrity, making change... and the president has always been about training leaders for the future.”
Attendees start to take their seats
15:30 , Carsen Holaday
Attendees are starting to find their seats about two hours before the dedication ceremony begins.
The grand opening will take place rain or shine at noon ET. The event is set to be livestreamed.
Ceremony is invite-only
15:15 , Carsen Holaday
The Obama Presidential Center grand opening ceremony today will only be attended by people who were invited.
The exclusive guest list includes former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, as well as former first ladies Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and Jill Biden.
The ceremony begins at noon ET.
See inside the Oval Office at the Obama Presidential Center
15:00 , Carsen Holaday
Get a look at the recreation of the Oval Office in the Obama Presidential Center.
A decade of setbacks
14:30 , Carsen Holaday
The Obama Presidential Center’s official opening comes after a decade of planning and setbacks.
In 2015, the former U.S. president announced his library would be built in Chicago, where he has lived since the eighties.
However, the project also faced opposition from Friends of the Parks, which is a watchdog and environmental advocacy group in Chicago.
A federal judge gave the green light on construction in 2019.
Construction began in 2021, but it continued to be slowed by legal problems.
Barack Obama gets emotional over picture on Michelle Obama's skirt
13:59 , Carsen Holaday
Barack Obama was moved to tears after noticing a touching tribute to Michelle Obama’s late mother, Marian Robinson, woven into her outfit.
During Tuesday’s stakeholders event at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, the former First Lady, 62, took the stage in a custom light brown pencil skirt, featuring a portrait of her mom, who died in 2024 at age 86.
“I am so proud of my husband. He’s really messed up. I’m giving him some time, because this beautiful skirt that my stylist Meredith Koop picked out, that is a portrait — my favorite portrait of my mom — he didn’t know it existed until just a few minutes ago,” Michelle said during her speech, as she placed her hand on her husband, who was wiping the tears from his eyes.
“I’ve had a few weeks to settle down in the beauty of this skirt, but it’s messing him up for good reason,” she continued. “But Marian would have been so proud, she was so proud of her son-in-law and the man that he is and has been to our family, always dreaming probably way too big, but always pulling it off. Thank you for doing this for the South Side of Chicago, I love you.”
Barack Obama moved to tears by Michelle’s skirt featuring touching tribute
'Finally opening'
13:56 , Carsen Holaday
Barack Obama has shared a poster inviting fans to tune in to today’s ceremony.
The Obama Presidential Center is finally opening!
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 18, 2026
Tune in today on https://t.co/GYkEOK8EuT starting at 11am CT as Michelle and I share what this moment means to us and celebrate with friends, family, and members of the community in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/fZG3S0tgcL
How to watch the Obama Presidential Center grand opening today
13:39 , Ellie Muir
The event is invite-only, but it will be available to watch via livestream on the official Obama Foundation channels here from 11 a.m. CT (noon ET).
The Obama Presidential Center officially opens to the public on June 19, Juneteenth. While Museum tickets are sold out from the opening weekend through September, the rest of the campus is free and accessible for the general public.
Museum tickets are sold out until November
12:55 , Carsen Holaday
As the Obama Presidential Center opens Friday, museum tickets are already all sold out for the grand opening weekend.
The next tickets available on the museum’s website are not until November.
The museum has four levels, and a ticket includes access to the Oval Office and the Sky Room.
A look at the Obama Presidential Center
12:39 , Carsen Holaday
The Obama Presidential Center cost about $850 million to build, which was raised through private donations.
Star-studded lineup
12:33 , Carsen Holaday
Thursday’s grand opening ceremony has an impressive lineup of performers, including:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Christina Aguilera
- The Roots
- Jennifer Hudson
- John Legend
- Stevie Wonder
- Marc Anthony
- Common
- Eddie Vedder
- Bono and The Edge
- Tems
- Marsai Martin
No invite for Trump
12:30 , Carsen Holaday
Every living president will be in attendance at the grand opening ceremony except for President Donald Trump.
During a press preview of the center earlier this month, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett said Trump is welcome to visit the museum and get a tour.
However, she said he was not invited to the dedication.
“I can tell you that this is a celebration for those who helped get President Obama where he is. And this is a gift to them,” Jarrett said at the time.
“And so the people who will be here are the people who've been helpful along the way.”
Trump has been a consistent critic of the $850 million center, calling it a “disaster” in a Truth Social post earlier this month.
Obama Presidential Center opens today
12:26 , Carsen Holaday
Barack and Michelle Obama will open the Obama Presidential Center today with a star-studded dedication ceremony.
After nearly a decade in the making, the massive 19-acre space on the south side of Chicago features a museum, a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a basketball court and a garden.
The grand opening will start at noon ET.
