( CNN ) -- John McCain tried to make Barack Obama 's celebrity status a campaign issue last summer , but there 's no debate about the president-elect 's ability to draw famous and talented Americans to his inauguration . Bruce Springsteen campaigns for Barack Obama in Cleveland , Ohio , on November 2 , 2008 . Dozens of major celebrities will perform on several nationally televised shows , as well as 10 inaugural balls the evening after Obama is sworn in as the 44th U.S. president . The celebration will open Sunday evening on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with a free concert so star-studded it 's hard to choose a headliner . Beyonce , Bono and Bruce Springsteen are on the list . Other musical performers include Mary J. Blige , Garth Brooks , Sheryl Crow , Renee Fleming , Josh Groban , Herbie Hancock , Heather Headley , John Legend , Jennifer Nettles , John Mellencamp , Usher Raymond IV , Shakira , James Taylor , will.i.am , and Stevie Wonder . In addition , Jamie Foxx , Martin Luther King III , Queen Latifah and Denzel Washington will take the stage to deliver historical readings . More performers will likely be named . Executive Producer George Stevens Jr. said the intention is `` to root the event in history , celebrating the moments when our nation has united to face great challenges and prevail . '' See how inaugurations have changed over the years » . Don Mischer , who directed the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympics and ` recent Super Bowl half-time shows , is directing this event . `` We will have the statue of Abraham Lincoln looking down on our stage and a crowd of hundreds of thousands of people lining the mall -- a tableau any director would relish , '' Mischer said . Admission will be free , but security will be tight . Check out an interactive map of Washington . Five gates leading into the area , including one around the Reflecting Pool at the base of the Lincoln Memorial , open at 8 a.m . ET Sunday . Performances start at 2:30 p.m. HBO paid for exclusive rights to televise Sunday 's show , but its feed will be free to all cable and satellite viewers from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m . ET . It can not be seen through local broadcast television stations . The Disney Channel will carry Monday night 's big event -- `` Kids ' Inaugural : We Are The Future '' -- from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m . ET . Those who do n't have cable will be able to hear it live on Radio Disney or watch it online later at Disney.com . Musical performers will include the Jonas Brothers , Miley Cyrus , Demi Lovato and Bow Wow . Singer-actress Keke Palmer -- star of Nickelodeon 's `` True Jackson , VP '' -- is one of the hosts for the show , which will be staged in Washington 's Verizon Center . Palmer , 15 , hopes to meet Obama 's daughters Sasha , 7 , and Malia , 10 , backstage Monday night . Palmer said she moved from Chicago to Los Angeles when she was about the same age as Malia is now , and Obama 's election is `` very special for my family and me , being from Chicago and all . '' `` I also feel like I know what Sasha and Malia are experiencing in terms of leaving Chicago at an early age , having to attend a brand new school , a new house , just new everything , '' Palmer said . `` It 's not easy , but as long as you have great parents , which we all three have , then it turns out OK. '' There should be plenty of celebrity sightings at the swearing-in ceremony at noon ET Tuesday or in the parade starting at 2:30 p.m. Viewers will have no trouble finding a television broadcast of those events . Palmer said she will likely view the inaugural parade from a viewing stand at the Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women . `` Hey , either way I 'm so happy to be a part of it no matter how small , '' she said . `` This is historic ! '' While inaugural ball tickets are tough to get , one of the 10 balls Tuesday evening will be shown live on ABC television from 8 to 10 p.m . ET . `` The Neighborhood Ball : An Inauguration Celebration '' is billed by planners as `` the premier event of the inauguration evening . '' Beyonce , Mary J. Blige , Mariah Carey , Faith Hill , Jay-Z , Alicia Keys , Shakira , Stevie Wonder and others yet to be announced will perform live at the ball . The Neighborhood Ball will take place in a hall at the Washington Convention Center , the venue for four other balls . Take a quiz about first ladies ' inaugural gowns » . A Youth Ball -- aimed at partygoers ages 18 to 35 -- will take place at the Hilton Washington . Ball planners have not released the entertainment line-up for this ball , but said whoever is there wo n't stop playing until 2:30 a.m. For those who somehow miss all of this -- or want more -- the Presidential Inaugural Committee is selling a CD-DVD with 18 music tracks from many of the inauguration performers . Eight key Obama speeches from the past two years also are included .
Celebrations open Sunday evening with a free star-studded concert televised by HBO . Kids ' inaugural show Sunday will feature ABC , Mariah Carey . One of the One inaugural balls Tuesday evening will be shown live on ABC . Washington , Mariah Carey , Stevie Wonder will perform at the ball .