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 Library over its budget. Earlier this month on his Truth Social account, Trump shared an AI-generated image of the library deteriorating, surrounded by homeless encampments, with a large pile of garbage on top of the structure, and called it a “disaster.”
After his post, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett said the center would welcome Trump to view the center for himself.
“Judge for yourself,” Jarett said during a preview of the center this month. “When our visitors come, they will see a spectacular campus… If [Trump] would like to come and visit it himself, we would welcome him and give him a tour.”
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Follow along for live updates of the Obama Presidential Center grand opening today…
Ceremony is invite-only
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.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 15:15
See inside the Oval Office at the Obama Presidential Center
Get a look at the recreation of the Oval Office in the Obama Presidential Center.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 15:00
A decade of setbacks
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.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 14:30
Barack Obama gets emotional over picture on Michelle Obama’s skirt
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
The former First Lady wore the outfit during a stakeholders event at the Obama Presidential Center, which opens to the public FridayCarsen Holaday18 June 2026 13:59
‘Finally opening’
Barack Obama has shared a poster inviting fans to tune in to today’s ceremony.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 13:45
How to watch the Obama Presidential Center grand opening today
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
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.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 12:55
A look at the Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center cost about $850 million to build, which was raised through private donations.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 12:39
Star-studded lineup
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
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 12:33
No invite for Trump
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.
Carsen Holaday18 June 2026 12:30NewerOlder