Former President Barack Obama is getting a little help from his friends in celebrating the opening of his presidential museum in Chicago.
The guestlist for Thursday’s dedication ceremony includes Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera and Bono, along with former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are expected to give remarks. The invite-only celebration will be livestreamed and kicks off a weekend of events centered around the Obama Presidential Center, which opens to the general public on Juneteenth.
President Donald Trump is not among the announced guests. He called the $850 million center a “total disaster” in a social media post in February.
The Thursday celebration “will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us,” said Valerie Jarrett, the Obama Foundation’s chief executive and former Obama top adviser. “We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”
Other celebrities slated to appear on Thursday include Common, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Marc Anthony and The Roots.
General admission tickets for the center are sold out through the end of October. But tens of thousands of people have already been offered a sneak peek of the nearly 20-acre campus on Chicago’s South Side in Jackson Park.
The center, located near where Obama lived and began his political career, is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors annually. It is adjacent to the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry in the lakefront park, and not far from the University of Chicago.
The campus includes a towering museum that covers the political and personal realms of the nation’s first Black president, while public spaces include a branch of the Chicago Public Library, a playground and athletic center, basketball courts and a picnic area with grills.
Scott Bauer, The Associated Press
