Inauguration Dates: Celebrate New President, Find True Love?

As many as 4 million people will descend on the National Mall on January 20, but only 240,000 will have tickets to the swearing-in ceremony. How can you be among the lucky six percent? Try an unlikely resource: Craigslist’s personal ads.

Over the past few days, ads searching for inauguration dates have been cropping up on the free classifieds site. One poster, a Hill staffer who says he’s been guaranteed a pair of tickets, is looking for a lucky lady with whom he can share the day.

“I have been offered a lot of money for the tickets, but I would much prefer being there to taking the cash,” he writes. “That said, I’d really like to enjoy the day with a fun date.”

The 30-year-old describes himself as 5’11”, in good shape (“I go to the gym 5 days a week”), and down-to-earth. If the swearing-in ceremony goes well, he might take his date to an inaugural ball afterwards. E-mail the poster here if you’re interested; he asks that you include a photo.

If you go this route, remember: Tickets for the inauguration have not yet been distributed, so anyone claiming to have tickets in hand should be viewed with suspicion. The Washingtonian is not affiliated with and has not vetted the above or any other Craigslist users; we’re just telling you about their ads. Approach any date you set up through Craigslist as you would any other blind date—with caution and common sense.

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Emily Leaman