Elvis Costello heads inauguration concert lineup

British singer Elvis Costello will head an all-star lineup at a concert at the Harman Center of the Arts in Washington, D.C.,on U.S. president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration day.

Rock stars Sting and Sam Moore will also perform at the Jan. 20 event after Obama is sworn into office as the 44th U.S. president.

Seal, Ashley Judd, Anne Hathaway, Susan Sarandon, Marcia Cross, film director Spike Lee and others will appear at the sold-out event that will raise money for the American non-profit arts and entertainment advocacy group The Creative Coalition.

Performances are scheduled to wrap up around midnight.

Speculation about which artists would be selected has been rife since Obama won the U.S. election on Nov. 4.

4-day celebration

The inauguration festivities will span four days, from Jan. 18-21, the Washington Post has reported. Events will include a Jan. 20 inauguration parade with dozens of marching bands from across the U.S. including two from Obama's high school in Honolulu.

Former vice-president Al Gore will be the honorary chairman of the 2009 Green Inaugural Ball on Jan. 19 at the National Portrait Gallery.

The inauguration of the first black U.S. president is expected to draw millions of visitors to the U.S. capital. Washington has issued an emergency bill that will allow restaurants with liquor licences to serve food and alcohol 24 hours a day from Jan. 17 through Jan. 21.