What to expect from the 2024 Democratic National Convention (2024)

CHICAGO — Tens of thousands of Democrats are expected to flood the streets of Chicago next week, as Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are poised to officially accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of the United States.

The Windy City is playing host to this year’s Democratic National Convention, set to be held at the United Center Monday, Aug. 19 through Thursday, Aug. 22.

While the anticipated acceptance of the party's nomination is certainly the convention's main focus, the four-day event is expected to feature speeches from current and former presidents, prominent Democrats and pop culture figures, as well as the adoption of the Democratic Party’s platform.

Here’s a look at what to expect from the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC):

The most prominent speakers at this year’s convention will take the stage during the event’s main sessions, which run from 5:30-10 p.m. on Monday and 6-10 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

While a full list of speakers has not been confirmed, nor has their order, there’s some indication on which big names will see the stage.

President Joe Biden is expected as the keynote speaker, with a Monday evening slot. The White House said this week that Biden is looking forward to speaking “directly to the American people,” though Politico reported that the president doesn’t intend to remain in Chicago for the remainder of the convention.

Charles Mostoller / Reuters

Sharing the stage with Biden on Monday is 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who previously called a potential Harris presidency a “fresh start for American politics.”

Pete Souza / The White House

On Tuesday, former President Barack Obama is expected to speak, with some speculating former First Lady Michelle Obama will also appear. The Chicago icons have already endorsed Harris. Before Biden abandoned his bid for re-election, Barack played a hand in raising more than $50 million toward a Biden-Harris ticket.

Wednesday will see former President Bill Clinton, one of the first heavy-hitting Democrats to endorse Harris, speak before introducing Walz to the stage. As is tradition, Harris will speak during Thursday’s primetime slot.

It’s unclear what, exactly, Walz plans for his speech, and whether it will be a departure from speeches he’s already given, which have generally focused on women’s healthcare, tax cuts for working families, “common sense” gun laws and more.

Further, Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter is also expected to speak on behalf of his grandfather, former President Jimmy Carter, who remains in hospice care as he nears age 100. Others rumored to speak include Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, pop culture icon Beyonce and more.

Another vital part of the convention is the adoption of the party’s official platform.

One significant problem with the Democrats’ platform is that it hasn’t been updated since July 13 — more than a week before Biden announced he’d be dropping out of the presidential race. Though the document is non-binding, it does give some insight into the goals of the Harris campaign.

The draft platform calls for restoring abortion rights across America, capping child care costs for low-income families, working with Congress to find a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and furthering advancements to green energy initiatives.

The platform also backs Israel's right to self-defense, endorses Biden's efforts to strike a ceasefire agreement, calls for stronger gun safety laws and focuses on cutting taxes for working families.

The 80-page draft platform can be read online. For comparison, the Republican Party's platform was 16 pages long.

When Democrats aren’t gathered at the United Center for nighttime speeches, they’ll be plugging away at business items across town at the McCormick Place, North America’s largest conference center.

There, the DNC plans to host 33 different caucus and council meetings from various groups, such as the Black Caucus, Youth Council, Women’s Caucus, Small Business Council, Labor Council and more.

Each caucus and council meeting will feature various leading Democrats and other guests speaking on issues that impact their group directly or indirectly.

All caucus and council meetings will be available to the general public via the DNC’s YouTube page.

As many as 40,000 protesters are expected to appear outside the DNC, which could cause issues to the event’s security and transportation.

Vincent Alban / Reuters

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, planned protests include those by the Coalition to March on the DNC, the Illinois Policy Institute, Bodies Outside of Unjust Laws, the Poor People’s Army and more.

The Secret Service has established strict security zones around all DNC-related venues, and expected disruptions are minimal, according to multiple media outlets.

DNC officials intend to make this year’s convention available to as many Americans as possible.

“The convention team set out with an ambitious goal of reaching more Americans than ever before,” said DNC Executive Director Alex Hornbrook. “With more and more Americans consuming their news in new and innovative ways, Democrats stand ready to meet them where they are – and to bring our vision for a brighter future to households all across the country.”

The official live stream of the DNC will be available on the convention’s website. Feeds will also be available on official convention channels on YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch and Amazon Prime Video.

SmartTV users can also access the convention via AppleTV, RokuTV and FireTV, while cable subscribers can watch through Comcast Xfinity X1, Comcast Xfinity Flex, DirecTV via Satellite, DirecTV satellite-free and DirecTV Stream and U-verse TV.

Various national media outlets will also stream live coverage of most sessions.