Skip to main content

How to watch the Democratic National Convention online

The Democratic National Convention will formally nominate the Democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election tonight, with former Vice President Joe Biden scheduled to speak on the last day of the convention.

But this convention will likely look a lot different than most other years, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced the Democratic Party to hold its event — normally a raucous affair with hundreds of delegates — largely virtually.

Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamela Harris (D-California), will also accept her vice-presidential nomination at the convention. 

Here’s what to know about the Democratic National Convention, including how to watch a livestream of the convention online. 

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

When is the Democratic Convention? 

The Democratic National Convention takes place starting tonight, Monday, August 17, through Thursday, August 20. Virtual policy roundtables will happen daily and discuss challenges like protecting the election’s integrity, building a more sustainable infrastructure, ending gun violence in America, and more. You can RSVP to these roundtable briefings here. 

The main convention program happens from 6 to 8 p.m. PT every night. 

How to watch the Democratic Convention online

The convention will stream live on the DNC’s official website. You can also watch the convention on NBC, ABC, and CBS, and the DNC’s social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and YouTube. We’ve also embedded a livestream of the convention at the top of this post. 

Where is the Democratic Convention taking place?

While the convention will mostly take place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, it will officially be held at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee. 

Who will be speaking at the convention? 

Over the four-day convention, a slew of key Democrats will speak at the convention. Some notable names include former first lady Michelle Obama, former President Barack Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former President Bill Clinton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and more. You can find the official speaker list and schedule here. 

Why should I care about the Democratic Convention? 

Even though we know Biden will be the Democratic presidential candidate, the Democratic National Convention brings together Democrats from all over the country to speak to their party and potential voters about the issues at hand in the upcoming election. The convention is also when Democratic Party members adopt the official 2020 Democratic Party platform. 

Editors' Recommendations

Allison Matyus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Allison Matyus is a general news reporter at Digital Trends. She covers any and all tech news, including issues around social…
How to watch today’s Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event online
everything samsung announced at galaxy unpacked note 10 2019 august

Galaxy Unpacked 2020 Live stream

Where will you be when Samsung Galaxy Unpacked begins? Samsung's next huge event is today, Tuesday, February 11. It all kicks off here at 11 a.m. PT -- and we'll be right here, watching a whole new generation of smartphones, wearables, and earphones make their debut. We've already written up everything expected at Galaxy Unpacked 2020, but you can watch the entire event live right now to see all the announcements as they happen.

Read more
The camera on this Android phone is confusing, but I love it
The back of the Tecno Camon 30 Premier.

I’m all for a lot of detail, and love to hear about the new technology that’s inside a smartphone I’m about to test, but when I have to search for an explanation of what something means, it’s not a good start. The Tecno Camon 30 Premier suffers from this problem, as it has a lot of cool camera tech that is explained in a mystifying way.

So, I thought the best thing to do was to just ignore the tech speak and find out if it takes great photos the old-fashioned way.
What's the problem?

Read more
The 5 best phones with IR blasters in 2024
The OnePlus 12's camera module.

IR blasters used to be a common component in smartphones, with big products from Samsung, OnePlus, and TCL giving users access to the cool gadget. Phones equipped with IR blasters could be used as a universal remote for your other electronics, making it easy to control your gear without the need for their default controller (which might be clunky and unintuitive to use).

Fast forward today, and attempting to find a smartphone with an IR blaster is shockingly difficult. What was once common technology is now relegated to just a handful of smartphones. You won't find any iPhones or Galaxy phones with IR blasters, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for a poorly reviewed smartphone if you're interested in the tech. You will, however, probably need to settle for either OnePlus or Xiaomi, as they're the two key players still churning out powerful smartphones equipped with IR blasters.

Read more