Mamdani will be inaugurated as New York City’s next mayor at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day. He has selected the abandoned Old City Hall subway station as the location for the event.
“When Old City Hall Station first opened in 1904—one of New York’s 28 original subway stations—it was a physical monument to a city that dared to be both beautiful and build great things that would transform working peoples’ lives,” Mamdani said in a press release. “That ambition need not be a memory confined only to our past, nor must it be isolated only to the tunnels beneath City Hall: It will be the purpose of the administration fortunate enough to serve New Yorkers from the building above.”
The event will be private, attended by Mamdani’s family and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who will administer the oath. The details of Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony were first reported by .
Mamdani has identified James as one of his political inspirations. In a press release, James called the opportunity “an honor,” noting that Mamdani “ran a campaign that brought together New Yorkers around the universal idea that we should all be able to afford to live in our city.”
Later on Jan. 1, Mamdani will conduct a public ceremony on the steps of City Hall, where Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who endorsed Mamdani’s campaign in the Democratic mayoral primary, will administer the oath of office.
“At a moment when democracy is under attack and cynicism about our politics runs deep, Zohran Mamdani represents a new generation of progressive leadership rooted in courage, integrity and solidarity,” Sanders said in a press release. “His victory is not just about one city or one election, it is about the strength of a working class movement that says unequivocally: the future of New York belongs to the people, not the billionaire class. It is my honor to swear him in as the next mayor of New York City.”
The ceremonial inauguration will coincide with a on Broadway. Designated areas along the street will accommodate up to tens of thousands of New Yorkers wishing to attend the celebration. The block party is free, but attendees must .
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who also endorsed Mamdani in the primary election, will deliver opening remarks at the ceremonial inauguration.
“I’ve been so proud to count her as a partner across the many stages of our people-powered movement,” Mamdani said about the congresswoman in a press release. “I’m honored that she’ll be a part of our historic City Hall inauguration.”
Mamdani follows some previous mayors in opting for a private swearing-in ceremony on New Year’s Day before hosting a more public celebration later. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, for example, took the oath of office just after midnight on New Year’s Day in 2014 outside his home in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Hours later, he held a public inauguration ceremony at City Hall.
Current Mayor Eric Adams, meanwhile, was sworn into office in a public celebration in Times Square in 2022, moments after the famous ball drop.
Mamdani’s in the Democratic primary over the summer was a over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. He defeated Cuomo—who ran an independent campaign—again in the general election last month, becoming mayor-elect. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, centered much of his campaign platform on affordability, proposing to freeze rent in the city and make city buses free, among other ideas. His term will officially begin on New Year’s Day.
“When I take my oath from the station at the dawn of the New Year, I will do so humbled by the opportunity to lead millions of New Yorkers into a new era of opportunity, and honored to carry forward our city’s legacy of greatness,” Mamdani said in a press release.
