What to Know About NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s Swearing-In Ceremony

Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as New York City’s next mayor as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Day. And he has chosen the abandoned Old City Hall subway station as the venue for the occasion.

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“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 ceremony will be a private one, with Mamdani’s family and New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who will administer the oath of office, in attendance. The details of Mamdani’s swearing-in ceremony were first reported by Streetsblog NYC.

Mamdani has said that James is one of his political inspirations. In a press release, James called the opportunity “an honor,” adding 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 in the day on Jan. 1, Mamdani will hold 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 swear him into office.

Read more: ‘A Politics of No Translation.’ Zohran Mamdani on His Unlikely Rise

“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 take place alongside a “block party” on Broadway. There will be designated areas along the street to accommodate up to tens of thousands of New Yorkers who wish to attend the celebration. The block party is free, but people who want to attend must RSVP. 

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who also endorsed Mamdani in the primary election, is set to 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 joins some previous mayors in choosing to have a private swearing-in ceremony on New Year’s Day before holding a more public celebration later on. Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, for instance, 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.

Read more: Here’s What Mamdani Has Promised to Do as Mayor. Can He Get It Done?

Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary over the summer was a remarkable political upset 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, focused 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 start 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.