Zohran Mamdani's inauguration: Who, when, where and what to know

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Dec 31, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

NEW YORK — Shortly after the ball drops in Times Square, the curtain will rise on Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral administration, when Mamdani is sworn in as the city’s 112th mayor.

Mamdani, 34, is planning two inauguration ceremonies on Thursday: a private swearing-in at the old City Hall subway station just after midnight, followed by a massive public celebration beginning at 1 p.m. at City Hall.

Here’s what to know about the two events:

Private midnight ceremony

Mamdani will be joined by his wife, Rama Duwaji and several members of his immediate family, as well as a select group of reporters, for a small inauguration ceremony shortly after midnight on Thursday.

The swearing-in will take place in the original City Hall subway station, which opened in 1904 but was removed from the system in 1945 due to safety concerns.

“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,” the incoming mayor said in a statement.

Attorney General Letitia James, who has become a close ally of Mamdani, will administer the oath of office.

Public ceremony

The much larger public inauguration ceremony will occur on the steps of City Hall and is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. In the past, incoming mayors have hosted about 4,000 people around City Hall for the ceremony.

But Mamdani is thinking much bigger, hosting a massive “block party” and predicting up to 40,000 people could attend despite chilly temperatures. The Canyon of Heroes on Broadway, from Liberty Street up to City Hall, will be closed to traffic.

The party is set to include “music, performances and interfaith events,” according to Mamdani’s transition team. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and incoming comptroller Mark Levine will also be sworn in.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will introduce Mamdani, and Sen. Bernie Sanders will administer the oath of office. Mamdani has called Sanders one of his political heroes. Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez and Mamdani are now the three most recognizable leaders of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

Also in attendance will be former mayor Bill de Blasio and outgoing mayor Eric Adams, who confirmed his attendance on Tuesday. Mamdani said he invited all his predecessors to the ceremony.

For his own inauguration, Adams passed on the traditional City Hall event, instead holding his ceremony in Times Square shortly after the famous ball drop to mark the start of the new year.

“I would like to be there to show the smooth, peaceful transition of power,” Adams said Tuesday. “We both know how important that is.”