Democrat Zohran Mamdani will formally assume office as mayor of New York City as the calendar turns to 2026, marking the moment with a pair of swearing-in ceremonies that blend personal history, public spectacle and civic symbolism.
His team has planned two distinct events on Thursday: a quiet, private oath just after midnight, followed hours later by a large public ceremony and block party outside City Hall. Together, the ceremonies are intended to reflect both Mamdani’s personal journey and his vision for the city he is about to lead.
A Private Midnight Oath Underground
The first ceremony will take place shortly after midnight in the long-closed City Hall subway station in Manhattan, one of the original stops on New York’s underground transit system. New York Attorney General Letitia James, a close political ally, will administer the oath in the presence of Mamdani’s family.
During both ceremonies, Mamdani will place his hand on the Quran, Islam’s holiest book, according to The New York Times, making him the first mayor in the city’s history to do so. A senior adviser, Zara Rahim, said Mamdani plans to use at least three different Qurans across the day.
For the midnight oath, he will use his grandfather’s Quran as well as one that belonged to Arturo Schomburg, the renowned Black writer and historian. The Schomburg Quran will be lent to the mayor by the New York Public Library. For the daytime ceremony, Mamdani will again use his grandfather’s Quran along with at least one other family copy.
From Closed Subway Station To City Hall Steps
The former City Hall station, famed for its tiled arches and vaulted ceilings, was designed as the flagship stop of the city’s first subway line when it opened in 1904. Decommissioned in 1945, it is now largely inaccessible to the public, visible mainly during guided tours or brief glimpses from the 6 train as it turns around downtown.
In a statement, Mamdani’s office said the unusual setting was chosen to underscore his “commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day.”
“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. “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.”
Later on Thursday, Mamdani will take the oath a second time in full public view. US Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom Mamdani has long described as a political hero, will swear him in on the steps of City Hall during a ceremony scheduled to begin at 1 pm.
US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another ally, is set to deliver the opening remarks. The event will be accompanied by a block party along a stretch of Broadway leading up to City Hall, turning the transition of power into a public celebration, and signalling the start of a new chapter in New York City’s political life.
