Zohran Mamdani is set to begin his term as mayor of New York City with a pair of swearing-in ceremonies spanning midnight and the afternoon of Thursday, with plans for both a private transition and a public celebration downtown, according to reporting from the Associated Press. In the first ceremony, scheduled around midnight as the city moves into 2026, Mamdani’s team is planning a small, private event with his family at an old subway stop formerly known as the City Hall station. The office chose that location, the AP reported, to reflect “commitment to the working people who keep our city running every day.”
The midnight ceremony will take place at one of the city’s original subway line stops in Manhattan, a station that was designed as a flagship location before it was decommissioned in 1945. Because the station is now mostly out of service for regular riders, locals typically see it during occasional guided historical tours or by passing it on the 6 train after its last downtown stop turns around. The Associated Press reported that New York Attorney General Letitia James will administer the oath during the midnight event.
Mamdani’s swearing-in is also expected to incorporate Islam’s holy text in both ceremonies. In both the AP-described midnight and afternoon events, Mamdani will place his hand on Qurans as he takes the oath of office, an approach the report said would mark the first time a New York mayor has used the Quran to be sworn in. The AP also said Mamdani will be sworn in again in the afternoon ceremony at City Hall, this time with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders administering the oath and with opening remarks from U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The afternoon ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., the AP reported, and it will follow a tradition of incoming city leaders holding two inauguration events as terms begin immediately with the new year. The report contrasted Mamdani’s plan with previous mayors’ approaches, including Eric Adams’s initial swearing-in shortly after the ball drop at Times Square and Bill de Blasio’s oath taken at home in Brooklyn, according to the AP. For context, the AP reported that Mamdani’s transition plans have also included a committee formed for the inaugural events that lists actor John Turturro, playwright Cole Escola and writer Colson Whitehead, along with advocates, small business owners and campaign staff.
Following the afternoon swearing-in, Mamdani’s office is planning a public block party along Broadway leading up to City Hall, the AP reported. The office expects thousands of people to attend and said the event will include performances, music and interfaith elements, framing the swearing-in day as both a formal start and a neighborhood-facing celebration.
In addition to the ceremonies, Mamdani’s inauguration has highlighted a record-keeping dispute about how many mayors came before him. The Associated Press reported that a city archivist concluded that Mamdani appears to be the 112th mayor rather than the 111th, based on an oversight connected to a 17th-century mayor who served twice.
Mamdani has also spent the weeks ahead of the swearing-in staffing up his incoming administration, with the AP reporting that he made key appointments as recently as Wednesday, hours before the midnight ceremony. The midnight oath and the later City Hall ceremony are expected to mark the start of his term as New York City’s next mayor as the city rings in 2026.