Mamdani to host inauguration block party on Broadway
(L) Zohran Mamdani, image via WikiCommons; (R) NYC City Hall, image via WikiCommons
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will celebrate his swearing-in on January 1 with New York City’s first-ever inauguration block party. The seven-block celebration along Broadway in Lower Manhattan is expected to draw over 40,000 spectators. Mamdani’s public swearing-in takes place at 1 p.m. on the steps of City Hall, alongside a massive block party between Murray and Liberty Streets. About 4,000 tickets will be available for the City Hall ceremony, while 40,000 tickets will allow attendees to watch the ceremony on big screens at the adjacent block party.
Mamdani, the first Muslim and first person of South Asian heritage elected to lead New York City, will likely take the formal oath of office around midnight on January 1, though officials have not yet announced the location, according to the New York Times.
The event’s projected attendance of more than 40,000 reflects Mamdani’s historic grassroots movement, which mobilized roughly 100,000 volunteers during his campaign. His transition team expects that many of those same supporters will attend the inauguration in person, despite the cold weather.
“This inauguration is a celebration of the movement we built, the mandate we won and the city we are prepared to lead,” Mamdani said in a statement, according to the Times. “Working New Yorkers are at the heart of our agenda and we invite them to join us as we welcome this new era of politics to City Hall.”
Mamdani will be sworn in alongside Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller-elect Mark Levine. The event is expected to feature live music, “interfaith” elements, and statements from Mamdani, Williams, and Levine.
The event’s website recommends arriving between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. to secure a good viewing spot and enjoy pre-inauguration music. Entry to the block party will be on Liberty Street, with an ADA-accessible entrance at Church and Barclay Streets. No food will be sold at the block party, but guests are welcome to bring their own snacks or visit nearby markets, cafes, and restaurants.
Subway service in the City Hall area will change during the inauguration. Trains will run on a Sunday schedule, with the R skipping City Hall in both directions and the W not operating.
The Fulton Street station’s Broadway exit will be closed, and attendees should use the passageway to Dey Street to travel west across Broadway. The Park Place station’s Broadway exit will also be closed, with the Church Street exit recommended for access.
It remains unclear whether Mayor Eric Adams will attend the inauguration. Earlier this month, Adams expressed concern that Mamdani supporters might behave in a “nasty” way if he were present and said he was undecided about attending. However, in a later interview, Adams said that he would “love to go” to show support for a “smooth transition of power,” according to the Times.
In 2022, Adams canceled his public inauguration plans, originally set for Kings Theater in Brooklyn, which were intended to thank voters outside Manhattan who supported him. Adams took his midnight oath in Times Square, while both Bill de Blasio and Michael Bloomberg held their swearing-in ceremonies on the front steps of City Hall.
Interestingly, Mamdani will be sworn in as NYC’s 112th mayor, rather than the 111th as he had expected, due to a longstanding record-keeping oversight, according to the Associated Press and first reported by Gothamist.
City records recently revealed that Matthias Nicolls, who served as the city’s sixth mayor from 1671 to 1672, had been undercounted, as his return to office two years later was previously overlooked. Following a Dutch invasion after Nicolls’ initial term, the British regained control in late 1674 and reappointed him.
Throughout city history, mayors who served non-consecutive terms were often counted multiple times. Historian Paul Hortenstine told the AP that Nicolls should receive the same treatment. This correction would renumber 350 years of subsequent mayors, from William Dervall, now listed as number 9, to Eric Adams, now number 111.
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