New York mayor Zohran Mamdani to be inaugurated at city hall – live

While we wait for the ceremony to get under way, a reminder that this time last year Mamdani, a virtual unknown, plunged into the freezing waves at Coney Island in a suit and tie, in a bid to gain traction for his campaign. “I’m freezing … you rent as the next mayor of New York City. Let’s plunge into the details,” he said.

Here’s a roundup of some of his best quotes:

Here are some photos coming out of New York City as we wait for Mamdani’s inauguration block party to get under way.

A large screen displays Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, arriving. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

A band performs during a block party to mark the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani. Photograph: Tyrone Siu/Reuters

Security personnel on a balcony on the day of the inauguration ceremony. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

People hold up their phones and react with excitement during the block party. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

A guest holds a program on the day of Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration ceremony. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Happy new year! In the wee hours of 2026, Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as the new mayor of New York City in a private ceremony in the abandoned beaux-arts subway station under city hall.

Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as mayor of New York City at the old city hall station. Photograph: Amir Hamja/Reuters

The democratic socialist, 34, was sworn into office by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, surrounded by wife, Rama Duwaji, members of his immediate family, including Mira Nair, his mother and a film-maker, and his father, Mahmood Mamdani, a professor of African studies at Columbia University.

And Mamdani, who becomes the city’s first ever Muslim mayor, was sworn in with a Qur’an. He told those present:

This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime. I cannot wait to see everyone tomorrow as we begin our term. After just having taken my oath to become the mayor of the city of New York, I do so also here in the old city hall subway station – a testament to the importance of public transit to the vitality, the health, the legacy of our city.

The midnight ceremony will be followed by a 1pm ET public inauguration at city hall during which the new mayor will be introduced by fellow progressives Bronx Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and sworn in by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders.

We’ll be covering all that here, so stay tuned.