On January 1, 2026, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted a massive Block Party and Inaugural event near New York’s City Hall.
He arrived there with his wife, Rama Duwaji, in a yellow taxicab.
On the night prior, Mamdani took his oath of office on the Quaran, which was administered by New York Attorney General Letitia “Tish” James in a defunct old City Hall subway station, as his wife looked on.
Mamdani was sworn in as the 112th mayor of New York City, and he is the first-ever Muslim and Asian American mayor to hold this position.
Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Socialist party, and he previously served as a New York State Assemble member, where he represented Astoria.
At 34 years old, Mamdani is New York City’s youngest mayor in generations (since Hugh J. Grant was inaugurated at age 30 on January 1st, 1889).
Despite the freezing temperatures, this inauguration block party was well-attended with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC), Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Bernie Sanders, New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Due to the heavy cold, most of these politicians were bundled up in gloves, coats, and navy-blue airline-style blankets.
Former New York City Mayors Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams were also in the crowd, along with Former Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made the opening remarks, while Bernie Sanders conducted the ceremonial swearing in. “Thank you to the man whose leadership I seek most to emulate, who I am so grateful to be sworn in by today, Senator Bernie Sanders,” Mamdani said.
“My fellow New Yorkers, today begins a new era,” Mamdani said in his inauguration speech. “I stand before you moved by the privilege of taking this sacred oath, humbled by the faith that you have placed in me, and honored to serve as Mayor of New York City, but I do not stand alone,” the leftist mayor explained.
“I stand alongside you, the tens of thousands gathered here in Lower Manhattan, warmed against the January chill by the resurgent flame of hope,” he said.
“I promise you this: If you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor. Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never for a second, hide from you,” Mamdani elaborated.
Mamdani went on to thank his parents, “Mama and Baba” for raising him, as well as for teaching him how to be in this world and for bringing him to this city.
“Thank you to my family, from Kampala to Delhi, and thank you to my wife, Rama, for being my best friend, and for always showing me the beauty in everyday things,” Mamdani acknowledged.
“Most of all, thank you to the people of New York,” Mamdani underscored.
“Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously,” he noted. “We may not always succeed but never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try.”
Mamdani reiterated several of the promises he made during his mayoral campaign sch as freezing the rent for rent-stabilized apartments and vowed to make “buses fast and free.”
Following his inaugural address speech, confetti drizzled and fell over City Hall.
Besides the cold temperatures, only downside was that there was no access to public restrooms or food concession stands or music as supporters of Mamdani gathered in the barricade pens to celebrate this historic moment.
Please Note: This journalist attended the 2026 Zohran Mamdani NYC Inauguration Block Party in-person.
