Mamdani joins a long history of New York City leaders inaugurated on the promise of a new era for City Hall.

Lilly Tuttle, the curator of the Museum of the City of New York, gave some insight into what Mamdani might say in his first speech and how inaugurations are often a window into the era of previous administrations. 

The Fiorello LaGuardia playbook 

In 1934, Fiorello LaGuardia skipped a formal ceremony and was sworn in privately on the Upper East Side as he embarked on his quest to lead a city in the depths of the Great Depression.

"We are going to try and demonstrate that a nonpartisan, nonpolitical, honest, clean government is possible in our city," LaGuardia said.

Mamdani's speech might mirror LaGuardia's approach in some ways, Tuttle said, since both promised to clean up corruption in City Hall.

The John Lindsay approach

Mamdani uses social media to speak directly to New Yorkers, like how LaGuardia utilized radio and how John Lindsay used television three decades later. 

A progressive Republican, Lindsay promoted social justice and civil rights. Tuttle said she predicts Mamdani will pull from the Lindsay playbook in his inaugural speech.

"That he's a mayor for all New Yorkers, and really bring the city together in a way that kind of lifts up people who feel like they just don't have great opportunities today," Tuttle said.

Lindsay's inauguration, however, was overshadowed by the worst transit strike in the city's history.

New York City mayors have a history of putting their own spin on Inauguration Day. 

Four years ago, Eric Adams held up a picture of his late mother in Times Square and was sworn in just after the ball dropped, as the city was still dealing with the COVID pandemic. 

In 1990, a record 12,000 people attended the swearing in of David Dinkins, the city's first Black mayor. Four years later, Rudy Giuliani had his son, Andrew, help with his speech on the steps of City Hall. 

Ed Koch rode an M6 bus to his own ceremony in 1978, and Ethel Merman sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at John Lindsay's inauguration back in 1966.

To read more, click here. 

The crowd inside City Hall Park is filling in. Some 4,000 ticketed guests were invited, but thousands more are able to watch from the block party just outside the grounds. 

Prior to the inauguration, Mamdani's transition team released a list of people selected to his Inaugural Committee, described as "a diverse group of New Yorkers whose creativity, leadership, and lived experience reflect the full life of the city."

The 48-member committee includes prominent names like John Turturro, Cynthia Nixon, Kal Penn, The Kid Mero, and Katia Reguero Lindor, the wife of New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.

Click here to see the full list of Mamdani's Inaugural Committee members.

Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, arrived for the inauguration moments ago in a yellow cab. The mayor thanked the driver before the couple started walking toward City Hall.

There was speculation about whether Mamdani would live in Gracie Mansion after he told reporters he was undecided about his future residence.

Mamdani eventually confirmed he and his wife would leave their apartment in Astoria and move into the official residence of New York City's mayor. 

"This decision came down to our family's safety and the importance of dedicating all of my focus on enacting the affordability agenda New Yorkers voted for," Mamdani said in a statement on Dec. 8. 

Gracie Mansion was built in 1799 and has housed the city's mayors since the 1940s. It's located on East End Avenue and 88th Street in Manhattan's Yorkville neighborhood, overlooking the East River. 

Some 4,000 ticketed guests will attend the City Hall inauguration ceremonies. Thousands more will be able to take in the festivities at the block party. 

How to watch: Stream live coverage on CBS News New York at noon and 1 p.m.  

Inauguration ceremony: Starts at 1 p.m. on the steps of New York City Hall.

Here's a rundown of the ceremony:

• Presentation of colors and national anthem performed by Javier Muñoz
• Welcoming address by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
• Invocation by Imam Khalid Latif
• Musical performance by Mandy Patinkin and the P.S. 22 Chorus of Staten Island
• Comptroller Mark Levine is sworn in
• Poetry reading by Cornelius Eady
• Public Advocate Jumaane Williams is sworn in
• Musical performance by Lucy Dacus
• Mayor Zohran Mamdani is sworn in by Sen. Bernie Sanders and delivers his inaugural address
• Musical performance by Babbulicious

Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City in a private midnight ceremony that was layered in symbolism. 

Mamdani took his oath on a Quran rather than a Bible at the Old City Hall subway station, setting the tone for a historic new chapter in New York City leadership.

"This is truly the honor and the privilege of a lifetime," Mamdani said as he officially became the 112th mayor. 

Mamdani said he chose to be sworn in on the historic Quran to honor the deep roots of Muslim communities in the city. 

The oath was administered by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the long-closed Old City Hall station, one of New York's original 28 subway stops, a relic of the city's earliest ambitions for public transit.

"A testament to the importance of public transit, to the vitality, the health, and the legacy of our city," Mamdani said.

Using the moment to underscore his transportation agenda, he also announced Michael Flynn as his Department of Transportation commissioner.

"Someone who's experienced, who is fluent in the landscape as it is, and who is ambitious and imaginative towards the landscape as it could be. And I can think of no better person than the man alongside me," Mamdani said.

Here's a list of key officials Mamdani has appointed to help run New York City:

• First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan
• Chief of Staff Elle Bisgaard-Church
• NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch
• FDNY Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore
• NYC Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels
• Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn
• Deputy Mayor for Housing Leila Bozorg
• Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su
• Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Jahmila Edwards
• Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine
• Office of Management and Budget Director Sherif Soliman

Mamdani announced the "Inauguration of a New Era" block party in the Canyon of Heroes, the stretch of Broadway in Lower Manhattan that's famous for ticker-tape parades. 

Mamdani's team anticipates tens of thousands of people will be able to attend the festivities on Broadway, from Liberty Street to Murray Street. 

The block party is accompanying the inauguration ceremony, with music, performances and interfaith elements, according to the mayor's team.

Mamdani said security will be tight at City Hall Plaza and along the block party route throughout the inauguration.  

Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayor's race with just over 50% of the vote in the November general election. He defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who won about 41% of the vote as an independent — and Republican Curtis Sliwa. 

Mamdani's campaign centered around the cost of living energized a coalition of young and progressive voters, even with some critics questioning his experience and raising concerns about his views on Israel, which Cuomo's campaign zeroed in on.

Mamdani's affordability agenda, including a rent freeze and universal child care, first propelled him to victory in the Democratic primary, when he soundly defeated Cuomo for the party's nomination.