Just after the ball drops on 2021, Mayor-elect Eric Adams will take the oath of office as New York City’s 110th mayor at midnight Saturday morning in Times Square.
The inauguration will take place just moments after 2022 arrives and the confetti settles in on a new year. Adams had originally planned a big indoor ceremony New Year’s Day at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre, but that was scratched due to the recent COVID-19 spike.
Instead of appearing in front of 3,000 indoors, he increased the scale of his inauguration while possibly reducing virus transmission by holding it at the outdoor Times Square Ball Drop event.
“Times Square has long been synonymous with the New Year — a place of excitement, renewal, and hope for the future. These are the same themes that animated my campaign and will inform my mayoralty, as I prepare to lead the city out of this challenging period. I am deeply humbled to officially take the oath of office at this iconic occasion, and to participate in the transfer of leadership that is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Mayor-elect Adams.
The inauguration, set for Jan. 1, was canceled due to concerns over the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. Cases were on the upswing as soon as the historic event was announced Dec. 17.
Instead of swearing on the Bible in City Hall, like previous mayors have, Adams wanted to hold the inauguration at a landmark in the borough where he served as president—He would have been joined by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, being inaugurated for his first full term, and Comptroller-elect Brad Lander, both fellow Brooklynites.
According to Adams’ team, the two will hold an inauguration ceremony at a later date.
The safety of the actual ball drop is still to be determined. The event was reduced from over 50,000 attendees to only 15,000; However, the omicron variant is confirmed to be highly contagious and tripled the amount of COVID-19 cases in NYC over just seven days.
The New Year’s Eve ball will finally drop in front of the crowd in Times Square this Friday, after the area was closed to the public for the first time on NYE 2020.
Just after that, Adams will be sworn in as mayor by the City Clerk, swearing on his family’s Bible to take the oath of office in front of his own family members.
