Adams to hold inauguration ceremony in heart of Caribbean community
Mayor-elect Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that the historic Kings Theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn in the heart of the Caribbean community will be the site of his inauguration ceremony.
Adams, the incumbent Brooklyn Borough President, said the ceremony will be held in conjunction with those for Comptroller-elect Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
The event will take place on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 1 to support New Yorkers who observe the Sabbath.
Adams said the ceremony will be held in Brooklyn, instead of the traditional location of City Hall in lower Manhattan, “as a tribute to the election of three citywide leaders from the borough.”
“It is symbolically impactful for me to be inaugurated as New York City’s 110th mayor in the heart of Flatbush, on behalf of this working-class community and communities like it across the five boroughs who have elected one of their own to lead our recovery,” said Adams in a statement.
“Kings Theatre has made so many wonderful memories over its storied history; and, on Jan. 1, we will make even more history there together,” added the Mayor-elect, who will become New York City’s second Black mayor. The first was the late David Dinkins.
Williams, the son of Grenadian immigrants, said he was “deeply humbled” to begin his first full term as public advocate, and “gratified that New Yorkers have appreciated and affirmed the work of our office for the last two years.
“On Jan. 1, New York begins a new era with new citywide leadership, and I am eager to partner with my fellow citywide elected officials to work on behalf of and for the betterment of New Yorkers,” added Williams, who has also declared his candidacy to oppose incumbent New York Governor Kathy Hochul in next June’s Democratic Primary.
“The oath we will take on Jan. 1 is a promise — a promise to work in partnership and in accordance with our mandates to secure a better future for New Yorkers,” New York City Councilman Brad Lander.
“I look forward to making that public promise alongside Eric Adams and Jumaane Williams, and to working every day to build a more just and resilient city,” he added.
Kings Theatre, formerly Loew’s Kings Theatre, is a live performance venue opened by Loew’s Theatres as a movie palace in 1929 and closed in 1977.
The theater sat empty for decades until a complete renovation began in 2010.
It reopened in 2015 after an authentic restoration of the original 1929 design and new state-of-the-art building systems. The theater has a seating capacity of 3,000 people.
Adams said non-transferrable invitations will be sent out to attendees, which will include family members, community leaders and “a diverse group of New Yorkers excited for these newly-elected citywide leaders.”
Attendance will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination status, the Mayor-elect said.
