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Just over a week before New York City’s mayoral election on November 4, approximately 13,000 attendees filled Forest Hills stadium for the “NYC Is Not For Sale” event, headlined by representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Sanders and the mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani.

The historic outdoor stadium was completely sold out. New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds came together, but it was the Gen Z crowd that seemed to animate the atmosphere.

Many characterized the gathering as not merely a political event. It was a moment of unity, frustration and optimism all at once. For Hayley Miller, 23, of Queens, the motivation to attend was straightforward: “I’m here because the system is broken, to be honest with you … and I feel like we should make a change as a country, and New York City is definitely the starting point.”

Crowd Energy and Sentiment

For a local resident, 29, who lives in the neighborhood, the energy of the event signaled something he hasn’t felt in city elections in a while. “It’s thrilling that someone who actually might make a difference is appearing in an area that I’m in,” he said. “If it’s here, it’s like, why not? If we’re not gonna be involved now, then when is the time?”

Another local, a supporter, 29, shared a similar enthusiasm: “I think it’s exciting to be a part of this energy. We even went out to cast ballots earlier today because we were preparing to be enthusiastic for everything that he’s for.”

The diversity of the crowd mirrored the city itself. established New Yorkers, recent arrivals, working youth and older adults all were in attendance. For an attendee, 68, from Queens, it was his first rally of the election season. “I’m here because, well, I want to listen to what they have to say, and there’s no other strong contenders, in my opinion,” he said.

Major Topics and Public Priorities

For the Astoria resident, the key issues facing NYC right now are “safety, the subway safety, and cost of living”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether the candidate can fulfill all his pledges, he’s receptive. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”

Another attendee, 30, also from the neighborhood, said their top priorities were protecting LGBTQ rights and tackling the city’s housing and cost issues. “I think the assemblyman is doing a excellent work of addressing everything I’m worried by,” they said.

Nicole, 30, expressed similar views, commending Mamdani’s genuineness: “I feel like he is very sincere in his answers in a way that isn’t typically seen in most elected officials. He’s a little less empty rhetoric than usual.”

Rally Speeches and Moments

The candidate had a clear message he was aiming to get across at the rally; inclusion is NYC’s greatest asset. At one point, he had a Jewish leader, a reverend, and an Muslim cleric all on stage together in support of his campaign. The city’s comptroller, a former candidate in this election, also came out to support Mamdani.

The senator received the biggest cheers of the evening, tied with only Mamdani himself. Sanders spoke of the significance of electing Mamdani to the position of mayor not only for the sake of making the city more economical, but also as a means to send a message to Trump and the billionaires he has in his orbit.

“Everyday citizens get one vote,” Sanders said. “Meanwhile, billionaires get the chance to spend as much as they want to elect the politicians they want. That is the backdrop in which this race is occurring.”

New York governor Kathy Hochul was the only speaker met with divided reactions, with the audience frequently interrupting her speech to enthusiastically chant “Increase taxes on the wealthy!” Mamdani came out at the end of her speech to, quite literally, stand with her, as if to show the supporters the value of her appearance and backing.

It was a big contrast to representative Ocasio-Cortez, who spoke just after Hochul and was met with the audience calling out for her.

When it came time for the candidate to speak, the crowd had been more than sufficiently hyped. As with the recent candidates' forum days earlier, he did not hold back at taking jabs Andrew Cuomo.

“Let our words ring so loud that he can hear them tonight in his expensive rental,” the Democratic candidate said. “Let them be so powerful that he can hear them even if he’s in the suburbs tonight.”

But Mamdani did not dwell too long on Cuomo, instead dedicating the second part of his speech to expressing gratitude to the coalition who had backed his campaign for the past several months and contributed to his record-breaking campaign.

Perhaps the most memorable moment came towards the end, when he asked attendees who had helped out and canvassed for his campaign to turn on their lights. The arena immediately lit up in a sea of bright phone lights, too many to count.

“We are just getting started. On 4 November we set ourselves free,” the candidate said in his closing words.