New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced 2,000 free Broadway tickets for high school students in a video message delivered in clear Bengali. The report, published on August 17, 2026, said the video has become a major topic of discussion on social media. The initiative will offer students a chance to attend renowned Broadway productions without charge.

The tickets will be distributed through a lottery in partnership with the Theatre Development Fund. Students selected through the lottery will be able to watch seven Broadway shows for free. The report said the programme aims to introduce students to New York’s own culture, as Broadway ticket prices can be difficult for ordinary people to afford.

Special discounts will also be available for tickets to other shows. The report linked Mamdani’s Bengali-language message to New York’s sizeable Bangladeshi and Bengali-speaking immigrant population, particularly in Parkchester and Westchester Square in the Bronx. It added that he had received substantial votes from those areas in the mayoral election and has previously spoken in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu.