AS YOU SAID. INDEED, MIKE. THANK YOU. IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE SCORING A SECONDHAND FIND. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ALLSTON CHRISTMAS. THE MANY PEOPLE STARTING SEPTEMBER 1ST LEASES AROUND BOSTON ARE LEAVING THEIR STUFF ON THE SIDEWALK. RHONDELLA RICHARDSON SCOPING OUT THIS YEAR’S SELECTION. SHE’S IN ALLSTON RIGHT today. RHONDELLA BEN I JUST SAW A TABLE GO BY. WE GOT SOME MATTRESSES COMING OUT. I SAW A NICE RUG GO IN THE DUMPSTER, BUT DON’T DUMPSTER DIVE. THERE ARE SOME DO’S AND DON’TS. JUST DON’T DO IT FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH. IF YOU’RE LEAVING STUFF, YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE SIDEWALK CLEAR FOR PEDESTRIANS, AND THAT INCLUDES YOUR MOVING CAR AND ANY GENTLY USED STUFF YOU PLAN TO DONATE TO SOCIETY. BASICALLY, THERE ARE ABOUT 4500 PERMITS ISSUED BY THE CITY OF BOSTON, AND THAT IS FOR PEOPLE MOVING, AND MORE THAN HALF IS FOR THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND. SO KNOW THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT. DON’T LEAVE A MATTRESS CURBSIDE WITHOUT SCHEDULING A PICKUP WITH BOSTON.GOV OR YOUR LANDLORD. DIAL 311 TO REPORT ANY NON-EMERGENCY. ANY PROBLEM YOU’RE HAVING OR CODE VIOLATION. THE LANDLORD HAS IT HANDLED AND CITY LEADERS HAVE MANY ANNOUNCEMENTS. BASICALLY, MOST ARE EXCITED. AND IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE GOING OUT FOR THE TRADITIONAL ALLSTON CHRISTMAS, YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’LL FIND OUTSIDE. THIS WHOLE WEEKEND, THERE’S BEEN SO MUCH FREE STUFF ON THE STREET. LIKE YESTERDAY SOMEONE OFFERED ME AN XBOX. LIKE IT WAS wild. THE CITY IS INSTALLING RAT PROOF TRASH CANS TO TRY AND ADDRESS THE PROBLEM AND THE SMELL. SOME STREETS ARE REALLY REEKING. PARKING RESTRICTIONS. THEY’RE PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE. SO IF YOU’RE UNLOADING, DO IT QUICKLY. AND THE CITY WEBSITE HAS MUCH MORE IN ITS WELCOME GUIDE FOR NEW RESIDENTS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, MY MATTRESS IS GONE. PEOPLE HAVE SCHEDULED THE PICKUP AND WE ACTUALLY MADE A discount THAT HE WOULDN’T TAKE IT UNTIL WE FINISH THE LIVE SHOT. FOR MORE INFORMATION, THERE WILL BE LIAISONS WALKING THE NEIGHBORHOOD ALL WEEKEND LONG TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIO
Merry Allston Christmas! Boston’s moving weekend is underway
Updated: 12:27 PM EDT Aug 30, 2025
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Allston Christmas, Boston’s annual moving weekend tradition, is underway as many of the city’s annual leases turn over. It’s a time when discarded furniture and household items line the streets, available to anyone willing to haul them away.Before the hubbub this year, city officials touted recent efforts to control the rodent population, including the installation of rat-proof trash cans in neighborhoods. Mayor Michelle Wu also reiterated the city’s offer of free curbside mattress pickup and the launch of a furniture pickup program.For more information, city officials pointed to the “Resident Guide to City Services.”Wu asked newcomers and relocating residents alike to use care and be considerate throughout the weekend.”All of that activity also means it’s a lot of coordination, and it can feel a little hectic every day in this period, throughout our neighborhoods,” Mayor Michelle Wu said Friday. Most importantly, perhaps, Wu urged anyone renting a truck to heed signs marking the city’s low bridges, particularly on the notorious Storrow Drive.”Please be mindful as you navigate our streets and if you are driving a truck, do not get Storrowed,” she said. “If you have not heard before what that means, please go online and look at the many, many, many pictures that are there.” Video below: Mayor’s moving tipsThe warning against Storrowing is an annual tradition, but Wu also had a new warning to share this year.”A quarter of our students come from all over the world and while there are some right today who are targeting and threatening international students and trying to insert their own agenda of fear and division, in Boston, we are a home for everyone,” Wu said.City services, including the ability to report issues on public property, are available by dialing 311 or downloading Boston’s 311 app, Wu said.
Allston Christmas, Boston’s annual moving weekend tradition, is underway as many of the city’s annual leases turn over.
It’s a time when discarded furniture and household items line the streets, available to anyone willing to haul them away.
Before the hubbub this year, city officials touted recent efforts to control the rodent population, including the installation of rat-proof trash cans in neighborhoods. Mayor Michelle Wu also reiterated the city’s offer of free curbside mattress pickup and the launch of a furniture pickup program.
For more information, city officials pointed to the “Resident Guide to City Services.”
Wu asked newcomers and relocating residents alike to use care and be considerate throughout the weekend.
“All of that activity also means it’s a lot of coordination, and it can feel a little hectic every day in this period, throughout our neighborhoods,” Mayor Michelle Wu said Friday.
Most importantly, perhaps, Wu urged anyone renting a truck to heed signs marking the city’s low bridges, particularly on the notorious Storrow Drive.
“Please be mindful as you navigate our streets and if you are driving a truck, do not get Storrowed,” she said. “If you have not heard before what that means, please go online and look at the many, many, many pictures that are there.”
Video below: Mayor’s moving tips
The warning against Storrowing is an annual tradition, but Wu also had a new warning to share this year.
“A quarter of our students come from all over the world and while there are some right today who are targeting and threatening international students and trying to insert their own agenda of fear and division, in Boston, we are a home for everyone,” Wu said.
City services, including the ability to report issues on public property, are available by dialing 311 or downloading Boston’s 311 app, Wu said.
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