Moving Day, known locally as Allston Christmas, is the traditional moving day in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, that takes place annually on September 1. This day marks the beginning and end of many leases across the city, prompting thousands of residents—many of whom are college students—to move simultaneously.

Description

September 1 is the traditional date that many Boston leases end, prompting thousands of residents to move house on the same day. Currently, approximately two-thirds to 70% of leases across the city end on this date. Many of the movers are college students or renters living in neighborhoods like

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most part, Allston is ...

. Across the city, large amounts of unwanted furniture are left by the curbside. This has led to the phenomenon being known locally as Allston Christmas, as free belongings left behind are scavenged by other residents. The September 1, 1925, edition of ''the Boston Globe'' describes the typical "mad scramble" and complications of Moving Day:

History

The earliest known reporting of a moving tradition on one specific day was in an 1899 edition of ''

the Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', which described residents moving into back into Boston en masse from the countryside on September 1, at the end of summer vacation and to prepare for the coming school year and winter. Various articles in the same newspaper claimed that May 1 and April 1 had been previous moving days, but the practice had moved to the current date to accommodate families leaving for the summer so that properties would not sit vacant. In the late 1920s and 1930s, October 1 became the more popular date for moving day and became less well-observed, with families preferring not to move and others staying in the countryside later in the year. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the practice continued to fall out of popularity, as the city's rent controls expired and landlords set leases at various days throughout the year.

Impact

Moving Day causes widespread traffic jams, diversions, and accidents across Boston. Many roads become congested or impassable due to high volumes of traffic, as well as obstacles left in the roadway. Trash, debris, and unwanted belongings litter the streets in the aftermath of the moving day. In 2023, Moving Day produced 38 tons of waste and 1,700 abandoned mattresses. More than half of Boston's moving permits are issued between June and August. During these months, an average of 16,000 to 20,000 permits are issued.

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

and

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...

account for more than a quarter of the annual number of permits. The most heavily-impacted areas are those with high renter and student populations, such as

, Back Bay,

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Fenway Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

, South Boston, and South End. To minimize impact, through traffic is diverted away from residential neighborhoods. The City of Boston requires movers to secure Street Occupancy Permits if they wish to reserve a parking space. People dumping furniture are ticketed if their abandoned furnishings cannot be recycled, and residents are now required to schedule a mattress pick-up rather than dumping it. The

MBTA subway The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates rapid transit (heavy rail), light rail, and bus rapid transit services in the Boston metropolitan area, collectively referred to as the rapid transit, subway, the T system, or simp ...

extends its operation times to allow movers using it more time to travel.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , title=Much Greater Boston Furniture on Vans Today , url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-much-greater-boston-fur/154564207/ , access-date=September 3, 2024 , work=

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

, date=September 1, 1925 , page=9 , via=

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

{{cite news , title=Sept 1 Loses Ground as Lead Moving Day , url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-sept-1-loses-ground-as/154567813/ , access-date=September 3, 2024 , work=

, date=September 3, 1930 , page=11 , via=

{{cite news , last1=Mennicken , first1=Wiliam , title=Students Find Trash, Treasure on 'Allston Christmas' Move-In Day , url=http://bcheights.com/metro/2015/students-find-trash-treasure-on-allston-christmas-move-in-day/ , access-date=September 3, 2024 , work=The Heights , date=September 2, 2015 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920125721/http://bcheights.com/metro/2015/students-find-trash-treasure-on-allston-christmas-move-in-day/ , archive-date=September 20, 2016 {{cite news , last1=Levenson , first1=Eric , title=The massive move-in extravaganza of 'Allston Christmas,' explained , url=http://realestate.boston.com/news/2015/08/31/the-massive-move-in-extravaganza-of-allston-christmas-explained/ , access-date=September 3, 2024 , work=

Boston.com ''Boston.com'' is a regional website that offers news and information about the Boston, Massachusetts, area. It is owned and operated by Boston Globe Media Partners, publisher of ''The Boston Globe''. History ''Boston.com'' was one of the firs ...

, date=August 31, 2015 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019230500/http://realestate.boston.com/news/2015/08/31/the-massive-move-in-extravaganza-of-allston-christmas-explained/ , archive-date=October 19, 2016 {{cite news , title=Why does everyone in Boston move on September 1? , url=https://www.boston.com/news/wickedpedia/2024/08/28/why-does-everyone-in-boston-move-on-september-1/ , access-date=September 3, 2024 , work=

, date=August 28, 2024 Annual events in Boston Culture of Boston Moving and relocation