Happy Friday, Boston!
π Your next manicure is on us. Youβve probably seen these gorgina intricate nail designs all over your FYPs. But did you know Allstonβs Tiny Chaos Studios will teach you to make your own in a step-by-step class? Become a B-Side Member, come back tomorrow, and enter our giveaway for a pair of tickets (over $100 in value) to any nail class!Β
π Whatβs on tap today:
A bucket load of ballot Qβs
$5 MFA tickets
We hear (local) wedding bells!
Up firstβ¦
SPORTS
Weβre SO back β¦ on the couch

Image: Barry Chin/The Boston Globe. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Football fans, Swifties, clear your Sundays. Football is BACK. The Pats kick off their season at Gillette against Tom Bradyβs own Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m. Sunday.
So whether you know how to ball β¦ or just know Aristotle, hereβs your season primer:Β
π The team got a MAJOR offseason revamp. Coming off of last seasonβs dismal 4-13 record (for the second year in a row), letβs just say a revamp was sorely needed. Former Patriot Mike Vrabel replaced Jerod Mayo as head coach, and he didnβt waste much time overhauling the roster with over 50% turnover from last season. Flashy newbies include Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams, and No. 4 draft pick Will Campbell.Β
π€© Plus, our baby QB Drake Maye is stepping into the spotlight. After a few promising moments of greatness during his rookie season, Maye is fully entrenched as starting QB, hopefully showing us the moves that earned him the No. 3 pick.Β
π Will all that change = a winning record? TL;DR: We have lots of reasons to be hopeful, but we wouldnβt clear our calendars for the playoffs just yet. As with any major overhaul, itβs tough to predict how all these new pieces will gel, and analysts arenβt exactly thrilled about the Patsβ odds. Local experts have them ending the season with a 9-8ish record, which could just eek them into a Wild Card slot.Β
π Just donβt expect our seventh ring. Fox Sports gives the Pats a measly 1.6% chance at winning it all this year. (So youβre saying we have a chance β¦)
π Either way, getting to the games will be cheap. Thanks to the MBTA, you can nab $20 round-trip commuter rail tickets from South Station to Gillette for any home game. Theyβll drop the Monday before game days at 11 a.m., and will likely sell out fast. The agency is also adding additional trains to its regular schedule for three home games in September, and one in December. If you go, make sure to say hey to Tom Brady for us.
π More interested in football *vibes* than Xβs and OβS? The Great American Beer Hall is hosting a week one watch party, and Cisco in Seaport has you covered with a bash for week two on Sept 14. Here are the best places to catch the rest of the season around Boston. As always β¦ GO PATS!
QUICK QUESTION!
π Letβs hear your predictions: How are the Pats going to do this year?Β
Let us know below!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe
π³οΈ The 2026 ballot question field is PACKED. AG Andrea Campbellβs office certified a record-breaking 44 (of 47) proposed ballot Qβs this week, including some that would bring back rent control(!), allow same-day voter registration, and scale back Mass.β income tax. But obviously, not all 44 will appear on the 2026 ballot β each one still needs at least 74,574 signatures to move onto the next round. That said, the huge field does indicate a shift toward using the Qβs as a more direct alternative to Beacon Hill for passing new legislation.
π§ββοΈ Harvard nabbed a major legal W over President Trump. A federal judge in Boston ruled against Trumpβs nearly $3 billion in funding cuts to the university over its (alleged) poor handling of campus antisemitism. Judge Allison D. Burroughs didnβt mince words in her ruling, saying that, while Harvard couldβve done better at handling antisemitism on campus, the Trump admin used the issue as a βsmokescreenβ for its massive funding cuts (and she barred them from doling out more). Is this a win for Harvard? Yes. Will Trump actually restore the funds? β¦ TBD.
π Mayor Wu is cracking down on Mass. and Cass. crime. Per a BIG update to Wuβs safety strategy, the area will see a slew of changes: A beefed-up police presence of nearly 100 new police academy grads, ramping up the cityβs needle cleanup efforts, a plan to βdecentralizeβ treatment and recovery services, and the addition of cameras to hotspots for 311 and 911 calls. The changes dropped the night before a major City Council hearing on the growing issue, as public discourse is reaching a fever pitch.
πΌοΈ Going to the MFA just got cheaper. The museum announced a new promo offering pay-what-you-wish $5 minimum admission after 5 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month, dubbed βthird Thursdays.β On those nights, youβll be able to explore the galleries until 10 p.m. while enjoying cultural programming and live music. Theyβre kicking it off with a Latinx Heritage Month celebration on Sept. 18 with live music, dance performances, and gallery talks, with celebrations for Diwali, Hanukkah, the Lunar New Year, and more are coming down the pike.
THINGS TO DO
Weekend plans

Image: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe
π€ Saluti to the end of feast season. Consider this your last chance to double fist arancini and meatballs in the North End streets this summer: The San Gennaro Feast kicks off today through Sept. 7.
π Find Bostonβs carb match made in heaven. Introducing: This pizza bagel pop-up with Brick Street Bagels and The Salty Pig on Sept. 6 that puts Bagel Bites to SHAME.Β
π Visit the Athenaeum foβ FREE. Unfamiliar? Itβs basically if the BPL and MFA had a baby β¦ AND itβs hosting a community day open house Sept. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
β¨ Watch your fave green queen on the big screen. Weβre holding space for this sing-a-long outdoor screening of βWickedβ on Sept. 6. We double dare you to (try to) hit the high note in βDefying Gravity.βΒ
πΌοΈ Spruce up your empty walls. Loved Allston Christmas? Youβre gonna be OBSESSED with the Speedwayβs new digs market on Sept. 7 β itβs basically a market for people who just moved! Expect 100+ local businesses selling affordable art, decor, and other goodies.Β
π₯ Let your pickle freak flag fly! Chocolate, cheese, pickles, miso, kombucha β if itβs got funk, itβs on the menu at the Somerville Fermentation Festival on Sept. 7.
π¨ Paint away your Sunday scaries. This mindful watercolor painting class at Faneuil Hall on Sept. 7 might be the most ~chill~ art class youβll ever take (it literally starts with a meditation).
π§Ά Take this as your sign to start a new *project*. Hats? Gloves? Perhaps a sweater? Get all the crafting inspo you need at the Boston Fiber Festival Market on Sept. 7 at SoWa Power Station.
ONE LAST THING
We hear (local) wedding bells!Β

Images: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Something must be in the water β¦ because we have news of not one, but possibly TWO mega pop stars tying the knot in New England.Β
We wouldnβt blame you if you had no idea Noah Kahan had a GF, let alone a fiancΓ©e β the longtime relationship has been v private save a few sneaky mentions. But this week, Kahanβs people confirmed he married his longtime partner on Aug. 23 in a small, private ceremony in Vermont (obv).Β
Meanwhile, remember that pipe dream about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting married in Rhode Island? Well, according to a Page Six βinsider,β itβs actually happening next summer. Now, it is Page Six, so take it with a grain of salt, but if true, Gov. Dan McKee will be STOKED.
β Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
π Thanks for reading! Now THATβS a local angle.Β
πΆ The results are in: 33% of readers said Sabrina Carpenterβs βManchildβ was the song of the summer. But to the reader who said βit was Ben Plattβs Diet Pepsi cover,β you have a special place in our hearts.
π Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].