📲🙋 What matters to Gen Z voters? Memes.

It’s Tuesday, Boston.

⚾🎟️ Here’s a little girl math for you: With this new promotion, tickets to the Aug. 18 and 19 Red Sox games include a $15 food and drink credit to spend on whatever you want, which basically means they’re free. Right?

🥳 And happy birthday to B-Sider Cathy Reney! $15 = two Fenway franks. We literally can’t think of a better b-day gift. Bon appétit! <3

👀 What’s on tap today:

• We’re off to the (ballot Q) races

• Snowport 2025 is on the books

• The worst people at the beach

Up first…

POLITICS

Getting Gen Z to the polls

Tired: Holding a press conference about broker fees. Wired: Making a “Love Island” meme about broker fees. 

In a bid to appeal to young voters, politicians are adding memes and pop culture references to their social media strategies, including our own Gov. Maura Healey. 

Here’s what to know:

📲 Politicians are trying to meet young voters where they are. Which is … on their phones. We probably don’t need to tell you that 76% of 18- to 29-year-olds use Instagram, 56% of 18- to 34-year-olds use TikTok, or that young voters get the bulk of their political information through social media. So it’s no surprise politicians are pouring time and money into social campaigns targeting young people.

😂 Which means they have to learn a new language: The algorithm. That’s a tall order if you’re not chronically online. Which definitely explains why the maestro behind Gov. Healey’s digital presence is 28-year-old Allison Mitchell (Sorry, Gov. Healey). “People, they care about what they care about, and if we can get them to care about something with a ‘Love Island’ post, that’s great,” Mitchell told the Globe.

👀 When a social media strategy works, it REALLY works. Just look at the cultural impact of Kamala Harris’ brat summer fever dream or Zohran Mamdani’s Cinderella story run to win the NYC mayoral primary — both of which had HUGE online presences. While Healey isn’t actively campaigning, these sorts of posts can help broadcast her W’s to a wider audience and butter up voters. It’s no coincidence that she dropped a whole series of trendy posts about her broker fee ban, which mostly impacts Gen Zers and Millennials.

😬 But there’s a fine line between cute and cringe. As it goes on the internet, one flop can have more cultural impact than a dozen wins (tbt to “Pokemon go to the polls”). 64% of polled B-Siders said that striking the right tone is the key when politicians engage in meme culture. One of Healey’s recent wins? A “Love Island"-themed explainer about her capital investment plan. “Suddenly I love the government,” one user commented.

🗳️ And ultimately, going viral can’t be the *only* goal. Because at the end of the day, likes don’t = votes, and posting too many memes without substance can risk alienating less online voters or losing your message entirely. “It only works if the policy can back up the TikToks,” wrote one B-Sider. “Otherwise, it's just performative.” 

TOGETHER WITH DOORDASH, SCAMPO, EL BARCO, ROCHAMBEAU, AND SUMMER SHACK

These four restaurant menus are built different

🍽️ ✨ Restaurant Week might be temporary — but the dishes? Still available. Still iconic. And, yes, still deliverable. If you’re worried about hitting every must-try Restaurant Week spot in only 10 days, here’s a better idea: just get your favorite meals delivered with DoorDash whenever you want. Rochambeau’s lamb, El Barco’s churros, Scampo’s ravioli, Summer Shack’s lobster rolls, and countless other items are still on the menu year-round. Order now on DoorDash and live like it’s Restaurant Week every week. 

QUICK QUESTION!

What’s your perfect kind of night?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🗳️ The 2026 ballot question race is STACKED. Over 40 proposed questions have officially taken the first step to appear on our 2026 ballots. And yes, that’s a LOT. As frustration grows with Beacon Hill’s leisurely (read: SLOW) pace, activists are turning to ballot Q’s as a way to put divisive issues like rent control, the MBTA Communities Act, and same-day voter registration directly to voters. That said, each Q will need state approval and at least 74,574 signatures to actually appear on the ballot next fall, so that pool will shrink.

⚽ Here’s how to see the 2026 World Cup without paying a dime: Volunteering! OK, OK, we know, but Boston’s host committee did just put out its official call for thousands of volunteers for positions from “host city ambassador” to “media operations” and more. Sound interesting? You just need to be over 18-years-old, available for eight shifts from June 11 and July 19, 2026, and mentally prepared to go through what looks like a whole job application process to get a spot. Step one: Fill out the app here.

⛄ It’s beginning to look a lot like … Snowport season?! It’s almost tiiiiiiiiiiiiime! Yes, it may still be August, but the Seaport’s iconic holiday winter market is officially on the books for 2025, with its fifth season set to run from Nov. 7 to Dec. 28. Obviously, it’s a little early to talk details, but per usual, this year’s free market will see 130+ mostly local, BIPOC- and women-owned businesses, plus food, music, and a lineup of community events. It’ll be open every single day minus Thanksgiving and Christmas, with its usual extended holiday hours from Dec. 8 on. 

🍕 It’s a pizza palooza. It’s babka bonanza! It’s matcha madness. No, It’s ALL of the above! FiDO Pizza (from the folks behind Bar Mezzana) is coming to Allston’s Western Avenue this month with gourmet pies, pasta, and apparently … a pepperoni negroni? Stay tuned. Meanwhile, Bakey is bringing its famous babka to a fifth location in Faneuil Hall on Aug. 15, and the following day, Boston’s growing matcha scene will get a little bit bigger thanks to Matcha Loves Boba, a takeout matcha shop in the North End specializing in bold, locally sourced flavors.

GIVEAWAY

Together with Spectacle Summer Nights

Enter to win two tickets to a Sunset Lobster Clambake on Spectacle Island for you and a plus-one! To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Aug. 8. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and they’ve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*

18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.

ONE LAST THING

The worst people at the beach

Remember when going to the beach was … relaxing? Well, it’s safe to say those days are OVER. 

The Globe recently published a story about the controversial emergence of luxury “beach canopies,” and let’s just say the comments section is unhinged. So much so that they decided to compile the gripes into their own story detailing the nine worst types of people on the beach.

There’s the one taking Zoom calls from their towel, the one drowning out the sound of the waves with EDM music, the two dudes tossing (and dropping) a football a little too close for comfort, and Gia's and Emily’s absolute least favorite: The one who thinks it’s funny to feed the seagulls. Jail! 

You can check out the whole list here.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🏖️ Thanks for reading! And that goes for the people feeding squirrels on the Common, too.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsors, DoorDash, Scampo, El Barco, Rochambeau, and Summer Shack, for supporting local journalism and keeping Boston fed. 

📲 The results are in: We already told you about yesterday’s poll results, soooo we’ll leave you with a video of this dude getting chased down the sidewalk by a turkey. <3

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].