Mayor Wu announces return of Open Newbury holiday stroll for December

Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the Open Newbury holiday stroll will return to Back Bay on December 6, 2026. The special winter event wraps up a broader program of nine Open Newbury dates that activated over 100 local businesses and welcomed nearly 100,000 participants across the warmer months. City Hall oversees the scheduling to balance neighborhood access with commercial promotions.

Launched originally in 2024, the holiday stroll aims to celebrate the festive season and support merchants during the critical winter shopping push. City officials scheduled December 13 as the official weather makeup date in case winter storms or heavy rain disrupt the initial Sunday schedule. Business owners along the corridor coordinate closely with city departments to prepare for the surge in pedestrian visitors.

During the stroll, motor vehicles will be barred from entering the mile-long corridor to give shoppers full access to the roadway from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue. Retailers, restaurants, and service providers along the famous eight-block stretch can set up sidewalk displays and welcome holiday visitors throughout the daytime hours. The temporary closure mirrors the summer configuration that turns the commercial strip into a pedestrian mall.

The recurring pedestrian initiative first started as a summer pilot program back in 2016. Since then, the seasonal street closures have expanded to include both warm-weather weekends and the winter holiday season to drive localized economic activity. Traffic management personnel and municipal planners oversee the street conversion to ensure public safety while accommodating public transit riders and motorists detoured around the area.