Movin’ Out (Bucky’s Song)

Moving Day is a curious Madison tradition that has been around for decades. Many campus-adjacent apartments end their leases on August 14 and begin new ones on August 15, resulting in a 24-hour “homeless” period for renters. City officials have adapted by setting up Goodwill drop-off sites and adding early-morning garbage pickups to clear out the array of broken furnishings. But many students choose their own brand of recycling, grabbing up others’ cast-offs and supplying their new homes with erstwhile garbage. “Hippie Christmas,” as it’s come to be known, may be a pain for working Madisonians, but for students, an evening spent camping out in cars or on lawns — surrounded by all of their worldly possessions — remains alluring enough to keep the tradition alive.