February 17, 2026
This morning, I stopped by City Hall to pick up a One-Day Entertainment License from the Cambridge License Commission for Boston Bandish, the new Desi a cappella competition that I'm organizing at MIT this upcoming Saturday. The One-Day Entertainment License is required for any event that involves live music or dancing and costs $50, and it's issued by a committee comprising the License Commission Chair, the Cambridge Fire Chief, and the Cambridge Police Commissioner. It seems the license exists to protect the licenseholder from any possible noise complaints or similar.
I applied for the license a few weeks ago and received notice that it was approved at their biweekly hearing on February 12. I initially wanted to pay by PO from our MIT account, but this was taking a bit long (I think there was a miscommunication between MIT and Cambridge on the remit-to address). I could have also paid by credit card or bank transfer, but each had a small processing fee that I didn't want to pay. So I decided to go in person and pay with cash. I went to City Hall (actually, I ran there) and entered the clerk's office.
While I was sitting down and waiting for my turn, there was a couple at the clerk's desk that was applying for a marriage license, which also costs $50. Apparently the credit card system was down today and the city was only taking checks or cash, and the couple didn't have cash on hand. The clerk pointed them in the direction of a nearby ATM down the street. Overhearing this encounter from a few feet away, and having checked a few minutes earlier that I had a $100 bill in my wallet, I offered to split it with them if they had Venmo. They Venmo'd me $50 and paid with my $100 and gave me the change (two twenties and two fives), and I wished them a hearty congratulations.
They left, and I continued to wait in my seat while the clerk processed some more paperwork. After waiting for a few minutes, I approached the desk and asked her if this was the right place to pay for my One-Day Entertainment License. She told me that I actually needed to go to the municipal building next door.
So I exited and went to the municipal building next door and entered the License Commission office. I was greeted by someone who asked me for my application number and then, when I mentioned I wanted to pay by cash, printed out a payment invoice and told me to go back to City Hall (this time, to the cashier's desk). I walked back to City Hall, approached the cashier's desk, handed the cashier my payment invoice and the cash, and was handed a receipt. Finally, I returned to the License Commission office, receipt in hand, and traded it for a printed version of our One-Day Entertainment License. And now we're ready for Saturday!