Whoa, summer is here

OK, technically not yet, but all the free art, music, and walking tours have, so it's basically the same. There's too much to write posts for everything, but here's the beginning (with credit to Cultural Tourism DC for compiling some it for me). Comment if you know of more!

Artomatic 2009
Friday, May 29 - Sunday, July 05
Location: 55 M Street, SE
Artomatic is a month-long art festival with nine floors of visual and installation art, theater performances, dance and comedy, three music stages, and much more! More importantly, Veronica and Chirlin's Peeps diorama will be displayed.

BikingTown and Walking Town, DC Spring Edition 2009
Saturday, May 30 - Sunday, May 31
Location: Across the City
These events feature free walking or biking tours all over DC. Get out and explore a new neighborhood or learn more about your own!

Sounds in the Square
Thursdays, 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m.
June 4, 11, 18, 25 and July 2, 9, 16, 23 (raindates 7/30 and 8/6)
Location: Farragut Square Park, Connecticut Avenue & K Street, NW
Sponsored by the Golden Triangle BID, this concert series features a variety of artists and give-aways from local businesses each week.

Jazz in the Garden
Fridays, 5 - 8:30 PM
May 22nd - September 11th
The Pavilion Café at the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, 7th and Constitution NW
I can't believe I missed the first jazz night! Bring a picnic, a blanket, and someone to cuddle with and enjoy the free music. Don't expect to get a spot where you can actually see the band; it gets crowded quickly. I'll have to go on June 12th just to find out what "bluesion" is.

DC Craft Beer Week

Despite my best efforts, I can't find the schedule online. Look at your favorite bar for a booklet with the details. Here's what I do know:

When: May 25th-30th
Where: bars around DC (mostly downtown)

There are different sampling events and "meet the brewer" type activities that seem to be free, plus other events you have to pay for (SAVOR, culinary classes, etc.). It looks awesome. I'll post the schedule here if I can find it.

Shakespeare Free-For-All...

...has moved! Sadly, FFA is now going to be downtown at the Company's Harman Hall (the new theater they built on F and 6th Streets). It will now be metro-accessible and, to make up for the lack of green space, I believe the National Building Museum will allow people to picnic on their grounds. Just to further confuse things, they also changed the dates to August 27th to Sept 12.

Summer Movies!

Here's the brief (and incomplete) overview of free movie showings this summer. All of the sites are metro accessible and usually start around dusk.

Monday Nights, Crystal City

- This summer's theme is Superheroes. Movies last from May 4th through September. As a bonus, they usually have food and giveaways.

Friday Nights, Rosslyn

- The theme here is "I Love the 80's". Movies start this Friday (the 1st) and run through September 4th.

Monday Nights, Screen on the Green:

UPDATE: HBO pulled their funding of SotG and gave up the field space, so it seems like it meant not happen this year! Hopefully a new sponsor can be found, but seems unlikely. Sad.

Tour the World

Ever wondered where the Benin embassy is? Or what the inside of the Saudi Arabian embassy looks like? Now is your chance to find out!

May 2nd (and the encompassing week) is Passport DC. 30 embassies are opening their doors for an open house from 10 am-4 pm. There will be food, tours, dancing, and other performances - all for free! Since the embassies are spread out, a shuttle will operate between the different locations all day also. Check out the links above for schedules and other information (including the other events that week).

You've got a ticket to ride: Free Taxi's on St. Patty's

What is Zydeco, Anyhow?

Little Red and the Renegades will tell you about this crazy Louisiana polka called Zydeco at at the Anacostia Community Museum on Tuesday morning, March 17th.

Cooking Tips and Life's Wisdom Served Here

Brenda Rhodes Miller, author of The Church Ladies’ Divine Desserts: Heavenly Recipes and Sweet Recollections and The Church Ladies’ Celestial Suppers and Sensible Advice will be signing books at the Anacostia Community Museum from 11am to 1pm on Saturday.

You can go for some friendly advice on life and swap recipes for free, but you need to make a reservation! For reservations, call (202) 633-4875 or email jctolson@si.edu.

Environmental Film Festival Begins Tomorrow!!

They are all over town.
They are beautiful.
Some are free others are not.
They are about honey bees, evil corporations, and Bhutan.
<--- that one is about environmental pirates. no joke. The website sez it all. Just go get educated about the world around us.

National Museum of American History is Reopened!

I'm so glad this museum reopened. Those Smithsonian dudes totally know what's up.

There is something here for everyone:

• Cars trains and automobiles (exhibit sponsored by GM before the bailout, presumably.)
• First Ladies and their gowns (Michelle O is in there already!)
• Oscar the Grouch and Kermit the Frog (the real green guys!)
• An inventions exhibit where you can read about cool design (I know I know nerd alert)
• And for all you foodies: JULIA CHILD'S KITCHEN! For real.
  

Nowruz Madness! Persian New Year Celebration is Here Again

I know, it seems like we just had the New Year's Eve celebration. We did, then we had the lunar celebration with the Chinese, and now it's time for the Persian New Year: Nowruz.

The Freer and Sackler Galleries is hosting a full day of Persian New Year exhibits, music, storytelling, crafts, and food! My friend's aunt is cooking this Saturday and we get to jump over the fire (or at least some fire if we show up between 10am-12pm). You can go to my favorite DC garden after the festivities!

So get your flame-retardant shoes on and get ready to ring in the New Year...again...this Saturday from 10:30am-6pm.

Food and Friends: You Aren't the Only One Who's Hungry!

This Thursday, you can eat dinner out at one of 145 restaurants in DC, VA, and MD and they will donate 25%-100% of your tab to Food and Friends."Simply by dining out, you will ensure that thousands of individuals facing HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses, will receive the daily, nutritious meals so vital to their care." That's what the website says. Pretty cool. That's even better than drinking beer for a cause, because you get more vitamins! And you don't have to be over 21.

Art Explosion: Get Your Stimulus

Art and "live mix" party! Okay, I must be totally UN-hip, because I don't know what that means but it sounds fun. This Saturday in Northeast at 8pm.

Enjoy!

Free Intellectual Stimulation: Vandana Shiva Says, "Soil Not Oil"

March 2, 6-8:30 p.m.

Dr. Vandana Shiva will speak about her new book Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis Busboys and Poets at 14^th and V. St NW , Washington D.C.

How can you resist a woman who's written books like this:

Monocultures of the Mind: Perspectives on Biodiversity and Biotechnology
Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge
Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply
The Seed Keepers

Red Carpet on the Yellow Line: Oscar Nominated Documentaries at the Archives

This is just cool! I know a lot of you are going out of town, but this is awesome.

National Archives is showing this year's Oscar nominated documentaries every night at 7pm for free this weekend!

Get Down and Dirty: Urban Gardening Workshop

Speaking of green, it's time to start thinking about what you're going to plant in your recession garden this spring!

Rooting DC is hosting its Annual Urban Gardening Forum for free this Saturday, February 21st. You get a free lunch (yeah, I know, they don't exist) but you have to register. This is the freevolity that keeps on giving.

Remember, if you've got too much zucchini this summer you can drop them in my Mt. Pleasant mailbox...

Green Jobs for Freevoliters: Bring home the organic bacon!

Oh, Freevoliters, these are uncertain times!

We gotta plan for the future. Maybe you ought to check out this seminar on green jobs. Find out how the new administration is going to allocate funding and how that will affect career opportunities. Sounds interesting, but I've got a green collar job, so I don't think I'll be there.

It's on Monday, so start the week/the rest of your life off right and go! Tell me how it is!

So Sorry! I'm back to give you the best of DC's Free Social Scene!

I'm so sorry! I've been neglecting my fans. (Okay, so about three of you read this, but at least two thirds of you complained that I was not keeping up my end of the bargain.)

So I'm back, to bring you the best of what's free and fun in the DC area. In fact, it will include films, exhibits, foodie events, openings, parks, gardens, and general "beers for a cause" events!

Hope you'll tune in and check back!

Cheers,
First Freevoliter in Charge

More free theater!

The National Theater has two free series of random comedians, magicians, dancers, and other acts. The Saturday morning shows are geared more towards kids while Monday evenings are more adult oriented.

Cupcakes are the new black

You'd think unemployment would mean this blog would blow up, but sadly the holidays/traveling put a damper on that plan. To make it up to you, we bring you the the newest cupcake place in town (it's at least the second place to open this year)! They are giving out free cupcakes to the first 500 customers on Thursday (January 15th) starting at 11am. It's called Red Velvet and is on the corner of 7th and E Streets NW (next to the newest Tangy Sweet). Enjoy!