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.

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.

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.

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!

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

All the Green that fits in the Convention Center

A mere 4 days after free ice cream, the Green Festival is taking over the Convention Center (a.k.a my neighbor). Films, yoga classes, exhibitors, speakers, green building, and everything else green you want to know or celebrate (including organic beer!).

(It isn't free, but there are discounts for seniors, college students, bikers, public transit users, and union members. Who wants to compete to see who can fit the most categories?)

Hard Knock Life, For Reals

As part of the All Roads Film Festival at National Geographic (love those guys and their pretty pictures) there's a sweet free outdoor hip hop concert. Check it:

9:30 pm—K'NAAN in Concert
As a child growing up in war-torn Somalia, hip-hop artist K’NAAN saw more violence and tougher streets than any gangster rapper could imagine. Now, in North America, he has established himself as a voice for change, a peacemaker, and a cultural bridge between the developing world and the West. His debut album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, left an indelible mark on the hip-hop world and earned him a Juno award for Best Rap Recording. This performance will feature the Washington, DC, premiere of new material from his upcoming album, Troubadour. This concert will take place in the National Geographic Courtyard.

A Kick in the Arts

You thought summer festivals were over? No way.

The Arts on Foot is having an outdoor festival in Chinatown and it's sponsored by Wines of Argentina. How exciting is that? So there will be wine and restaurant sampling, music, arts, and crafts. If you have kids, I guess you could bring them, but keep them away from the "World Market Wine Area", k?

All over Penn Quarter there will be all kinds of exhibits from film screenings to museum open houses.

So while this freevoliter is on crutches, will some of you PLEASE take advantage fleeting late summer weather?

More Festival Fun

Only two days left till the DC Shorts film festival! There are nine showcases scheduled throughout the week from September 11-18, playing mostly at the E street theater. Each viewing costs about the same as a regular movie, but there are 4 free events at noon next week (hour long viewings of family, animated, arab/israeli, or latin shorts) and a few screenplay readings also.