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Boston on Budget

Find Free Things to Do in Boston on A Budget

Cheap Weekend Fun for August 10-11, 2013 in the Greater Boston Area!

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Happy (almost) weekend! Here are some ideas of free/cheap things to do this weekend in Boston & Beyond! Also, don’t forget that this weekend is Tax-Free Weekend in Massachusetts and most retail items less than $2,500 in value are tax-free! If your looking for something this weekend beyond shopping, here’s a few ideas:

Magic 106.7 Family Film Festival: Saturday, August 10, 2013 at Prudential Center South Garden at sunset. Enjoy a free showing of Mirror Mirror on the South Garden at the Prudential Center at sunset.

Sunday Night Movie at Christopher Columbus Park: Sunday, August 11, 2013 at sunset on the lawn of Christopher Columbus Park. Enjoy a free outdoor screening of Seabisbuit at Christopher Columbus Park

roller party

Boston Urban Music Festival Presents Roller Party: Saturday, August 10, 2013 from 5-9pm at Pier 10 Park. Enjoy performances by Gilbere Forte and Bridget Kelly with local artists, food trucks, free roller skating and more! Free.

Belkin Family Lookout Farm Open House (Natick): Saturday, August 10, 2013 starting at 10am in Natick. Enjoy free face painting, magic show, hay rides, farm animals and more at this free open house. Belkin Farm will also be shooting a video, so if you attend the open house, you are giving permission to be in the video. Free.

Chinatown August Moon Festival: Sunday, August 11, 2013 from 10-5pm on Main Street, Chinatown. Enjoy Chinese folk dance, martial arts, singing, and more. Free.

93rd Annual Grand Religious Feast in honor of Madonna Della Cava: August 9, 10 & 11, 2013 on Hanover and Battery Streets. Celebrate the 93rd Annual Grand Religious feast in honor of Madonna Della Cava with a procession, special entertainment, and more.

Ice Cream Social Boston 2013

Ice Cream Social with Ocean Ave Pops: Saturday, August 10, 2013 from 1-3pm at West Elm Fenway (160 Brookline Ave, Boston). Stop by West Elm Fenway on Saturday afternoon to grab a sweet treat from Ocean Ave Pops!

Boston by Bike Midnight Ride: Saturday, August 10, 2013 meeting at 11:15pm at Trinity Church in Copley Square. Bring a bike and enjoy around 30 miles of biking through the city at night and maybe even discover some new sights. Free.

Hope you have a great weekend in whatever you decide to do!

 

 

Cheap Weekend Fun in Greater Boston for June 29-30, 2013!

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Happy, Happy Weekend! Here are some things that are happening in the Greater Boston Area this weekend that are free or are extremely budget-friendly! If you are looking for some free Friday fun, please checkout my new Friday series here.

AmpBirthdayBash2013

103.3 Amp Radio Birthday Bash Concert: Sunday, June 30, 2013 at City Hall; Event starts at 11am, Party Pit opens at 1pm, and music begins at 2pm. 103.3 Amp Radio is celebrating their 1st Birthday with a free concert featuring Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Jason Derulo, Sammy Adams, Timeflies, and Drop City Yacht Club. Rain or shine. Free.

Free Sailing Open House: Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 1-4pm around Boston Harbor. The Boston Sailing Center is hosting a sailing open house where you can sail on the Boston Harbor with an experienced sailor on board for free.

Boston Food Swap: 2 Year Swapiversary: Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 2pm at 40 Berkeley. Come swap some delicious and creative dishes at this 2nd annual Food Swap. Free, but RSVP and bring a food item.

Frog Pond Wading Pool Opening Celebration: Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 11am-1pm at Boston Common. Join Frog Pond Freddie and kick-off the opening of the Frog Pond Wading Pool for the summer! Free; event is weather permitting.

cupcake camp 2013

Boston Cupcake Camp Boston 2013: Sunday, June 30, 2013 from 11-4pm at the Hodgkins-Curtin Park (Davis stop on the Redline). Professional and amateur bakers join the fun to raise money for the Somerville Winter Farmers’ Market through cupcakes. Games, music, family-friendly activities, oh, and cupcake eating too. Tickets are $7 (+ service fee) and includes up to 8 cupcakes to enjoy. Rain or shine.

Institute of Contemporary Art Boston: Saturday, June 29, 2013. The ICA Boston is free the last Saturday of every month, which is this Saturday!

Radius Last Call: Saturday, June 29, 2013 from 9pm-12pm. Radius Restaurant (9 High Street) is closing their doors after 15 years. Celebrate their last hurrah with complimentary late night bites as more. No RSVP needed-just show up.

Independence Day is coming up next week, which means local Fireworks are in full swing this weekend. Boston Central has a great list of all fireworks in the Greater Boston area and can be found here.

Hope you all have a great weekend, and hopefully the weather will cooperate with our weekend plans!

 

Free EarthFest Concert at the DCR Hatch Shell on May 18, 2013

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EarthFest 2013 Hatch Shell

Save the date! Local radio station River 92.9 is sponsoring another EarthFest Concert at the DCR Hatch Shell on Saturday, May 18, 2013! The concert is FREE with a full lineup that was announced last week. Here’s the list of bands that are performing (not in this order, I’m assuming):

  • Vertical Horizon
  • Cracker
  • Fastball
  • Gentlemen Hall
  • Camper Van Beethoven

For more information, please visit here. Cross your fingers for a beautiful day!

 

Cheap Weekend Fun in Greater Boston for April 27-28, 2013

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Happy, Happy Weekend. There are a lot of events happening this weekend in Boston, and a lot of fun budget-friendly events too. There was a lot of information and events floating around this week, and I tried my best to capture and compile everything, but I’m sure I missed a few gems.

A few events from last weekend were rescheduled for this weekend, and there are also a lot of fabulous Marathon Relief Fundraisers happening this weekend and beyond. Eventbrite has a great list of them all here and Eater Boston has a few delicious suggestions for Marathon Relief through Restaurant support.

Speaking of Restaurant support, please consider supporting restaurant staff a little extra in the upcoming weeks, especially Boylston Street establishments. Even a 26.2% tip helps, and hopefully won’t hurt your budget too much.

If you do head to the Back Bay this weekend, please remember that meter parking in the Back Bay is free through Sunday.

PilatesBostonStrong

Jennifer Phelan Bootcamp Fundraiser : Saturday, April 27, 2013 at 9:15am at Faneuil Hall West End Promenade (note: location is different than usual). Join Bootcamp instructor Jennifer Phelan for a free Saturday morning workout to raise funds for One Fund Boston. Free, but donations of any size for One Fund Boston. Please bring your own mat.

Ultimate Spring Workout: Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 10am-1pm. Get in shape with free fitness classes all morning long with 45-minute sessions happening every 15 minutes! Even better, $2 will be donated to the One Fund Boston per attendee thanks to Ultimate Bootcamp and popchips. To RSVP, please click here.

Park Serve Day: Rescheduled to Saturday, April 27, 2013. Show your appreciation for local parks and beaches by volunteering to plant flowers, clean coastlines, clear trails, and more. Free. To find your local park serve project or to RSVP, please go here.

Institute of Contemporary Art: Saturday, April 27, 2013. The ICA in Boston is free the last Saturday of every month, which is this weekend!

Harvard Arts First Festival: April 25-April 28, 2013 at Harvard University. Enjoy one of the largest University Art Festival with over 225 presentations with over 100+ free events.

Harvard Art Museum: Saturday, April 27, 2013. From 10am-12pm on Saturdays, Massachusetts residents can explore the museum for free with proper Mass ID.

Harvard Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology: Sunday, April 28, 2013. Mass residents can visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for free on Sundays from 9am-12pm with proof of residency.

Free Grilled Cheese Day at Cheeseboy: Sunday, April 28, 2013 from 1-6pm. Celebrate Free Grilled Cheese Day at Cheeseboy with… you guessed it… Free Grilled Cheese at Cheeseboy.

Hope you enjoy the beautiful weekend ahead!

Weekend Fun in the Greater Boston Area for April 6-7, 2013

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Happy April! Here are some ideas to spend the weekend without spending much (or any) money for the first weekend of April!

Boston National Poetry Month Festival: April 5-7, 2013 at the Boston Public Library, Copley Square. Enjoy this 13th Annual festival with poetry readings and celebrations! Free.

Jennifer Phelan Bootcamp: Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 9:15am at Faneuil Hall Upper Rotunda. Join bootcamp instructor Jennifer Phelan for a free Saturday morning workout. Free, but please bring your own mat.

Harvard Art Museum: Saturday, April 6, 2013. From 10am-12pm on Saturdays, Massachusetts residents can explore the museum for free with proper Mass ID.

Harvard Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology: Sunday, April 7, 2013. Mass residents can visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for free on Sundays from 9am-12pm with proof of residency.

Kid Price Saturday at Franklin Zoo: Saturday, April 6, 2013. Pay and feel like a kid the first Saturday of every month at Franklin Park Zoo between 10 a.m. & noon for just $11. Head to Stoneham, MA to the Stone Zoo between 10am-12pm and pay $10 for admission.

Bank of America’s Museum on Us Weekend: Saturday, April 6, 2013 & Sunday, April 7, 2013. Bank of America & Merrill Lynch cardholders can get into select museums the first weekend of every month for free by showing their bank card (per person, not family). Museum of Fine Arts, MIT Museum and other museums across the state participate.

Pasta for Pasta Food Drive at Panera Bread: Saturday & Sunday, April 6-7, 2013 from 11-2am. Stop by your participating Panera Bread and donate a box of Pasta to benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank. Better yet, be one of the first 25 people to do so, and grab a mystery gift card (could win $2-$50) for your next Panera pasta purchase!  

Also, don’t forget to check out Goldstar Boston as they have two events with free tickets (just pay service fee) for this weekend: Rossini’s Comic Opera La Gazzetta From New England Conservatory and New Comedy Thinking of You from Boston Actors Theater (Free tickets selling out fast).

Also, Creed Bratton (Creed from The Office) is performing at the Wilbur on Saturday, April 6th for an evening of story and song. Tickets are $6 through Goldstar (plus service fee) compared to the $22.50 ticket price. Not too bad.

Have a great weekend whatever you decide to do!

(Please note that I am an affiliate with Goldstar, meaning I get thanked when you make a purchase through my link. Please read my disclosure policy here).

Weekend Happenings for November 3rd & 4th, 2012 in & around Boston!

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Hello! Here are the best (and budget-friendly) events happening in and around the city this week:

Boston Christmas Festival: Friday, November 2, 2012 to Sunday, November 4, 2012 at the Seaport World Trade Center. Yep, you’ve read it right: Christmas Festival. Come enjoy over 300 different craft vendors and get into the Holiday spirit! Tickets are $12 for adults and free for kids, but you can save $2 with a printable coupon here. For more information, please visit their website here.

2nd Annual Oyster Fest: Sunday, November 4, 2012 from 12pm-4pm at the Lansdowne Pub. Stop by the Lansdowne Pub to grab $1 oysters and enjoy live music from Three Day Threshold. No cover, but 21+. For more information, please visit their facebook page here.  

Day of the Dead Family Event: Saturday, November 3, 2012 at the Peabody Museum from 12-4pm. Celebrate and learn about Dia de los Muertos with crafts, festive music, and more. Event is free with paid admission, which is $12 for adults. For more information, please visit here.

Beardfest: Saturday, November 3, 2012 from 3-7pm at the Center for Arts at the Armory in Somerville. Show off that bearded facial hair to compete against other bearded men… and women. $5.00 to enter. For more information and/or to get bearded ideas, please visit here.

Pilates Bootcamp with Jennifer Phelan: Saturday, November 3, 2012 from 9:15-10am at Faneuil Hall Marketplace Upper Rotunda. Join Pilates instructor Jennifer Phelan for a free Pilates bootcamp. Free, but please  bring your own mat. For more information, please visit here.

Free Museum Weekend: Saturday & Sunday, November 3 & 4, 2012. If you are a Bank of America or Merrill Lynch customer, you may be able to get into your favorite museum for free with your bank card! For more information or to find a participating museum, please click here.

Hope you have a great weekend in whatever you decide to do! I will definitely be enjoying one of my favorite holidays this weekend—Daylight Saving Time! Don’t forget to change those clocks for an extra hour of sleep 🙂

 

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Boston on Budget has been helping locals and visitors save money in and around Boston since 2012! Whether you lived in Boston your whole life or visiting Boston for the first time soon, we'll help you navigate how to save money and find local things to do, see and eat!

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