Cheap and Free NYC Events, June 22-24, 2012-Happy Gay Pride Weekend!

June 22, 2012
Fall in love with Rooftop Films all over again with the org’s Romance Weekend! Tonight the spotlight is on “Is it Love?” Romance Shorts! Doors open at 8 p.m., film begins @ 9 p.m., after-party to follow, Open Road Rooftop, 350 Grand Street, LES, cost: $12, buy tkts here!
See Richard Pryor live in concert (via film silly!) on a restored 35mm print! @ Lincoln Center tonight! Midnight, Francesca Beale Theater at Lincoln Center, cost: $13! For more info and to buy tkts go here!
Scour the shelves for book bargains @ the TASCHEN warehouse sale with books marked @ 50%-75% off! Sale lasts all weekend, but starts today! 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 107 Greene Street, cost: pay for items you buy!
The Invisible War, a doc about rape in the U.S. military, also opens today, The BoCoCa Arts Festival starts today and runs through June 30th, The Photoville photo village in Brooklyn Bridge Park begins today and runs through through July 1, Keb’ Mo’ and Natalia Zukerman play a free show at the Prospect Park Bandshell for Celebrate Brooklyn, and Dances of Vice is throwing a Rockabilly night this evening!
Friday and Saturday June 22 and 23, 2012
Relive those glorious VCR-days w/a screening of Dazed and Confused! Sponsored by BBQ Films and Scout Mob, this event will feature the screening, one Sixpoint Craft Can (pint), popcorn and other munchies, $3 drinks, movie characters roving around, movie-inspired classic cars from Bel-Air Automotive and shenanigans, and giveaways from Golden Age of the Music Video! 8 p.m. doors/drinks, 9 p.m./film, Windmill Studios, 287 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg, cost: $22, buy tkts here!
Saturday June 23, 2012
Spice up your weekend with Adventures NYC today! Presented by Backpacker Magazine and The North Face, featured events include The North Face Passport Program, the UBC Rock Climbing Zone, the Vermont Adventure Center, Cabot Community Tour, health and fitness clinics, the REI® Adventure Zone, kayaking zone, bike helmet giveaway, courtesy of NYC DOT, outdoor gear exhibits, free bike valet parking, mountain bike expo, and live music and entertainment! 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Central Park, Bandshell Area, cost: free!
Be “shore” to swim your way over to the 30th Annual Coney Island Mermaid Day Parade! 2 p.m. The parade will start at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue and end @ At West 15th Street, in Coney Island, cost: free to attend, $10-$100 to participate!
Where is Mary Poppins when you need her? Maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of her @ the Brooklyn Kite Festival! 10:00am - 2:00pm, Brooklyn Bridge Park, cost: free! (Kites will be available for purchase on site, or bring your own.)
Today is also the grand opening of the Brooklyn Swirl, a new frozen yogurt place! 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.: There will be music, fun, and face painting for the kids. 6 p.m.-10 p.m.: All are welcome to stay and enjoy the yogurt, crepes and coffee, Brooklyn Swirl, 445 Marcus Garvey, cost: free! (except if you buy anything.)
Silent films get live-action musical treatment as the Red Hook Ramblers fuse themselves with pictures including Buster Keaton's One Week, Harold Lloyd's Bliss, and Harry Langdon's Saturday Afternoon. The band will accompany the films and then play a short set after the last movie. 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, 315 Columbia Street bet. Hamilton/Woodhull Street Brooklyn, NY, cost: $10!
Ladies, get ready to drool! Hugh Jackman is hosting the TropFest short film festival! 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., Bryant Park, cost: free! (BUT attendees are encouraged to reserve their free tkts on the film fest’s website, and are encouraged to snag their seats in the park early!) The Lumen Festival hits Staten Island! Eat Drink Local Week begins (through June 30), Lo and Astro free show at the Prospect Park Bandshell for Celebrate Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m.,
Saturday and Sunday June 23 and 24, 2012


Learn about Manhattan and Governors Island during the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Civil War with Discovery Walking Tours! “First a walk through Lower Manhattan with stops associated with all three wars, ending with a free option to Gov Island, once a secluded military installation. Stops include sites associated with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, The 1863 Draft Riots, the grave of 1812 hero James Lawrence, a War of 1812 fort and a Confederate prison camp.” Sat., June 23 at 11:45 a.m. Cost: $20!
See tomorrow’s OBIE and TONY-award-winning playwrights today with The Jumpstart Commissions Festival! On Sat., June 23rd at 7 p.m. and Sun., June 24th at 3 p.m., ART/NY, 520 Eighth Ave, Bruce Mitchell Rm, bet. 37th and 36th St, cost: free, but reserve tkts here!
The Boomerang Theatre Company begins free performances of “Hamlet” in Central Park at 77th Street and Central Park West and the Renegade Craft Fair takes place!
Sunday June 24, 2012
Still have that blank piece of paper or blinking cursor staring you in the face? Then break that writer’s block with the NYWC’s the 7th Annual Write-A-Thon! “Attend free inspiring workshops, compete for prizes, and commune with fellow writers. The event will benefit the NY Writers Coalition, which is celebrating 10 years of leading writing workshops in underserved communities throughout the city.” 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mark Morris Dance Center, cost: reg price $150, BUT if you can scramble for sponsors-think friends w/deep pockets :-) you can participate for “free”($150 min.)! Ira Glass of “This American Life” fame will also be making an appearance as part of the day’s festivities!
Something’s fishy here…go saltwater fishing (catch-and-release) in the East River. “Experienced Rangers teach the ethics of fishing and the ecology of our waterways on every fishing program. Whether you chose to grab a simple bamboo pole at a quiet lake, or join more advanced salt water or fly fishing programs, the rangers have a program that fits your skill level. Families and children ages eight years and older are welcome to participate in our fishing programs. Participation in a mandatory safety review lead by a trained ranger is required. All equipment is provided. Most fishing programs are first-come, first-served. 11 a.m., East River Esplanade, E 96th Street and East River Drive, cost: free!
And…today the New Amsterdam Market is cheese-themed, and if you didn’t get enough cheese @ the New Amsterdam Market, then head to Stinkfest 2012 in Brooklyn, combine caffeine and cocktails @ the second annual Coffee-Cocktail Mash-Up, and punk music takes over Governors Island today!
All weekend long… enjoy Le Grand Continental™ by Sylvain Émard Danse as part of the River to River Festival, Gay Pride Events are ongoing w/the parade on Sunday, and and this is the last w/e to catch “Twelfth Night” for free!