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| Participants in a holiday parade. Viewing parades is free entertainment for millions. |
I came across this interesting article about buying discount movie tickets through Fandango gift cards. I'm a little suspicious of these kinds of articles because I have never seen a Fandango discount but I guess they can exist.
Entertainment can be really expensive but as you travel around the country you come across all sorts of neat little low-cost entertainment scenes. Here are a few that I like:
Free Public Concerts are usually offered in city parks but sometimes also on university campuses. The performers may be local artists, school orchestras, etc. but so what? If the music is good and you can get a comfortable seat it's a nice way to chill with your friends?
Free Public Movies are sometimes shown outdoors in parks, especially in the summer and fall, around special holidays. Halloween is popular with kids. Most of the movies I see are probably family fare or kid-friendly movies.
Parades are always fun if you can find parking and they don't really charge you for attending and watching the floats. You can usually find cheap food or you can bring your own.
Local festivals often charge little to no admission and they bring in bands, sometimes big professional bands. So you can walk around, buy some good food, and listen to a lot of music. The kind of festival you find in your area depends on what kinds of foods are grown there. But some festivals are about the arts and technologies.
Grand Opening events for new malls, big stores, and other venues sometimes offer great music. Maybe a local band is playing, or one of the local radio stations sets up a DJ booth. Sometimes you can find some food vendors.
Free Admission Holidays at museums and national parks are also a great way to save money on entertainment. If a monument is having a special anniversary you may get free admission. My family and I visited Mount Saint Helens for free on the 25th anniversary of the big eruption.
When money is tight and you are really bored just check out local events. You may be able to spend a few hours doing something other than sitting on your couch wishing you had something to do, and you may not have to pay much for the privilege.
