Free & Almost Free Things To Do This Week In DC

Here we focus exclusively on the cheapest YET most satisfying entertainment to be found around D.C. Every week we highlight free and almost free activities, a choice happy hour or two, food specials and hot tips for budget survival. PLEASE POST YOUR FREE EVENTS (FOR FREE!) ON OUR AGENDA PAGE or send us FREE TIPS to [email protected] for inclusion in the future FREE THINGS guide. So, time to plan the week! 

• Thursday, November 5 – November at Mondo Baltimore is the month of the yeti. They’ve got some special movies/movie clips in store like When Sasquatch Attacks! and Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century.
• Friday, November 6 – The Freer & Sackler Gallery is hosting another Close Up event. This week it’s  the Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap’s film Gangs of Wasseypur 1.
• Friday, November 6 – It’s the first night of the D.C. French Film Festival.
• Saturday, November 7 – The National Gallery of Art is premiering the Kandahar Journals, which focuses on a photojournalist covering war.

• Tuesday, November 3 – The Make Up Party at DC Improv is what you want it to be. Bring a team of 4 people and pull jokes out of places you never thought were funny.
• Tuesday, November 3 – Underground Comedy at Vendetta is a free weekly staple.
• Tuesday, November 3 – Everything is Terrible! Legends with Wham City is happening at Metro Gallery in Baltimore. They’re compiling seven years’ worth of footage and are #reduce, #reuse, #recycling them into something hilarious. It’s the opposite of terrible.
• Wednesday, November 4 – The Vinyl Lounge Grateful Jam is happening at Gypsy Sally’s.
• Wednesday, November 4 – Mod Sun is coming to U Street Music Hall with New Beat Fund, Allday, and Benny Freestyles. Tickets are only $15.
• Wednesday, November 4 – The Ol’ Switcharoo numero cuatro is happening at the Handsome Cock. Comedians do their own sets and then mix it up by taking on the persona of famous comedians.
• Wednesday, November 4 – Fun Fun at 121 is a playfully named variety open mic night at Acre 121. There’s a simultaneous happy hour going on during the shows ($5 draft beers, baby). Also, artists can sign up in advance by emailing [email protected]
• Thursday, November 5 – Den-Mate is playing Luce Unplugged. This is the coolest thing to do on a Thursday.
• Friday, November 6 – You, Me, Them, Everybody is going to be live (!!!) at the Wonderland Ballroom.
• Friday – Saturday, November 6 – 7 – DC Podfest is at the Wonderbread Factory’s Event Space. It’s like a conference that doesn’t feel like a conference because that word is painfully professional. Check the site, festival passes are $89, some individual shows are $10.
• Friday, November 6 – DC Improv’s Comedy School Showcase is like a talent show for comedians (?) is that a good way to put it? Just go, it’s only $10.
• Friday, November 6 – Last Resort Comedy’s Local Showcase is $5. That’s all.
• Saturday, November 7 – Typecase Industries has moved (AGAIN) and they’re having a grand re-re-opening party. Third times a charm.

• Wednesday, November 4 – California Tortilla is giving out free Pop-Tart’s with any purchase. We don’t know why they’re doing this, but I guess it’s kind of cool.
•  Friday, November 6 – It’s the last night of International Sherry Week. It’s Asian Market Night at Dolcezza. There will be sherry-based gelato, Buredo sushi burritos, Chao Ku noodles, and more
• Sunday, November 8 – Showtime Bar put together a Chili cookbook and instead of just buying the book and making all of the chili at home you can go there, taste the chili, and buy the book. What a charmed life you lead. There is also a compilation tape with music from all your fav local bands! Plus your purchases benefit Bread for the City! Cool!

• Tuesday, November 3 – Flower-Bird-Wind-Moon: Asako Tamura, Soprano; Mariko Furukawa, Piano at the Freer Gallery of Art is part of the Meyer Concert Series and what I would call a culturally enlightening experience.
• Wednesday, November 4 – Faces of Spirits is Northern Virginian artist Noah Williams’ exhibition at the Hill Center Galleries.
• Wednesday, November 4 – Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff’s Annual Lecture, Architecture of the Holocaust, is being held at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
• Wednesday, November 4 – Jill Eicher, Director of the Pension Infrastructure Collaborative at Stanford University will be talking about financing our infrastructure at the Georgetown Library. Finance and infrastructure, that’s the good stuff.
• Thursday, November 5 -The University of Iowa’s International Writing Program is hosting a reading at the Library of Congress. Reading at libraries… it all comes full circle.
• Thursday, November 5 – Lace Unplugged is the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s monthly music showcase. November is Den-Mate month. The night will consist of an art talk and then a performance by Den-Mate.
• Friday, November 6 – It’s the First Friday at the Studio Gallery everybody!!
• Friday, November 6 – The Hillyer Art Space is joining in on the FotoWeek celebrations by opening THREE photography exhibitions.
• Friday, November 6 – Also part of the First Friday Gallery Walk at Dupont Circle, Hillyer Art Space is hosting the My Kingdom for a Stage which is an exhibit of Ibero-American staged photography. It’s super fucking cool.
• Saturday, November 7 – The crown jewel of this years FotoWeek is the Aperture:Photographs exhibit at FotoWeek Central. Come check out limited edition prints from photography rock stars like Sally Mann (!!!), Richard Mosse, Diane Arbus, Annie Liebovitz, Dorothea Lange, Bruce Davidson and so much more.
• Saturday, November 7 – Head to the National Geographic Museum to hang out with photographer Joel Sartore and check out his incredible portraits of endangered species.
• Saturday, November 7 – If you love Bernie Sanders and you want to sing about him in some sort of music video, make sure you’re at the Mall on Saturday.This is sure to be weird.
• Saturday, November 7 – Continue living the FotoWeek life by checking out My Kingdom for a Stage at Hillyer Art Space.
• Saturday, November 7 – Katzen Art Center has Facing Change: Documenting America on display for those of us who cannot get enough art in our lives.
• Saturday, November 7 – If you care about poetry and children, then get hyped because the finals for the D.C. Youth Poet Laureate is at Busboys & Poets. Go hang out with the youths.
• Saturday, November 7 – The LOMO Wall is going to be up at the W Hotel. Go check out all of the cool photos from amateur and professional photogs all over the goddamn world.
• Saturday, November 7 – If you just can’t get enough of photographers talking, Philip Toledano, Muriel Hasbun, Bego Anton, Robin Schwartz and more will be at FotoWeek Central.
• Saturday, November 7 – The Leica Store will be hosting super legendary photographer Ralph Gibson! Get excited.

That’s all, remember – PLEASE POST YOUR FREE EVENTS (FOR FREE!) ON OUR AGENDA PAGE or send us FREE TIPS to [email protected] for inclusion in the future FREE THINGS guide. Feel free to leave us your suggestions in the comments. Sharing is the new caring.