Last-Minute Plans: 52 Free, Cheap, And Easy Things To Do in Seattle This Weekend, July 1-3, 2016 The Wooden Boat Festival, The Free Bike Party, And More (Non-Independence Day) Events That Won't Cost More Than $10

boatbliS.S./Flickr Celebrate another beautiful Seattle summer at the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival , which will have live bands, food vendors, and both model boats and actual wooden sailing vessels.

The long Fourth of July weekend is almost here, and, although there are lots of excellent cheap and easy options for celebrating the holiday itself, there are also plenty of other things to do in the days leading up to Monday that are not strictly Independence Day-related. We've compiled all of your options for free and cheap (under $10) entertainment below, from the Free Bike Party and the Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival to Freeway Park in Bloom and KEXP Rocks the Dock. If the options below aren't enough, make sure to check out our complete Things To Do calendar.

FRIDAY

1. The Beer Junction’s 6th Anniversary

Celebrate the Beer Junction's sixth anniversary with a special sixth anniversary IPA from Cloudburst—with "Galaxy, Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Mandarina hops.” (West Seattle, free entry)

2. A Benefit to Support the Victims of the Pulse Shooting

Enjoy the tunes of Seattle groups The Local Strangers, Jake Hemming and The Bereaved, Janell Kallander, and more to be announced, as your ticket costs go to benefit the victims of the Pulse shooting in Orlando. (Ballard, $10)

3. BUNA Launch Party

Celebrate the arrival of BUNA coffee at La Marzocco with this party that will have free mezcal, tequila, and Mexican beer, plus live music from Sotomayor. (Seattle Center, free)

Sponsored Tickets are on sale now for The Stranger’s 1st Annual SLAY Film Festival! Ghosts, zombies, slashers, witches, Eldritch beasts, gore-- SLAY has something for every horror fan!

4. The Cause was Zeus

Euripides' Alcestis, his oldest surviving work, is a "problem play" that expands on the myth of Admetus and Alcestis—a story with a bride who makes the ultimate sacrifice for her husband, and a conflict between Hercules and Death—with comedy and folk tales. The Irrational Robot Bureau will create their own adaptation, The Cause Was Zeus, that asks (among other questions): "What kind of man would allow such a woman to give up everything up for his sake?” (Greenwood, $10/$14)

5. Dream Things True

This retelling of Romeo and Juliet is about "daydreams and nightmares and playing in the backyard," with whimsical transformations and creepy/lighthearted fun. (Wallingford, free)

6. Electric Circus: Sly Sun Sivad

Electric Circus remixes the timeless classics of Sly & The Family Stone, Sun Ra, and Miles Davis for a night of blues, funk, and good old rock n' soul, replete with mashed-up psychedelia and light projections. (Columbia City, free)

7. Fabulous Fish Fridays

Seattle isn’t necessarily known for its British culinary scene. But Fabulous Fish Fridays, a collaboration between Machine House Brewery and Nosh food truck, could change that. Machine House is the city’s only brewery dedicated to English-style cask ales—lower in alcohol, more malty than hoppy. They pair beautifully with Nosh’s British fish and chips, composed of one long fillet of Pacific cod that’s dipped in a beer batter, fried to a gorgeous golden brown, and served with hearty fried potatoes as well as a verdant mash of peas and mint. It’s a match made in heaven, and you get to experience it every Friday evening in Georgetown. ANGELA GARBES (Georgetown, free entry)

8. Friday Night Drink and Draw

Draw model Danielle Wilson (in costume!) at this casual, creative, and cover-free "Drink and Draw" event—with food, beer, and wine available to purchase. (Georgetown, free)

9. Garage 20th Anniversary Celebration

Starting tonight, Capitol Hill staple Garage will be celebrating their 20th anniversary all month long. All draft beers will be $2.50, they'll have a special Summer Berliner Weisse beer from Georgetown Brewing, and, Tuesday through Saturday, you can get food specials cooked over mesquite on their outdoor, Argentinian-style grill. (Capitol Hill, free, through July 31)

10. Happy Hour at the Swedish Club

Every Friday evening, prospective members are invited to enjoy the Swedish Club's bar with its spectacular Lake Union view, balcony, drinks, Smörgås sandwiches and other Swedish snacks (plus a full dinner menu in the dining room), and live music. There's $5 beer and wine, plus Jeppson's Malört, a Swedish spiced liqueur flavored with wormwood known to be an acquired taste ("like grapefruit and gasoline," one fan says). Once you see the Swedish Club, you'll realize that "prospective members" includes you. (Queen Anne, free entry)

11. Improvatron

This free improv show featuring a bunch of hilarious women presenting "#Ladyprov" also offers cheap drinks: $2 Rainier, $3 Fat Tire, $4 Seattle Cider, and $5 cocktails. (Ballard, free)

12. Just Can’t Get Enough

VJs Scruff and Major Tom lead you into a world strange and unfamiliar — the mid-'80s. Experience the sonic stylings and wild fashions of a decade never to be forgotten, with a music video-centric dance party at Contour. (Pioneer Square, $5)

13. Masskrugstemmen: Stein Holding Competition

If you can hold a full, one-liter stein at arm's length (parallel to the floor) for a long time without spilling, you just might win a trip to Las Vegas at this competition of strength and will. (Queen Anne, free)

14. Mobius Jones

Mobius Jones performs classic rock hits from the '60s to the '90s at Cafe Racer. (University District, free)

15. Sara Zin

Illustrator, graphic designer, and painter Sara Zin will discuss her book The Starving Artist Cookbook: Illustrated Recipes for First-Time Cooks, which she created after she realized she was 30 years old and had never learned how to cook, and which includes recipes for things like "manly burgers," French toast and crispy bacon, and simple carbonara. (Capitol Hill, free)

16. Snug Harbor, DBST, Seattle Rock Orchestra Street Band, Charlie and the Rays

Bellingham 8-piece funk patrol Snug Harbor visit Nectar, with bill support from DBST, Seattle Rock Orchestra Street Band, and local pop breakers Charlie and the Rays. (Fremont, $10)

17. Spin the Bottle

This is Seattle's longest-running cabaret and has seen just about everything—dance, theater, comedy, paper airplanes, tears, stunts, music, romance—from just about everyone. (Capitol Hill, $5/$10)

18. Summer Nights in the North Plaza

For just $1 admission, party in the North Plaza at CenturyLink Field with food trucks, drink specials, games from Sound Excursions, and a dance party with Sean Cee. (Pioneer Square, $1)

19. Terrorist, Toe Tag

In the early ’80s, a group of snotty kids from Oak Harbor called the Accüsed put Northwest hardcore on the map with a gruesome take on thrash that was later named “splatter rock.” Vocalist Blaine Cook fronted the band during their wildest years, and it’s that same energy that he channels into Toe Tag, alongside fellow Accüsed alumnus Alex “Maggot Brain” Sibbald and a couple local splatter heads, Steve McBeast and Diabolical Chris Diamond. Their music is raw and fast, and it comes complete with gory imagery, featuring song titles like “Bat Pussy” and “Sawtopsy.” If crossover is dead, Toe Tag are zombies of the genre—back to feast and thrash some more. KEVIN DIERS (Eastlake, free)

20. Transmissions: An Ambient/Drone Music Experience

In a celebration of all things ambient and drone, Transmissions features selected DJs and live performers like Alden Nagel, Connor Will Brown, and Kevin Zhang, to bring the vibes to you. BYOBeanbag, sleeping bag, lawn chair, or whatever you'd prefer to space out on to the tune of live and improvised visuals. (Capitol Hill, $8/$15)

SATURDAY

21. Dooms Day Vinyl Market

Looters Recs is hosting a vinyl marketplace for their launch party at Re-Bar from 7-10pm, followed by PRESS, a vinyl-only DJ night from 10pm till whenever your parents come home. Expect a diverse collection of record vendors, and live sets by special guest DJs Supreme La Rock and Soul One. (Downtown, $5 before 10 pm)

22. Drakefest

Die-hard Drake fans, rejoice: there now exists a dance party just for you. Join the DJ crew from the Appreciation Society for a night of throwing it up for the many faces of sweet Aubrey Graham. (Capitol Hill, $8-$12)

23. Fred and Toody Cole, Topless, Top Down, Male/Female

Fred and Toody Cole are, in a word, indefatigable. Far before many of us were dragged into this world, they were screeching through walls, blasting through graveyards, and exposing the Northwest region to what could be your life if you just paused at an Oregonian club to flirt with a local waitress. For decades, this twosome has released album after album with the same rugged yet tender passion for freeform psychedelia and hard-won punk rock. You want the gritty heart of a regional music scene that’s outlasted each fad for which this place is known? The Coles are it. KIM SELLING (Eastlake, $8-$12)

24. Grand Opening

After there was intense demand to celebrate A/NT Gallery's new space at the opening reception for A Touch of Light, they're hosting a second "Grand Opening." Come check out the exhibit (artwork by prisoners from around the country and the world) and their new location. (Seattle Center, free)

25. Jai Ho! Dance Party: Red, White, & Bollywood

Jai Ho returns to Nectar for Red, White, & Bollywood — bhangra, and other Indian-flavored beats at an all-night dance party with DJ Prashant. Groups of four or more get in for $10 per person, and individual tickets are $12. (Fremont, $10/$12)

26. KEXP Rocks the Dock

It’s never a bad time to catch up with the Northwest acts on this KEXP-endorsed Rocks the Dock bill, but it doesn’t get much better than now. In May, Seattle songwriter, producer, and engineer Erik Blood (Shabazz Palaces, THEESatisfaction) received his second Stranger Genius Award nomination. The recognition followed the release of his sophomore long-player, Lost in Slow Motion, a searching, multilayered reflection on romantic loss: Think A.R. Kane meets Flying Lotus. Michael Benjamin Lerner’s fourth full-length as Telekinesis, the vintage-synth-saturated Ad Infinitum, recalls peak-era OMD in its atmospheric introspection. Portland singer-guitarist Jessica Boudreaux’s Summer Cannibals, recent signees to Kill Rock Stars, round out the bill with their fuzzed-out, high-octane take on garage rock. Late-night KEXP DJ Evie will be spinning records between sets. KATHY FENNESSY (Downtown, free)

27. KURB Street Food Pop-Up

This street food pop-up offers chances to brunch hard, with food from over 30 local businesses, plus art and other hand-made goods. (South Lake Union, free entry)

28. Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival

The 40th annual Wooden Boats Festival on South Lake Union will feature live bands, food vendors, interactive demonstrations, and historic wooden maritime vessels. (South Lake Union, free, through Monday)

29. Lavender Country, Casual Hex, Jiu Jitsu, Big bite, Kid’s Menu

Gay country music pioneer Lavender Country is joined by local groups Casual Hex, Jiu Jitsu, Big Bite, and Kid's Menu for an all-ages show at Fusion. (Downtown, $8/$10)

30. Medusa’s Maidens

Medusa's Maidens brings their burlesque sideshow act to the Highline this July. They've got performances from Billy the Fridge, Hurricane KIMM, Lyrik Allure, and many more, play piercings by Jake Bradley, and everything you want to freak you out and turn you on. (Capitol Hill, $10/$12)

31. 'Merica Night

For Fourth of July, Jet City Improv's weekly comedy show will be appropriately America-themed, with cheap cans of "America" beer available, patriotic improv games, a (simulated) indoor fireworks show, and "star-spangled prizes" if you have the best suggestions. And, if you show up in a sleeveless or otherwise "truly 'Merican" shirt, you'll get $1 off every drink and snack purchase. (University District, $10-$18)

32. Piston Ready, Jodie Watts, LoudMotor

Steel yourself for an night of good old rock and roll from Piston Ready, Jodie Watts, and LoudMotor, who are rumored to be playing out back on Slim's flatbed truck. (Georgetown, $5)

33. Virtually Visible Cafe

This installation is only on view for two days—come down to experience a "beatnik salon" that will feature performance, visual art, and "augmented reality" elements in an imaginative, immersive experience. (Belltown, $10 suggested)

34. Walk Away Day

Let go of the negative things in your life (whatever they may be) at Walk Away Day, where "creative alternatives" and "positive choices" will be celebrated with a festival full of booths offering new opportunities for youth. (Columbia City, free)

35. You May Die in the Desert, Wander, A Province of Thay, Medicine Bows

I didn’t realize it until I checked the band’s website recently, but local trio You May Die in the Desert have been making music for over a decade. They were a band who were always around, popping up on bills left and right, wowing crowds with ridiculously tight sets and reliably great music, but who never quite broke through to the big venues and national audiences. That didn’t stop them from producing two albums and an EP that are alternately beautiful and crushing, and which became more fully realized the longer they stuck together—something like the prettiness of Explosions in the Sky delivered with the urgency and bite of These Arms Are Snakes. The few recent audio/video snippets they’ve teased online lately also show a band who aren’t done yet, which means there’s still time for the listening public to catch on. TODD HAMM (Eastlake, $8)

36. Young and Moore with Psychedelic Rock Orchestra, Eryn Young with Holland Greco, Battle Hymns, DJ AC Lewis

Timothy Matthew Young and Paul Matthew Moore will perform "Bala" in its entirety with the Psychedelic Rock Orchestra, with sets from Eryn Young featuring Holland Greco, Battle Hymns, and DJ AC Lewis of the Stop Biting crew. (Eastlake, $10)

SUNDAY

37. Day Shift: Daytime Dance Party

Day Shift turns up a whole afternoon of partying with DJ sets from Blueyedsoul, Nostalgia B, Matson, and more, outside in the sunshine at Bar Ciudad. (Georgetown, free before 4 pm/$5 after)

38. Fourth of July Pre-Funk

Join Amber for their annual pre-Fourth of July party, with DJs Rocryte and Henski, cheap drink specials, complimentary table reservations, and no cover all night long. (Belltown, free)

39. Free Bike Party

Enjoy food, drink, music, and community celebration—as well as bike-themed presentations—at this Ballard block party that's perfectly situated for drinking: between NW Peaks Brewery, Hilliard's Beer, and Peddler Brewing Company. There will also be a bike-themed art poster show called Flatbike, live music in the Peddler Brewing Company beer garden, a Food Truck Rodeo, the Pedaler's Fair (a marketplace for bike-themed goods) and the Ballard Brewery Festival, during which attendees over the age of 21 can sample beer from all 10 Ballard breweries, which will be on tap at Hilliard's beer, NW Peaks Brewery, and Peddler Brewing. (Unfortunately, it looks like there won't be free bikes at this event, but it is a bike party that's also free.) (Ballard, free)

40. Freeway Park in Bloom: A 40th Anniversary Celebration

Celebrate 40 years of Jim Ellis Freeway Park with a festival-like day of food, music, kid's activities, walking tours, and more. After 2 pm, enjoy free blues and cool jazz (they suggest bringing a picnic and settling in). (Downtown, free)

41. Loudmouth Cunts

An all-female identifying comedy showcase that happens on the first Sunday of every month. (Capitol Hill, $5)

42. Metaphysical Market: Freedom in Becoming

Buy the perfect gift for the eccentric/magical person in your life—or decorate your home with something unusual—at the Metaphysical Market, where artists, vendors, healers, readers, and more will have goods on offer. (Pioneer Square, free entry)

43. Red Cup TurnUp Rooftop Edition

Party like it's college again on the rooftop deck of 95 Slide, with a red cup in hand, DJ DV-One on deck, drink specials all afternoon, and a photo booth to capture all your Kodak moments. (Capitol Hill, free)

44. Re:Public 6 Year Anniversary Party

Celebrate six years of Re:Public with live sets from the Black Whales and Dusty 45's outside on the "Independence Day" outdoor stage, and drink specials all afternoon. (South Lake Union, $10)

45. Rose and Blossom: Pop Up Bakery

Chef Tarik Abdullah presents this Moroccan-inspired pop up bakery, with music from PROH MIC. Indulge your sweet tooth! (Capitol Hill, free)

46. #STAGEsundays with Charma and Supa Sam

At STAGE Seattle, #STAGEsundays breaks out the wall-to-wall hiphop and mash-up dance hits every month with Charma, and special guest Supa Sam. (Pioneer Square, free/$10)

47. Summer Breeze with Koyote and Guests

Hit up Trinity for Summer Breeze, a no cover dance night featuring three different party rooms, bumping house, electro, trap, hiphop, and more, from DJs Koyote, Tony Gray, and others. (Pioneer Square, free)

48. Tim Stiles (Passion Party), Supper Club, Visceral Candy

Tim Stiles, of satirical hiphop group Passion Party, kicks off a solo set at Substation, with bill support by Supper Club and Visceral Candy. (Ballard, $6)

49. Toulouse Petit 3rd of July Party

Celebrate "Independence Eve" at Toulouse Petit's annual Red White and Blue Bash, with music from DJ Josh Verse and a special happy hour from 10 pm-1 am. (Queen Anne, free entry)

50. Weekend Walks

No registration necessary for these free weekend walks through the Washington Park Arboretum—just show up to look at and learn about plants from hydrangeas to mopheads and climbing vines. (Madison Park, free)

51. Weird and Awesome with Emmett Montgomery

On the first Sunday of each month, comedy, variety, and "a parade of wonder and awkward sharing" are hosted by the self-proclaimed "mustache wizard" Emmett Montgomery. (Capitol Hill, $5-$10)

52. William Austin Clay, Senor Fin, SIC ILL, Fizz Com

Minimalist alt rock and post-punk from William Austin Clay, Senor Fin, SIC ILL, and Fizz Com. (Central District, $5)