Dust off those cheap skates, boys and girls, and while you’re at it, sharpen the blades: Cheapskate’s guide to Boston is back. If you’re looking for ways to fill your time between finals (because who’s still in the mood to study now?) or in the area during the winter holiday, here’s a way to take a break without breaking the bank.
There are a few regular events for a bored college student looking to do nothing but mingle with other bored college students. Every Tuesday night, the Boston Common Frog pond hosts College Night, a two-buck special for those with the college ID.
Meanwhile, in Cambridge, the Middlesex Lounge offers plenty of no-cover events over the course of winter break, from a Redditor meet-up on December 19 to a Gettin’ Weird Art and Rock show on December 21.
This Saturday, December 17, Newbury Yarns will be hosting a grand re-opening party in the form of a vintage fashion show. The event begins at 2:00pm at their location at 168 Newbury Street, and will feature 1980s fashions.
On Sunday, December 18, Boston Food Swap and Space with a Soul will be hosting the Boston Cookie Swap. Tickets are free for bakers and swappers, but $20 for tasters and donors. If that wasn’t good enough, for every cookie swapped, the Glad to Give campaign will donate 10 cents to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. As a general note, the Boston Food Swap frequently hosts events at the Space with a Soul, so be sure to check the food swap’s blog for updates.
In JP, the Friends of Jamaica Pond rings in Winter Solstice the old-fashioned way: with cider, haikus, and bird watching. Whether any of that conforms to actual tradition is not clear, but considering the event and cider are free and the fact that there will be a Frederick Law Olmstead impersonator makes it all pretty tempting. If the weather is fair, head down to Jamaica pond for this celebration, from 1pm-3pm.
Now that Occupy Boston is pretty much broken up, there seem to be fewer and fewer opportunities to move through the streets in a large group, vocalizing at the top of your lungs. Thankfully, ’tis the season for caroling, which is kind of like a protest march, but with more singing and smiling. This Sunday, the Boston Merry Christmas Caroling Mob takes it to the streets to spread cheer and harmonies. They meet at the Forest Hills T-stop at 4pm.
If you’re looking for an evening out on the cheap, the Oberon in Cambridge has got you covered. Each month the theater celebrates emerging local talent in their “New Works Series.” This Monday, December 19, the play is Little Black Topsy and the Magical White Fairy Soap. It combines theater and performance art in a story about youth, beauty, gender and race. Admission is free, and doors open at 7:30, with the show starting at 8.
This next one might not be college student cheap, per se, but for the number of evenst it can potentially get you into, it’s a bargain. The First Night Button is just $15, and can get you into numerous events on and around New Years’. It will get you into the MFA, ICA, American Repertory Theater, Museum of Science, Improv Boston, the Boston Ballet, and Boston Poetry Slam. The Boston University Theater will be hosting two of these events: first is Jim Lauletta, a stand-up comedian preforming from 8 to 9. From 9:30 to 11, storyteller Mike Daisy recites on the same stage. The night’s final event is free to anyone who can see it: a fireworks display over Boston Harbor.
