Freeloader Friday is your weekly guide to having fun no matter what your budget looks like. Each week we have a list of 100% free events like gallery parties, music, and films in the park, as well as free admission events like special happy hours, markets, and more. For our picks of the week's best events, price be damned, click here.
FRIDAY
Tiny Daggers, Unguided, Trash Catties
10 p.m. 331 Club, 331 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Erik’s Iridescent Tent
With Vombom, SYFN. 8-11 p.m. White Squirrel Bar, 974 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
Bunside Market
Vintage and handmade items. 2-7 p.m. Fri.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 2756 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Greazy Gravy
With Robb and Mick. 8-11:30 p.m. Schooner Tavern, 2901 27th Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Triple Tribute Time
Featuring Say It Ain't Faux (Weezer), Trompe La Monde (The Pixies), and The Vibe (R.E.M.). Outtakes Bar & Grill, 2749 Winnetka Ave. N., Minneapolis.
30 Days of Biking
The premise is simple: For the month of April, hop on your bike once a day and go somewhere. It doesn’t have to be a big deal—once around the block counts—but the idea is to get into the habit of riding and enjoying the world around you via bicycle. The 30-day challenge started as a Minnesota thing, but quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, with folks from around the globe pledging to participate. Here in town, there’s usually a variety of events throughout the month, including weekly rides with the Joyful Riders Club. Watch the org’s Facebook page for updates on group rides, and sign up for the challenge at 30daysofbiking.com. Through April 30—Jessica Armbruster
Slushie Fest
Boozy slushies throughout the weekend include a dairy-free Mudslide, the Painkiller Hard Slushie, a double Grape Ape, Baja Blast, and others. On Friday you’ll find the Brick Oven Food Truck and live music from Jim Hanvelt; Saturday has the Spring Beertique Makers Market, the West Indies Soul Food Truck, musician Jason Helder, and free Mini Massages from Parkview Chiro; and Sunday features the West Indies Soul Food Truck again with tunes by Terry Dubois. 4-8:30 p.m. Fri.; noon to 8:30 p.m. Sat.; noon to 5 p.m. Sun. Lift Bridge Brewing Company, 1900 Tower Dr. W., Stillwater.
MIWRC's Spring Market
With vendors offering unique crafts, goods, and treats. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center, 2300 15th Ave. S., Minneapolis.
4 Canna Beverage Release Party
A beer collab party with tunes from Jimmy 2 Times. 6-9 p.m. Modist Brewing Company, 505 N. 3rd St., Minneapolis.
Second Anniversary Weekend
Featuring music from The Star Chiefs Fri.; a meat raffle and tunes from Jon Theis, Matt & Laurel, and Grunge Unplugged Sat.; and an open mic hosted By Brenda B. Sings Sun. Heavy Rotation Brewing Co., 9801 Xenia Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.
3rd Annual Book Arts Exhibition
6-8 p.m. Friedli Gallery and Studio, 943 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
Kobi Co. B-Day Party
The local candle company turns one with giveaways, wellness and candle-making workshops, music, and more. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri.–Sun. Kobi Co, 48 S. Ninth St., Minneapolis.
Research + Creative Scholarship Showcase
Featuring a mix of online and in-person fun, including a virtual discussion with center directors, an exhibition of projects staff and students, and behind-the-scenes tours. Find the schedule and more details here. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Goldstein Museum of Design, 1985 Buford Ave., St. Paul.
Into the Deep Floral Experience
Bachman's fills the mall’s common areas with flowers and other green installations. This year’s event is underwater themed, including a giant octopus, 13-feet-tall jellyfish, and a massive oyster and pearl. March 24 through April 7. The Galleria, 3510 W. 69th St., Edina.
Stages of Equity Series: Salsa del Soul
The nine-piece orchestra performs various styles of dance music from the Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean. The event features a post-show talk and pre-show fun starts at 6:30 p.m. Register in advance (not required, but recommended) at nhcc.edu/soe. North Hennepin Community College, Fine Arts Center Theatre, 7411 85th Ave. N., Brooklyn Park.
Matt & Laurel
7 p.m. Steele & Hops, 2800 39th Ave. NE, St. Anthony.
Minnesota Awesome Spring Warehouse Clearance Event
Featuring discounted ($1-$20) hoodies, T-shirts, home goods, accessories, stickers, and more, including made-to-order shirts on Fri. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sun. Minnesota Awesome, 5250 W. 73rd St., Edina.
Spring Music Festival
This week-long musical showcase concludes this weekend with three days of tunes. Featuring Edina High School Jazz Ensembles, Timothy Steffenmeier Jr., Ricky Carl, Rated R Proz, Jordan Johnson Fri.; Five Star Music Studios, The Aftergreens, Matthew Schmitz, If Nothing Else, and Mavy Ho Sat.; and CFW Presents, Venus Yevu, abbey, Aldo, and Adam Bohanan Sun. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fri.-Sun. Mall of America – Huntington Bank Rotunda.
Friday Night Open Mic
21+. 10 p.m. The Comedy Corner Underground, 1501 S. Washington Ave., Minneapolis.
SATURDAY
Open Loop 2024: Lay of the Land
Meet guest juror Alexandra Beaumont at Form + Content Gallery for a juror’s walk and talk featuring artwork at three pop-up locations: Natreum North Loop, Player’s Café, and the Hewing Hotel Lounge. 2-4 p.m. Form + Content Gallery, 201 N. Second St., Minneapolis.
Queer Career Resource Fair
Featuring community networking, resume reviews, career resources, access to our zero cost gender affirming clothing, and more. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Twin Cities Pride, 1618 Harmon Place, Minneapolis.
Third Anniversary Burger Bash
In February, in these very digital pages, our intrepid burg reporter Jay Boller explored the trend of buzzy chefs setting up shop in local legion halls and VFWs—a win for all parties in seemingly all cases. One such collaboration found Mik German, the chef/founder of 328 Grill, coming to the kitchen of St. Paul Park’s American Legion Post 98, where they’re "doing nine times more food sales than they were before we were here," according to German. If you haven’t yet, try ‘em out for the first time at this anniversary burger bash, where 328 will be joined by a host of special guests that includes MPS Burgers faves Angry Line Cook, Garillers, Station No. 6, and The Salsa Collaborative, plus Peppers and Fries, The Eggroll Queen, Shoo-Ga, and Parralily. Free. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 328 Grill, 328 Broadway Ave., St. Paul Park; find more info here.—Em Cassel
Free First Saturday: Found, Made
Featuring art kits, activities, film screenings, and more. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Walker Art Center, 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis.
Fraser Festival
This sensory-friendly festival features music, games, food, and entertainment in zones that engage each of the body’s eight senses and offering calming spaces, sensory tools, and therapy animals. Learn more at fraser.org/events. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saint Paul RiverCentre, 175 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.
Logan Park Neighborhood Association’s Clothing Swap
Bring clothes to trade and take something new to you home. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Logan Park Recreation Center, 690 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Earth Month Sustainability Fair
Learn how to live a more eco-friendly life with Curioso Coffee, MNimize and Reuse Minnesota. Do you have gently used art supplies laying around? Bring them in to donate or swap items with other artists. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seven Points Mall, 3001 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Ruben, The Traveling Suitcase
10 p.m. to 1 a.m. 331 Club, 331 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Sammie Jean Cohen
With Garden Street, Total Gaze. 9 p.m. White Squirrel Bar, 974 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
EAR CANDY: VOL. 6: A Live Electronic Music Series
6 p.m. White Squirrel Bar, 974 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
Early Show
With Cassandra Johnson, Emmy Woods. 1-3 p.m. White Squirrel Bar, 974 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
RLB
8-11:30 p.m. Schooner Tavern, 2901 27th Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Terrain
New work by Priscilla Briggs features photographs of two small organic farms, one in Gardners, Pennsylvania and the other in Tuscany, Italy. There will be a closing reception at the end of the month, but you can check out the show, opening this weekend, during gallery hours noon to 4pm Sat.-Sun. Rosalux Gallery, 315 W. 48th St., Minneapolis.
Burning Brothers Turns 10
Burning Brothers opened 10 years ago with a resounding mantra: Take a fucking hike, gluten! Today the St. Paul brewery will throw itself a birthday bash with oceans of grain-free suds, plus GF eats from Auntie M’s and Chicago-style grub from Smug Pug Truck. The festivities will begin with a gluten-shunning cookie decorating contest, followed by a special round of games from Trivia Mafia. Will things conclude with honest-to-god fire eating performance from brewery co-founders Dane Breimhorst and Thom Foss? Remarkably, yes. The buddies learned professional fire eating in their past lives with the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. “Traveling the circuit, sticking flaming torches in each other’s mouths, and sharing a tent trailer cemented their friendship,” reads the BB website. How about that? Free. Noon to 10 p.m. Burning Brothers Brewing, 1750 Thomas Ave. W., St. Paul; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Shredding Flannel
Tunes from the ‘90s. 7-9:30 p.m. Basement Bar, 511 N. Washington Ave., Minneapolis.
Artists’ Roundtable
Groveland artists Joshua Cunningham, Charles Lyon, William Murray, and Holly Swift discuss the intersection of art and conservation with moderator Jeff Soderstrom, Save the Boundary Waters board co-chair. 3-4:30 p.m. Groveland Gallery, 25 Groveland Terrace, Minneapolis.
Colorful Narratives: Three Women Redefining Art
Featuring work by Minnesota artists Virginia Randolph Bueide, Gayle Cole, and Joan Porter-Einsman. 4-7 p.m. Douglas Flanders & Associates, 5025 France Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Choirs on Tap
With the Great Northern Union and the Beer Choir. 3-5 p.m. Broken Clock Brewing Collective, 3134 California St. NE, Minneapolis.
MN Artisan Market Pop-up
Shop and drink with 14 local artisans. 1-6 p.m. BŪCH Fermentary & Taproom, 1121 Quincy St. NE, Minneapolis.
Open Mic Comedy
7:30-10 p.m. The Joint, 913 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis.
Mill City Farmers Market
Local farmers, artisans, makers, and artists convene here. More info at: millcityfarmersmarket.org. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mill City Museum, 704 S. Second St., Minneapolis.
Lowertown Winter Farmers Markets
Lowertown’s pride and one of the state’s largest markets. 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. 290 5th St. E., St. Paul; stpaulfarmersmarket.com.
SUNDAY
V-SHOW Radiate Fashion Show
Nonprofit U of M student org VIIVNCAUS (Vee-n-kyao) Hmong Women’s Group features new work by local designers. 5-8 p.m. Goldstein Museum of Design, Great Hall, 1985 Buford Ave., St. Paul.
Dead Fashion
With Little Lizard, Observant. 8 p.m. White Squirrel Bar, 974 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
CannaConnect Community Service Event
Help pick up trash in Uptown. With prizes, swag, trash bingo, and more. Sign up and get more info here. 2-4 p.m. 1010 West Lake St., Minneapolis.
Fireside Chat at CAFAC
With visiting teaching artist Elizabeth Belz. 6-7 p.m. Chicago Avenue Fire Arts Center, 3749 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis.
Standup Sundays
Hosted by Grant Winkels and Courtney Baka. 7:30 p.m. Fair State Brewing Cooperative, 2506 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Literary Bridges Reading
Hosted by Jeanne Lutz, with authors Carolyn Holbrook, Roy G. Guzmán, Beth Spencer, and Khary Jackson. 2 p.m. Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 Snelling Ave. S., St. Paul.
Everything Ejiji Pop-up
Size inclusive vintage shopping. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cafe Ceres, 4603 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis.
Shades Vintage Mrkt
Featuring 21 vintage vendors. Noon to 4 p.m. The Neu Neu, 514 N. Third St., Minneapolis.
Brass Messengers
7 p.m. 331 Club, 331 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Corpse Revival
3 p.m. 331 Club, 331 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis.
Varsity Gaymes
Weekly event features spots on TVs, beer pong, and other bar games. 2 p.m. LUSH Lounge & Theater, 990 NE Central Ave., Minneapolis.
Fundraiser for the We Defy Foundation
With The 241’s, The Swongos Special. 1 p.m. White Squirrel Bar, 974 W. Seventh St., St. Paul.
