Free stuff is great, whether it’s t-shirts of groups we have no intention of joining or left-over GUGS veggie burgers, we’ll take it! Vox is starting off the summer to remind you of the usual free delights you can find around campus.

From froyo to free soda

Cupcakes are still trending. Let’s start with our friendly neighborhood Georgetown Cupcake. If you like their facebook page and participate in their daily trivia competition you can potentially win a dozen free cupcakes. Pinkberry on M Street rewards its loyal customers with a free frozen yogurt if you drop by and pick up a stamp card. Also, Thomas Sweet’s on Wisconsin gives free toppings with Student Advantage.

For a more organic, savory alternative, make sure to get your Sweetgreen card to win the occasional free salad. And then of course there is the free soda we all often forget to claim at Chipotle with your GoCard.

Museums, concerts, and…historical fashion shows?

If your interests are more cultural than culinary, there’s still a lot to do! The National Gallery of Art hosts a series of “classic cinema, documentary, avant-garde and area premieres” every weekend. This weekend features a screening of “The Cherry Orchard”-a movie by acclaimed Greek director Michael Cacoyannis on May 20th, as well as the yearly Robert Flaherty film-making seminar on May 19th. Check out the NGA’s calendar for more details.

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Don’t be dissuaded from heading down to the National Mall once in a while: the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial opening this week on the Tidal Basin is a good bet.

In addition to a 30-foot statue of the civil rights activist, the complex features a ceremonial gateway and a wall of inspirational King quotes. The official dedication ceremony is on Sunday, so it would probably be best to pick another time to enjoy the serenity of the grounds.

Smithsonian and Foggy Bottom Metro stations are equidistant to the memorial, which sits in the sightlines of the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials on the Northwest bank of the Tidal Basin.

In the meantime, head over to Strathmore Metro station tonight at 7:00 p.m. for UkeFest 2011. The annual concert features such ukelele big-shots as Grammy winners Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer. If you have your own ukelele, come early for the “pre-show strum” at 6:00 p.m. You could help the group break the world record for the largest ukelele ensemble!

If you’re looking for something to move you more physically, check out the events calendar at BloomBars in Columbia Heights. The arts and cultural center is rolling out a huge variety of events, from dance classes to poetry workshops, for Columbia Heights Day on Saturday. Classes are all ages and by donation.

Image by C-SPAN

Don’t miss the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s annual free performance. This year they’re doing free showings of the Bard’s Julius Caesar starting tomorrow night through September 4. You can enter a ticket lottery or stand outside for the 200 free tickets being given away at the door. The shows will be at the company’s sleek and modern Sidney Harman Hall on 610 F Street, NW.

For the 21+ crowd, there’s D.C. Beer Week, with a slew of freebie opportunities. Tonight, be one of the first 50 people get to the Red Palace on 1210 H Street, NE, and get a free pint glass. Sam for the the Iron Horse Tap Room on 507 7th Street, NW. On Friday, there will be a free tasting of Breckenridge Brewery beers at D’Vines on 3103 14 Street, NW.

If free beer’s not your thing (of if you’ve already imbibed), head over to the Independent Film Series on Monday, August 23, at the Renaissance Hotel on 1143 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, near Dupont Circle. Also, check out some of the free events in Rock Creek Park’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre, including the 7th Annual DC Poetry in the Park.

If you feel like you need a vacation from your summer vacation, here are some free events that will help you chill out.

Put your palms together

On August 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the Sri Sri Center for Peace and Meditation will offer free music, yoga, and food at its De-Stress DC event. The center is located across from Meridian Hill Park at 15th and Chapin Streets, N.W., near the U Street Metro station.

Every Sunday this month, Bikram Yoga will also host free yoga classes from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Meridian Hill Park. Bring your own mat and water bottle and get your relax on.

And don’t just do yoga outside once a week; Lulemon in Logan Circle offers free yoga every Wednesday in Dupont Circle.

Theatrical release

So this isn’t exactly free to start out with, but Riot Act Comedy at 801 E Street, N.W., will let you in free to their Tuesday open mic nights if you buy one of their t-shirts for $20.

Otherwise, catch the last of summer movies on the National Mall with Cool Hand Luke on Monday, August 15, at 8:30 p.m. As we’ve mentioned before, the nearby the National Gallery also shows free movies every weekend. And if you can’t make it to the Mall, there’s always the Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival.

Finally, check out the U.S. Marine Band in one of their many free performances throughout the month.

After narrowly averting a crisis, Congress recessed for its summer break. This “Free for All” writer must recess as well. Hopefully the following barrage of free activities and events will provide you with enough consolation to hold you over until syllabus week!

Artsy fartsy

The first Friday of every month, thirteen galleries in Dupont Circle throw open their doors for informal open house gatherings. Links to some of the galleries can be found here.

While in Dupont, do not forget the renowned Phillips Collection. The permanent collection is free Monday through Friday, with the exception of the first Thursday of every month when the gallery hosts Phillips After 5.

The Galleries 1054, located just blocks from campus at – wait for it – 1054 31^st St., hold receptions from 6 to 8 p.m. on the third Friday of every month. If you cannot get there right away, the wait might be worthwhile as September through November the events will feature catering from Sea Catch Restaurant.

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Virginia really is more than the state where the Rosslyn Metro station lives! Check below for some free activities where you can get your kicks in the Old Dominion State.

Comedy central

Looking for some inspiration for the weekend? Animal House, at the Rosslyn Outdoor Movie Festival this Friday, July 29, is sure to provide plenty of party cues and creative ideas for all those ready to engage in serious debauchery this weekend.

Located just steps across Key Bridge at Arlington Gateway Park, the film festival serves up comedies weekly, all in keeping with this summer’s theme “SNL in the Movies.” The lineup for the next few weeks includes Hot Rod, Mean Girls, Night at the Roxbury and Shrek, with all features starting at dusk. If you are not held up at Dixie on the way, head over early for pre-show games and prizes.

Old Town, new Art

If you are hoping for a more cultured excuse to cross the river, head on over to Old Town Alexandria’s Art League to catch Frances Borchardt‘s “Prints in Pieces” exhibit  before it closes August 1. Employing an atypical, printer’s style display method, this photographer’s work features Maryland’s South Shore in a unique montage format.

The Art League is located at Old Town’s picturesque waterfront, a day trip-worthy location accessible via Metro. See here for other Alexandria activities and museums, such as the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Drinking to Your Future

Tragedy has knocked out not one, but two local favorites. Swarms of nerd-camp-attending high schoolers have taken over campus. House parties are a success if they last until midnight.

What is the Georgetown drinking scene coming to? Perhaps free booze at George this Thursday will relieve some of the pain.

Whether or not this little-known spot will prove to be the next Paper Moon, no can know for sure. What matters for the immediate future though, is that this Thursday, July 21, from 7 to 9 p.m., Brazen Careerist and a few other DC area start-ups will be providing some liquid courage to help facilitate the infamous “networking.”

An additional plus, George is actually closer than Thirds, and can be found in the courtyard that you probably did not know existed behind Café Milano.

Classy Drinking

If you want to see what it is like to be on the other side of the bar, you can also do that for free this summer. In order to entice prospective students, The Professional Bartending School of Arlington, Virginia offers a free visit class, a.k.a. the perfect opportunity to learn enough to impress your friends and/or hot date.

While one class may not turn you into a professional, the School is close enough that it is worth a shot. From M and 33rd Streets you can catch the 38B for a quick bus ride over to Arlington.

Foreign Films

If Gelardin and Netflix just are not doing it for you lately, head on over to the National Gallery of Art’s East Building Auditorium to catch one of the many atypical films showing.

Every weekend the Gallery shows a variety of films ranging from classic to documentary to avant-garde in coordination with the International Federation of Film Archives.

This weekend promises to entertain with James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake showing at 2:00pm on Saturday, July 16, and the newly preserved French films Mots Croises and Bonheur Conjugal! on Sunday, July 17, at 4:30pm followed by a piano performance.

Doors open half an hour before each showing. See the Gallery’s program for more information and show listings for the quarter.

Keeping it Classic

If you want to take the more light hearted route this weekend, stop by the National Archives on Saturday, July 16, for a showing of the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory at noon in the William G. McGowan Theater. Unfortunately, Willy Wonka candy is not included.

P.S. This humble writer may or may not definitely be at the free outdoor showing of Breakfast at Tiffany’s this Thursday, July 14, at the Capital River Front.

Photo by StudioTempura

Feeling like a beauty pageant contestant? Tired of sweating obscene amounts and murmuring “aum” to try to find inner peace? Genuinely interested in world peace? If any of the above three apply, then boy do we have the event for you this week!

His holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet will be dropping by the U.S. Capitol West Lawn this Saturday, July 9^th for “A Talk on World Peace” as a part of the Kalachakra for World Peace 2011 Conference put on by the Capital Area Tibetan Association. The Nobel Prize winner’s talk will take place at 10:05am following a Tibetan cultural performance at 9:30am.

The best part of the whole event though, might well be the half hour long question and answer period that begins at 10:45am. For anyone interested in hearing some potentially candid remarks about Tibet’s future straight from the horse’s mouth, this will be it.

Photo by abhikrama

This Folk Ain’t No Joke

The annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival will be kicking off this Thursday, June 30^th. The outdoor event takes place on the National Mall through the 4^th of July, and then again the 7^th through the 11^th. The diversity hullabaloo will feature live music, dance performances and cooking demonstrations.

Not to miss: Soul Train at the Motor City Stage this Thursday, June 30^th at 8 p.m. and the Columbian salsa music feature at the Al Son Que Me Toquen Stage at 6 p.m. on Friday, July 8^th.

Walk It Out

If there was such a thing as a gallery crawl, ArtVentures would be it. From 5:30 to 8 p.m. this Thursday, the art walk event put on by Capitol Hill’s Chamber of Commerce showcases a whopping 16 galleries on or near H Street and purportedly includes a “yarn bombing” installation.

All that right brain activity will probably probably stir up your appetite, so it is a good thing that you can pick up a discount pass at every gallery for the subsequent “Dine Around.” Some twenty area restaurants will be participating, so choices abound. The galleries and restaurants are just a few blocks from Union Station, so you can get there by Red Line or Circulator.