How to Find Free Summer Activities for College Students

One of the best parts about summer is the amount of free activities that are going on. Whether they’re put on by your local college, the city you live in, your church, or another public or private group, you’ll have many opportunities to enjoy some free entertainment (which is especially nice as a student with limited income).

You might have to do a little leg work to find out when and where these events are, but it’s definitely worth it.

Word-of-Mouth

There are many ways to find out about free summer activities, but word-of-mouth is usually the best way.

Ask your friends about events they’ve heard of, and when you find out about something going on, let people know! Invite your friends, and tell them to invite their friends—start sharing information between groups of friends, and you’ll have more free summer fun on your hands than you know what to do with.

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You can also check your city magazine, local or student newspaper; most of them have events calendars that will list free events. There are many places online that will give you the information you’re looking for, as well. Just Google “free events [your city name]” and you should get at least a few useful results.

Concert and Events

Many cities have a free concert series in the summer, where local bars show up and sell drinks, companies will have promos, and you’ll get to chill out and listen to local music.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of the type of music being played, these concerts are a lot of fun (they also make for good dates, if you don’t want to take your date out to an expensive restaurant or movie).

It’s always cool to hear local musicians—and if you play in a band, maybe you’ll end up on stage for one of the events!

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Outdoor Movies

Another common free activity is outdoor movie showings, many times put on by art galleries, museums, history centers, or other nonprofit organizations. A lot of these groups will show indie movies that you’ve never heard of or older, artsy movies.

Attending one of these free showings is a good way to expose yourself to movies that you wouldn’t have watched otherwise, and enjoy a summer evening when the sun isn’t blazing down on you.

Some groups also offer family-friendly movie nights, and show kid’s movies (think Disney and Pixar).

Summer Go Fast, so Start Looking Now

There are many other smaller, less-organized events that pop up every now and then, as well. An apartment complex might have a community grill-out night, a local church could put on a lawn games competition, and schools often put on free productions through their theater programs.

You can really find almost anything for free if you look hard enough. So no matter what you’re interested in and what you like to do, explore a little this summer and hit up some free activities, even if they’re not things that you would usually do.

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Step outside of your comfort zone, and you might find that you really like something you’d never even thought of before!