No Money Weekend

It's a long weekend, which is one extra day free to spend all the money you don't have - so you're going to have to find ways to cut some corners. Actually no you're not, because we already found them for you. 

SYDNEY

MAN OH MANLY

Fancy a nice seaside picnic but CBF making up a picnic? Manly’s World Food Markets, on the grassed area opposite Manly Wharf, are an awesome place to grab platefuls of cheap international fare (Pizza! Thai! Nepalese! Viet Yum! Cuban! Turkish!), then spread your rug under the fig trees to enjoy your bounty. - Dani

When & Where: Friday nights until Mar 27, 5pm – 9pm, Manly Council Chambers, 1 Belgrave Street, Manly. Free entry.

FREE FLICKS IN PARKS

What the title says. The City Ryde chucks up a series of films in parks in their area across summer, and there’s light refreshments available too, or BYO. This Friday, hang out with The Dude at a screening of The Big Lebowski at Macquarie University, then bring the kids you’re babysitting along to Roald Dahl’s Matilda on Saturday at Yamble Reserve. There’s no seats (it’s a park, duh) so bring along a rug or chairs/pillows to sit on. - Dani

When & Where: Friday Feb 27, 8pm, Lakeside Lawn, Gymnasium Road, Macquarie University. Saturday Feb 28, 8pm, Yamble Reserve, Quarry Road, Ryde.

FREE ICE-CREAM POP TARTS

Growing up, pop-tarts were the ultimate forbidden-by-Mum food vice (coming in at a close second was Fruit Loops). If your Pop Tart less childhood still haunts you in the same way it haunts me, you might like to know that Pop Tarts are capitalising on summeriness and beachiness and going around Sydney beaches in a caravan right now and handing out Pop Tart ice cream sandwiches. For FREE. Address below. Walk, don’t run – you’re a grown up now, remember. – Dani

When & Where: Follow @poptartsau on Instagram for daily announcement of pop-up locations – you gotta follow them to claim your pop cream, too.

PARAMOUNT ORGANICS 

Live in the city and fed up of going to Moore Park Farmers’s Market? Lets be real: Fox Studios is such a weird place – you’re better off heading to Surry Hills. Every Saturday the Collective Harvest Farmers Market put up shop on top of the Paramount Building. Everything changes each Saturday depending on the farms that the market are working with. So one week it could be fresh bread, the next, juicy-as-hell tomatoes. The options are limitless and you can even have breakfast there, or order a bag ahead if you’re in a rush. Or that organized. - Liam

When & Where: Sat Feb 28 9:30-1:30pm. The Paramount Building, 53-55 Brisbane St, Surry Hills. 

EXPRESS ART

Most of us couldn’t wait for Year 12 to end. But there is some seriously good things that come out of your final year of school, and a bunch of awesome future artists is one of them, as 2015 ARTEXPRESS can attest. To say that every piece of work will blow your mind is a complete over- statement - the works can be hit and miss. But it’s refreshing to just lash out and see what goes on in the mind of burgeoning teens. - Liam

When & Where: Fri Feb 28 – Sun, April 19. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery Road, The Domain. 

Above: Jordan Abram

YEEZUS TAKES THE WHEEL

Everyone knows about the $10 cheeseburger. Everyone knows about the $9.90 cheeseburger. Old news quite frankly. Built out of the North Sydney coffeehouse, The Roots Next Door have the meaty, cheesy, decidedly arrogant yet annoyingly talented salvation to your prayers. Pray silence, for the $5 Yeezus burger is among us. Swing by on Wednesday nights to pick one up amongst a great selection of local grog, while you revel at the disgust of the Barista working at a cafe that serves up a 'Yeezus Burger' on their menu. - Brad

 When & Where: Wed Mar 3, (ongoing), 83 Mount St, North Sydney. $5 a pop.

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PERTH

GET LOOSE WITH DOCTOPUS AND CO.

The William Street Bird continues to indulge us with thrifty gigs this week, presenting a Friday line-up including Doctopus, surf-gals Hussy, DJ Doepelly (aka Jack Doepel) and our Pilerats boys HAMJAM. Sounds like extra rowdy fun, and will include a special mystery guest who will join Doctopus later in the night. Ooooooh.  - Charles

When & Where: Fri Feb 27, 8pm – late, William Street Bird, 181 William Street, Northbridge. $5.

ART ON BEAUFORT

For some people, a long weekend can be a great time to chill the fuck out, and what better way to do that than browsing local artwork. As a result, Beaufort Street plays host to another Sunday art market this weekend, including a bunch of stalls from Perth’s best artists, designers and crafty folks. The market will have all kinds of local artworks on sale including photography, illustrations, home wares and canvas paintings, so grab a coffee and pick up some sweet home décor. - Charles

When & Where: Sun Mar 1, 9am – 1pm, Barlee Street Carpark, cnr Beaufort St and Barlee St, Mount Lawley. More info here.

 CHANNEL YOUR CHANEL

 Flyrite plays host to DAYWOO Sunday https://www.facebook.com/daywoosundays this week with Melbourne duo Zanzibar Chanel bringing their inspiring union of soul, funk and house beats to Perth for a live show. Find yourself dancing all night with support from Basic Mind, Dee Jays and Al Torcida vs. Bad Chad. Monday Labor Day means you literally have no reason to miss this one. - Charles

When & Where: Sunday 5pm – late, Flyrite, 110 Aberdeen Street, Northbridge. Details are here.

PERFECT WEATHER FOR …

Swimming at Serpentine Falls. Grab some friends and an esky and head down to Serpentine for a day. Only a brief, confusing, 40 minute drive away, the Falls are the perfect place to chill out, swim and have some crispy cold brews. Careful though, it’s slippery as hell in the water, and you should get there by 11 am to beat the crowds and hog a BBQ. - Charles

When & Where: This weekend, 8.30am – 5pm, Serpentine Falls, Falls Road, Serpentine. Find some more info here.

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MELBOURNE

BRADLEY

 Organic markets are all the rage at the moment with Eltham Farmers’s Market featuring an Alpaca called Bradley that hangs out with chickens all day. There’s also an organic market for all your food needs. But really you’re going to watch an Alpaca called Bradley chill out with some chickens. – Liam

When & Where: Sat 28 Feb, 8.30am-12.30pm, 10-18 Arthur St, Eltham. Free.

FACE THE CITY 

What started as a way to help international students explore Melbourne, the 1000 Faces App / game is actually a damn smart way of getting to know your own city. It’s also a good chance to get out of your little culture box and acknowledge that there might actually be something good further afield. It’s super easy to use, all you need to do is go on a smartphone to the website which is hyperlinked below and presto. You’re supposed to use a bike from Federation Square but you could also just as easily get a tram around. – Liam

 When & Where: Till Sat Feb 28, all day, Federation Square, corner of Swanston & Flinders streets. Free.

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TASMANIA

GET REK-D

Start off the weekend by heading down to Salamanca to pay a visit to Rektango, a community-organised music night. An eclectic mix of music and people, where you'll rub shoulders local conservationists, adventurers, business-men, school kids and everyone in between. – Tom Wollff

When & Where: 6 -7.30pm every Friday night. The Rektango Courtyard, 77 Salamanca Place, Hobart 

SOUND N’ SPRAWL

ELECTRONA 7054: An Ode to Suburban Sprawl is on this weekend, and although the not-for-profit festival is pretty cheap as it goes ($40 for three days of electronic music and digital installation art). But if you're extra stingy, you can check out the free exhibition. The DisillusionedJames Gilles. Itexplores the "convergence of the old and the new" through digital projection, photography, light and sound.  The exhibition is actually underground in the cavernous holding cells that lie below Hobart's Town Hall, which I reckon is pretty sweet in itself. – Tom Wollff

 When & Where:  Sat Feb 28 + Sun Mar 1, 10am - 6pm. Underground, Hobart Town Hall, Macquarie Street, Hobart CBD (entrance via Elizabeth St). Free exhibition, festival $40.

TAKE A HIKE

Sweat out that Sunday morning hangover with a walk in the Wellington Park Reserve. Whether you take the route below Kunanyi's (Mt Wellington) famed organ pipes, or a more peaceful (and less strenuous) stroll through the Fern Glade track, it’s a hell of a lot better than sitting in bed feeling sorry for yourself. You might even spot a few of the 12 birds endemic to Tasmania (i.e. you won't see them anywhere else in the world). – Tom Wollff

When & Where: All weekend, check out www.metrotas.com.au if you don't have a car, or be even more of a cheapskate and hitch a ride. 

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NEW ZEALAND

FREE THE SHEEP

Chinese New Year has come around the corner and what better way to celebrate than letting off a bit of fire. Visually enticing, and totally delicious, this fun, friendly and fit for everyone event will be sure to go off with a bang. Right in the heart of the city, how about taking a stroll through the gardens you’ve been meaning to visit? You could bring your bike or rollerblades to help you get around all of the stalls. And if that isn’t enough for you, how about joining in the shenanigans and creating lantern for your New Year? This is, after all, not going to break the bank. - Georgina

When & Where: Friday 27^th – Sunday 1^st March, Albert Park, Princes Street, Auckland. Free entry. 

AWESOME TAPES

Fresh from hosting St Jerome’s Laneway, Silo Park continues to pump out the international line-ups. ‘World Together’ boasts a diverse range of artists including Weird Together (NZ), Awesome Tapes From Africa (US), Lewis Cancut (AU) Courtesy (DK), and our very own Chelsea Jade. Not to mention a few of this lands finest cooks, creators and concoction connoisseurs. Get down to the Auckland waterfront for a time you won’t even be able to handle in the heat. And now for the best bit, it’s free. - Georgina

 When & Where: Sat Feb 28, Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland Viaduct.

RED BULL RAVIN'

If you haven’t heard the beat producing Christchurch native, Kamandi, drop it for the dance-floor, this is your chance! Along for the ride is America’s hip hop real talk troublemaker Azizi Gibson, who will help host a Red Bull Sound Select party in both the big apple, and the capital city. RSVP through the Red Bull Studio’s site to see these hotties heating up the room for a measly $5! - Georgina

When & Where: Fri Feb 27, Neck of the Woods, 155B Karangahape Road, Auckland. Sun Mar 1, Meow, 9 Edward Street, Wellington.

SHARK ATTACK

And if all the above doesn’t get you quaking at the knees, the boys at House-Party and Shark-Week are indulging us in a, bitch you guessed it, house party fit for all the homies. Delivering the freshest of threads to adorn your body obviously needs to be properly Christened, and in true Shark Week style, what better than a good mixture of sweat and sweet sounds from the House DJs, Bay Road Clique and Marek. For $10 you get a smoking good time, but please people, no shark finning allowed. - Georgina

 When & Where: Sat Feb 28, Bodega 101 Ghuznee Street, Wellington

We're currently looking for writers in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to helm a weekly section for their state in No Money Weekend. Send your best 100 words of cheap event copy to dani@pilerats.com before March 5.