For some reason, we love to celebrate holidays that aren't even our own. The 4th of July approaches and you're spoilt for choice for cheap things to do on the day that Americans around the globe celebrate their independence. Street hockey extravangazas, street food festivals, piglet racing or even a marriage equality rally are among some of the cheapskate ideas for this weekend - whatever floats your boat. Happy 4th of July!

People of Sydney! We're on the hunt for No Money Weekend writers to tell us all the awesome things happening in Sydney each weekend. If you're able to contribute a written round-up of three great cultural / music events every week (paid) get in touch: dani@pilerats.com

PERTH

FRIDAY FREEDOMISM

Due to popular demand, {MOVE} and their Rhythmatism party return to the WilliamStreet Bird this Friday after an extended hiatus. Continuing monthly from here on, Rhythmatism is a dance celebration in its most pure and fleshed out form, massaging your weekday woes with some elite WA selectors such as Marcus Hall, Roland Pain, Ben M and Ben Taaffe. Even cooler is that if you slither in early as one of the first 50 people on the d-floor, you might receive a special mix CD, procured by the {MOVE} masters themselves. – Charles

When & Where: Fri Jul 3, 8pm-late, WilliamStreet Bird, 141 William St, Northbridge. Free.

THE BIGGEST YET

Hockeyfest IV is this Saturday, featuring some big ol’ hockey games (e.g. Canley Cup Playoffs) plus a huge local all-star line-up including Pilerats label children HamJam and Catlips, as well as Char Kway Palz, Doctopus, Jamyang, Jeff Howard, Bowser the Destroyer of Worlds and DJ Tony Yotzi. Don’t forget to stick around for the post-match rave on the rink featuring Aslan. This ain’t super cheap, but you can’t turn down A+ hockey action and groovy tunas. Pilerats recently did a photography feature on the SRHL when they went on a Tour de Fridge around Perth, featuring bloodied kneecaps and many Export cans. Have a look here. – Charles

When & Where: Sat Jul 4, 3-11. Perth SpeedDome, Eddie Barron Dve, Midland. $22 tickets on sale now via Ticketmaster.

Above: SRHL Tour de Fridge (credit: Perry McLaughlan)

VARSITY BOWL III

Varsity Bar hosts what one might call a more traditional 4^th of July party this Saturday. Varsity’s 3^rd annual 4^th of July party is going to be big, taking over the entire Broadway shopping complex in Nedlands, with American vibes a’plenty. Get on the Buds and watch Perth’s one and only Drumline marching band (featuring the Thunder Corps), who will be playing classic US Marching band hits, as well as some Beyonce and Daft Punk material, from 7.30pm in the courtyard. And if you’ve never been to Varsity before, then be warned – their American menu is fingerlickin’ good. - Charles

When & Where: Sat Jul 4, 11am – late. Varsity Bar, 88 Broadway, Crawley-Nedlands. Free entry.

CHOCOLATE JESUS FT. ‘MURICA
Exams are over and you’re spoilt for choice with 4^th of July celebrations this weekend. So if you frequent the Choccy Jesus regularly then this week is a night you’ll not want to miss out on. The Chocolate Jesus 4^th of July Party will feature cheap ‘murican drinks (think PBR Jumbo cans, Coors and Bud) as well as special tunas all night from special guests JCAL x PHO, and DJ’s Benji, Nick Brady, Dr Space and Blake Hammersley. Hotdogs in the laneway and possibly amateur fireworks (maybe not???) sounds pretty baller. Arrive early. – Charles

When & Where: Sat Jul 4, 8.30 – 1am. The Good Shepherd, Newcastle St, Leederville. $10 entry.

TEN CLAMS FOR TEN/TEN JAMS

The Rosemount Hotel is going off this Friday when Pilerats label fellas HamJam join Pond guitar man Shiny Joe Ryan (aka Joe Ryan) for an evening of slippery freestylin’ garage jams. Joe Ryan has gone around the world with Tame Impala as a visuals man and he shreds out the psychedelic guitar rhythms of Pond – let’s face it, this dude knows what he’s doing and isn’t going to disappoint. Along with Alzabo, Wheelers of Oz and the very excellent and very unorthodox Cool Band, you’d be mad not to shake out the week’s stress at this show. Indulge in the gooey vibes of this 10/10 line-up at the old faithful Rosie for a mere $10 entry on the door. – Charles

When & Where: Fri Jul 3, 8pm-late. The Rosemount Hotel, 459 Fitzgerald St, North Perth. $10 entry.

Above: Joe Ryan

NO MORE SLACKTIVISM PLS

Under normal circumstances, an activist political rally doesn’t sound like an overly fun or fulfilling thing to do. But if you’ve managed to rainbow up your profile picture on Facebook and you genuinely care about this country following in the footsteps of the Obama government and saying YES to marriage equality, then here’s your chance to make a contribution. Go to the Marriage Equality rally and have a voice – there really is no better time than now to call for marriage equality in this country before it gets swept under the couch and people stop giving a shit. Other than your precious hungover weekend time and the potential purchase of a rainbow coloured banner/tights, this event isn’t going to cost you a thing. – Charles

When & Where: Sun Jul 5, 1pm, Russell Square, Cnr Shenton and James St, Northbridge.

Above: Love in Perth, Rally for Marriage Equality

SYDNEY

TOY STORIES

It’s always good to throw back to the good old days, when life was as simple as pushing a model car around or what your imagination could form out of a bunch of Lego bricks (until you trod on one and wanted to burn the whole of Denmark to the ground). Residents of Penrith and beyond will get to relive these good times on Sunday, as the Collectormania Toy Fair descends upon the town. This could perhaps be Australia’s biggest toy fair, so it’s definitely worth a look. – Brad

When & Where: Sunday July 4, 9am. Panthers Penrith, Mulgoa Rd, Penrith. Free.

COCOA LOCO

Man, good vibes are just raining on the Blue Mountains this weekend, aren’t they? I guess they need some solid events to entice people to brave the hypothermic weather conditions, and the following two words I have to say don’t come more enticing: Chocolate Festival. Remember that Simpsons episode where Homer goes to the Land of Chocolate? Yeah. Basically that. Have fun! – Brad

When & Where: Fri July 3-Sun July 4. All over the Blue Mountains. Check the Website.. Free.

Above: Chocolate Festival

ASK YEEVS

The western folk can’t have all the fun. And fuck yeah dude, who doesn’t like warehouse gigs? The remarkably generous lads from YEEVS are throwing their own tribute to the glory days when bands grew cult followings out of industrial estates. Their good friends NOIRE and JODY are along for the ride as well. It’s a free gig in a warehouse. What more do you want? – Brad

When & Where: Sat July 4, 8pm. 33 Stevens Lane, Marrickville. Free.

SUNDAY SLURPING

Soup Group is a pop-up dining experience, where you can thaw out with friends over a hot bowl of gourmet soup, cooked by chefs Matt Gollan, Jakob Dolan and Robert Watson, while listening to live music from local Sydney bands. The boys usually cook up 100L of soup and extend the invitation for friends, friends of friends, and passers by, to share in the soupy goodness. Produce is locally sourced and any leftovers go to Oz Harvest. The soup changes each week – you might get Potato and Leek, Pho, lamb, pumpkin or whatever the boys dream up. Head along and equip your shattered post-weekend body with nutrition and sustenance! - Dani

When & Where: Workshop, Cnr Cleveland & Eveleigh Streets, Chippendale, $10 donation for soup with proceeds going towards ingredients / keeping Soup Group running.

Above: Soup Group creations

PARTY IN THE PARK

NAIDOC hosts a week of celebrations every July honouring the culture and traditions of Indigenous and Torres Strait Island Australians. There’s a big ol’ one-day festival happening on Monday at Sydney's Hyde Park: live music, food stalls, performances, live art, a marketplace, Indigenous urban dance workshops and a smoking ceremony. Get around it – sounds like a fun day as a well as a chance to improve your cultural understanding. - Dani

When & Where: Hyde Park, cnr Elizabeth St & Park St, Monday July 6, 11am – 3pm, free.

LOCAL LOCO

A liquor store in Sydney is hosting their very own “running of the bulls” in honour of their third B’day, with a full Spanish themed celebration happening all afternoon, involving Flamenco dancers, food, booze (they’re a liquor store, so expect it to be the good stuff) and a live band. Shenanigans will start in Redfern Park and progress to the storefront / bar. Whether there will actually be any live bulls remains to be seen, although from the looks of things there’s some great paper mache replicas in the works. - Dani

When & Where: Redfern Park, cnr Elizabeth and Redfern Sts, then Arcadia Liquor, 7 Cope St Sydney, Sat Jul 4, 3pm. Free.

MELBOURNE

YOU ONLY GET ONE SUNDAY.

The Beer Garden at the Penny Black is without a doubt one of the best places to spend a Sunday in Melbourne’s Inner North, and this weekend is no exception. Australia’s favourite block party, One Day Sundays returns to this shady retreat for a winter special. One Day DJs Joyride and Ralph will be spinning tunes out back from 1pm. Alongside them will be locals Yo! Mafia and Larrie. Across the floor will be some of Melbourne’s finest graffiti artists in action. Plus the Penny Black kitchen will be serving up $12 Roast of the Day, and $15 jugs. Plus, the Penny Black has just launched their app, entitling you to a $2 Melbourne Bitter schooner when you sign up. Free entry, free tunes and a stellar vibe, this is One Day you don’t want to miss. – Holly Bodeker-Smith.

When & Where: Sun July 5, 1pm til 9pm, venue closes at 11pm. The Penny Black, 420 Sydney Road, Brunswick. Free entry.

YOU GO, CATE GOWERS

Cate Gowers is a local up-and-coming artist, zine-maker, and all-around fabulous lady. Her second solo exhibition, Treasure, opened this week at the Black Cat, and is worth making a detour for. Cate’s work is gleaned from the world around her. Her bold black ink drawings transform relics of the every day – doorways, or the human heart – into captivating tangibility. This series includes Cate’s most recent endeavour in experimenting with imitating the fall and swell of the beating heart, and creating abstractions of the organ emanating energy. It pays homage to the handmade; consisting of free-hand original ink drawings, each framed in wood individually spray-painted by the artist. As Cate gives a heartbeat to objects from the everyday, she is sure to lift yours right out of your chest. – Holly Bodeker-Smith.

When & Where: All weekend, 10am – 1am. Exhibition runs until July 21. Black Cat, 252 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Free entry.

Above: A Cate Gowers piece.

YAH-YAHS? YAS PLZ.

There aren’t many occasions when I have heard of free Jager shots on a first birthday, but how can we expect any less from the legends at Yah Yah’s? The ‘new’ team are dropping their standard $13 entry fee, and raising their hands for a Number 1 evening. The local line-up of tunes includes The Mary Goldsmiths, Raw Humps, Dead Set Ledger and Pentacoastal. Plus DJs Silent Jay, A Kid and Ben Minkley will be playing through til’ the early hours. Free entry, a free shot and fine local tunes? Yah Yah Yas please. – Holly Bodeker-Smith.

When & Where: Fri July 3. 8pm til late. Yah Yah’s, 99 Smith Street, Fitzroy. Free entry.

Above: Yah Yah's, Fitzroy.

OLD ENOUGH TO BE IN YEAR ONE

Bars seem to be celebrating birthdays all over Melbourne at the moment; seems many ma and pa bars copulated nine months ago. This week it’s the Grace Darling, celebrating six years of the current team having been at the helm of the Fitzroy mainstay of booze, food and live music. Honour primary school-age Grace Darling-dom with a free night of music in the basement and up in the band room, along with cheap drinks all night. I/O, Smile, Ciggie Witch upstairs; The Mudge Brothers, Zig Zag downstairs. – Reb Mery

When & Where: Fri Jul 3, music from 9pm. The Grace Darling, 114 Smith St, Fitzroy. Free.

COOL ROOM

Behold, the fourth ‘episode’ of the Cool Room at Hugs&Kisses – your fourth chance to reach dance floor enlightenment by way of techno and house. From 9pm ($10 before midnight), revel in Amateur Dance, Broke Powers, DJ Kiti and Tercat live. Especially Tercat; that’s bound to be a hell of a good time. Membership essential, so you know. Get on that. – Reb Mery

When & Where: Fri Jul 3, 9pm. Hugs&Kisses, 22 Sutherland St, Melbourne. $10 before midnight.

SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM THE TOTE

There’s something delightfully (or terribly) cheesy about Christmas in July parties. The sweaters, the forced yule vibes, the fact that it isn’t December. The Tote though, are mercifully throwing a Xmas-in-July shindig worthy of attending with unironic excitement. Mulled wine and music to warm the cockles of your frozen heart, food by Comfort Steamers, and apparently ‘free kisses to those who arrive in cable knit or with a turtleneck’. Take from that what you will. Scott & Charlene’s Wedding, The Reigning Men, Summer Flake and a bunch more providing tunes. – Reb Mery

When & Where: Sun Jul 5, 4pm. The Tote, corner Wellington & Johnston streets, Collingwood. $10.

BRISBANE

TENERIFFE FEST

Piglet racing. I'll say it again, piglet racing. That alone is enough to justify heading out on Saturday to the 6th instalment of Teneriffe Festival. The yearly event see's the hip riverside suburb transformed into a foodies paradise, with a stack of entertainment, stalls and pop-up bars to boot. But did I mention the piglet racing?! Yes you can crowd around the small track and watch these amazing little animals tear around a track all while chowing down on your street food and nursing a boutique brew. There's too much awesome shit on at this to list it all, including a healthy lineup of some of Brisbane's best bands (32 artists on 4 stages). If you do one thing this weekend, pull yourself out into the wintersun and get along to Teneriffe Festival. - Miles

When & Where: Sat 4th Jul, 10AM - 9PM, Teneriffe. $2 Entry. 

Above: Piglet Racing

4TH OF JULY

I've written in the past about Brisbane's love affair with all things American, particularly food. It's only fitting then that we celebrate a holiday that isn't even ours. Brisbane is going nuts for the 4th of July with all of the American venues putting on events. and my suggestion would be to head under the streets of Fortitude Valley to the tailgate party that Greaser is hosting. Their cheeseburgers are the stuff of legends, and despite my best late night drunken efforts I'm still yet to sample one. They're putting on a stack of of food out of the back of a truck, real Americana style, and tap beers. There's also music and entertainment. My other hot tip would be Lefty's Old Time Music Hall on Caxton Street. Their 2nd birthday just happens to coincide with the 4th of July, so they're throwing one massive party with a stack of live music on offer and drinks being taken care of by the Sailor Jerry and Young Henrys. Their Whiskey Apple is something you can't go past in the early hours while cougars gyrate around you to the rockabilly. - Miles

When & Where: Sat 4th Jul, 5PM - Late, Lefty's Old Time Music Hall, Caxton Street, Milton. Free Entry. Sat 4th Jul, 4PM- Late, Greaser, 259 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Free Entry.

ADELAIDE

ZEITGEIST

A massive cheap as fuck super dope lineup of mad good bands will be hitting the Crown and Anchor tonight. For the price of one novelty piece of plastic you can transform into a whale applying fellatio to a massive penis you can see Child, TTTDC, Mammoth and Black Coral consecutively in the span of a single god damn motherfucking evening. Both Child and TTTDC will be bringing down some limited edition vinyls which have been selling like wildfire so be sure to get you’re sorry ass down for some riffs, spliffs and yeasty beer potions. *Hulk-like growl* - Jonty

When and Where: Fri July 3, The Crown and Anchor, 196 Grenfell Street Adelaide. ($5 Entry)

ABOMINATOR

Yeah nah I didn’t think you would fucking believe it but Child and TTTDC (who I didn’t mention are both from Melbourne) will be playing a second show this weekend on Saturday night at Mad Mouse Alley. This just so happens to be a BYO VENUE (this shit never happens anymore siren goes off) where they will be joined by the luscious riffs of Inwoods and Thanes. I’m pretty excited about this. Child are a really good band. I think they sold their soul to Satan in exchange for talent. They will be leaving to Europe after this so get on it. - Jonty

When and Where: Sat July 4, Mad Mouse Alley, 58 Light Square Adelaide. ($10 Entry)

RESIDENCY

The Dunes, who are a fantastic psyched out rock band from Adelaide, have announced a massive July residency at the Grace Emily where they will be joined each week by a slew of hand-picked local and interstate supports. Boasting a hypnotic and atmospheric sound that is sure to get you mesmerised and back for more each week, that is without even mentioning that every show of the residency is absolutely free! If you like psych tunes and multimedia visualisers or you’re just desperate for something to do that doesn’t cost anything then I highly recommend checking out The Dunes. - Jonty

When and Where: Fri July 3, The Grace Emily, 232 Waymouth Street, Adelaide. (Free Entry)

Above: The Dunes

If you've got some great ideas for free things to do on the weekend, we'd love to include them in our No Money Guide. Just let dani@pilerats.com know the details.