5 Cheap or Free Things to Do in Metro Phoenix, October 14 to 16

Going out on a budget? Easy. This weekend in metro Phoenix, you'll find everything from fresh-out-the-kitchen comedy, a quickie history lesson by way of a party, and some serious pride. For more things to do, see New Times' curated calendar of events. 

Out of the Kitchen
When they aren’t busy flipping off the patriarchy or trolling men’s-rights-activist message boards with eyeroll emojis, feminists can be pretty damn funny — you just might not see many onstage. Luckily, two card-carrying feminists and comedians are trying to change that.

Improv players Alisha Ratan and Meredith Howell have teamed up to launch a bimonthly showcase of underrepresented comedians, performance artists, and musicians, cheekily titled Out of the Kitchen. Catch the event’s sophomore production at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 14, at the Newton, 300 West Camelback Road, featuring stand-up Alley Lightfoot, YouTube channel host McKenzie Stueber, performer Jacqueline Castillo, and musical improviser Carlos Clark, alongside sketches from Overtly Sensitive, Ratan and Howell’s own comedy project. Tickets ($8) and details are available at www.overtlysensitive.com. Janessa Hilliard

Bayeux Release Party
This year is full of anniversaries: Adam West’s Batman is 50, Frankenstein is 200, and 950 years ago, the super-influential Battle of Hastings took place. You know, that 1066 skirmish between King Harold Godwinson and William the Conqueror that ignited the Norman conquest of England. Doy.

Author Tyler Button and illustrators Gerry Kissell and Amin Amat have captured the dramatic events leading to the Battle of Hastings in their graphic novel Bayeux, and they’re celebrating the battle’s anniversary with the Bayeux Book Release Party, presented by Tapestry Comics.

The free talk, signing, and party run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, October 14, in the First Draft Book Bar at Changing Hands Phoenix, 300 West Camelback Road. Call 602-274-0067, or visit www.tapestrycomics.com. Lauren Cusimano


Apocalypse Later International Fantastic Film Festival
Discover new visions in horror and sci-fi at the inaugural Apocalypse Later International Fantastic Film Festival. The brainchild of local author and film critic Hal Astell, the curated festival features 18 horror and sci-fi shorts from around the globe, as well as local creations from Michael Giannantonio and Taylor Geiss. The curtain rises at 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 15, at Phoenix Center for the Arts, 1202 North Third Street.

“I chose 'fantastic' because it has a double meaning — all the films I screen are great but they're also from the wide tradition of fantasy,” he says. “There are traditional films and experimental ones. There are comedies and thrillers, things to make you laugh, things to make you jump, and things to make you think.” Admission is $10 and includes free popcorn. Visit alfilmfest.com for more information, including synopses of the showcased films. Michael Senft

Read on for more cheap or free things to do this weekend.
Rainbows Festival & Street Fair
Hyped as Arizona’s greatest street fair, the 2016 Phoenix Rainbows Festival & Street Fair is a celebration of the LGBTQ community and diversity in general. With 25,000 revelers expected, it’s second in attendance to the Phoenix Pride Festival in April.

Presented by Phoenix Pride and PetSmart, the free festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 15, and Sunday, October 16, in Heritage Square Park, 113 North Sixth Street. The fest features 150 exhibitors, sponsors, and food vendors, two stages of live entertainment, and the second annual Phoenix Pet Pride.

Garage parking is available, though there are two light rail stops conveniently located nearby at Third and Jefferson streets and Third and Washington streets. For more details, call 602-277-7433 or visit phoenixpride.org. Lauren Cusimano

Fall Plant Sale
This just in, guys: Native desert plants are so much more than prickly cacti that resemble enraged Pokemon characters. Need proof? Get yourself to the Fall Plant Sale at Desert Botanical Garden, 1201 North Galvin Parkway. Set up in the parking lot, the sale will feature an array of yard-ready specimen ranging from delicately floral to spiky cousins of Pinhead. Better still, on hand at the event are experts who can help you plan how to care for your selections — in hopes that you avoid both unwanted spines in your hands and a garden full of shriveled stuff. Admission is free to the public, and hours on Sunday, October 16, are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit www.dbg.org or call 480-941-1225 for details. Becky Bartkowski