Land of the Free: Our list of no-cost summer entertainments

What makes us happier than sunshine and backyard barbecues? Freebies. And my ... how they abound in the summer months in the Pacific Northwest.

Free concerts, movies, plays, art shows ... even free food: You can find it all if you know where to look. Below are just a few of the events we're anticipating in July — without dropping a dime.

To share your own favorites with other readers, find this story at seattletimes.com and add your comments. If we get enough good ideas, we'll print Freebies Part 2 later this summer.

In the meantime ...

Cal Anderson Park events

Cal Anderson Park, on Seattle's Capitol Hill, is perfect by itself: its surprisingly professional-looking soccer/baseball fields even more surprisingly unvandalized and pristine, rolling knolls occupied by yogis and dog walkers, regal reflection pool actually used for reflecting, kids' swing area oddly safe-feeling for being in a Cap Hill vagrancy epicenter. But when you add music — like local band Katharine Hepburn's Voice on July 4 — it becomes even more sublime. Champagne is drunk surreptitiously out of paper cups, homeless people dance, kite-fliers and makers-out get a special soundtrack, and the pickup basketball games get a lot better. The park has a Web site that lists its free summer events, including concerts, picnics and movies: www.calandersonpark.org.

Outdoor movies

We are hard-pressed to think of a summer activity that appeals to kids, teens and adults more universally than cinema under the stars. In July and early August, temporary screens pop up like summer dandelions in neighborhoods from Auburn to Woodinville. Bring a lawn chair, a sweat shirt and your favorite movie snack and catch a screening of "The Princess Bride," "Field of Dreams," "Twilight" — or something less obvious like the 1933 "King Kong." The granddaddy Fremont series has already started; West Seattle, Renton and Everett are soon to begin. For a long list of locations and films, go to www.seattletimes.com and search "Outdoor Movies."

Farmers markets

OK, so once you see the berries and the handcrafted breads and the artisan cheeses, it's unlikely you'll be leaving without spending at least a little money. But bear in mind there's plenty of free entertainment to be had at summer markets once you're finished stuffing your shopping tote with fresh, local foods. Like today: The West Seattle Farmer's Market celebrates its 10th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with live music, a cherry-pit spitting contest and free miniberry sundaes. To find a market near you, anywhere in Washington state, go to www.wafarmersmarkets.com, or for a local list, www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org.

Outdoor theater

If you're a frequent visitor to local municipal parks this summer, you're likely to hear Shakespeare's verse wafting in the breeze, or a few bars from a favorite musical. Often inexpensive or even free, an outdoor show can be a budget-minded treat for an entire family or a group of friends, and a pleasing way to get culture while you picnic — a loaf of bread, some potato salad, a jug to share and ain't thou swell. One annual outdoor-theater ritual to consider is taking in shows by Greenstage and Wooden O, two troupes that have been delivering open-air theater at local parks for a long while. Both are bringing Shakespeare dramas and comedies to numerous parks: Consult their Web sites or Seattle Times theater listings for details. And coming next Sunday is our preview of the Seattle Outdoor Theatre Festival, July 10-11, in Volunteer Park, featuring shows by Greenstage, Wooden O, Last Leaf Productions, Theater Schmeater and other troupes.

Olympic Sculpture Park

A beautiful, artsy escape any day of the year, Olympic Sculpture Park will become a theater of sorts at 2 p.m. July 18, when a mixed group of wheelchair and stand-up performers present "Dancin' Z Path," a dance highlighting the park's accessibility. Musicians Eric Chappelle and Ela Lamblin accompany. It's free, but you must register to attend by going to www.seattleartmuseum.org (click on "Calendar" and then on July 18). Free public tours of the sculpture park are also offered on select days this summer; for details, call 206-654-3100 or go to the Web site and click on "Olympic Sculpture Park."

Art walks

Gallery walks are free and fun year-round, but they really come alive during the summer months, when crowds spill out onto sidewalks and into nearby shops and restaurants. In Pioneer Square, art walks occur each first Thursday of the month (noon-8 p.m., www.firstthursdayseattle.com); in Fremont, first Fridays (6-9 p.m., aboutfff.blogspot.com). In Kirkland, Second Thursdays on Park Lane showcases galleries and live jazz from 6-8 p.m. (www.explorekirkland.com or www.kirklanddowntown.org).

Seattle Chamber Music Festival

Nothing can inspire a passion for classical music more than an up-close encounter with top-flight musicians in an intimate setting. So we really recommend that you buy a ticket to hear a Seattle Chamber Music Festival performance inside St. Nicholas Hall at the Lakeside School (July 6-31) or the Fulton Performing Arts Center at the Overlake School in Redmond (Aug. 5-14). But then be sure to return another night with a picnic, a blanket and a friend or relation to sit outside on the lawn and hear the music piped into the great outdoors, for free. For the lineup and tickets: 206-283-8808 or www.seattlechambermusic.org. Or see our preview in next Friday's Ticket section.

Concerts at City Hall

Brown-bagging is the new power lunch, and there's no better place to do it than on the City Hall plaza at 600 Fourth Ave. in downtown Seattle. A series of 11 noontime concerts gets underway this Thursday with a performance by kiddie-pop band Recess Monkey. On following Thursdays in July and August, you'll see appearances by world-music band Children of the Revolution; Indian popsters Manooghi Hi; Masters of Lindy Hop and Jazz; a cappella group The Bobs and more. Most performances move indoors in case of rain. For info and weather updates: 206-684-7171 or www.seattle.gov/seattlepresents.

Bellevue arts fairs

Bellevue: Where art and shopping meet. On July 24-26, three arts-and-crafts fairs converge to turn downtown Bellevue into a veritable bazaar. But there are plenty of things to view and do that won't cost a thing, including live music, kids' activities and artist demonstrations. The details: Bellevue Arts Museum ArtsFair is at Bellevue Square mall and Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way N.E. (425-519-0770 or www.bellevuearts.org); Bellevue Festival of the Arts, Cost Plus World Market parking lot, 10300 N.E. Eighth St. (206-363-2048 or www.bellevuefest.org); Sixth Street Fair, 10 N.E. Sixth Street at 106th Avenue Northeast, Bellevue; free (425-453-1223 or www.bellevuedowntown.org/events/sixth_street).

Alki Beach Art Fair

Alki — the SoCal of Seattle — celebrates summer July 25-26 with a juried art fair, music, food vendors and children's art. Alki Avenue Southwest and 63rd Avenue Southwest, Seattle (home.comcast.net/~alkiartfair/site).

Misha Berson, Andrew Matson and Madeline McKenzie contributed to this report.