5 Free Can't Miss Arts And Culture Events

This part of summer is the worst part of summer. We're still over a month away from Labor Day, the temperatures only continue to rise, and it seems as if most of the cool stuff in our fair city dies down this time of year. Fortunately, there is still plenty to do in Dallas outside of your traditional visits to the theatre and other stuffy cultural events. You'll have to get creative this week, but these five events are totally free, and will enrich your mind (or body!) in one way or another. 

Lake Cliff Park Clean-Up
Monday, July 20
Free
Lake Cliff Park

Lake Cliff Park is a bit of a mess, and it’s going to take a little initiative from the community to get it all cleaned up. Get out into the fresh air and do a little good at the Lake Cliff Park clean-up party. Do-gooders will meet up at the park’s pavilion, where gloves, garbage bags, and other important supplies will be handed out. Cleaning up litter may not sound like much of a culture event, but what’s more enriching than getting to know your neighbors while making your city a better place?

Movies In Lee Park: The Notebook
Thursday, July 23
Lee Park
Free

Whether or not you’re willing to admit it, everyone loves The Notebook in all its sappy, saccharine glory. Force your sweetheart to sweat it out with you under the stars in Lee Park and watch this Nicholas Sparks (and Ryan Gosling!) classic, or go as a singleton and enjoy a good cathartic cry over your #foreveralone status. Either way, you can enjoy the live music, food trucks, and ridiculous expectations of romance once the sun sets on Thursday night.

One By One DFW
Friday, July 24
Atama (Mockingbird Station)
Free

You may not consider the selfies and cat photos that flood your Instagram feed as art, but plenty of people do. In this first-ever DFW exhibition of Instagram art, gallery-slash-toy store Atama will play host to a variety of local photographers, each of whom will display a print of one of their ‘grams in the gallery. Friday’s opening party will feature talks from the artists, and because it is sponsored by Urban Taco, perhaps free tacos. The exhibit will be open until July 26, just in case you need to check it out to see if you’re missing out on a career as an Instagram photographer.

Ice Cream Paint Job
Saturday, July 25
The Basement Gallery
Free

If you didn’t already need a reason to head into an art gallery and out of the heat, The Basement Gallery is offering free ice cream to entice people into their newest exhibition, Ice Cream Paint Job. Each piece here is inspired by ice cream in one way or another, so you can expect to see some delicious-looking creations to enjoy alongside your creamy, frozen treat. Painting, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media will be from more than 20 local artists will be on display — just don’t get tempted and lick anything other than your (own) cone. They’ll probably kick you out for that.

Christmas In July
Saturday, July 25
Bishop Arts District
Free

If you didn’t make it out for Bastille On Bishop, you can celebrate an even more exciting holiday in the Bishop Arts District this weekend. The second-annual Christmas In July street festival is pretty much as close as you can get to the real holiday this time of year, with its carolers, festive foods, and live performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Local restaurants will also be offering holiday-themed food and drink, most of which we hope is iced and refreshing — it’s still July out there, you know. The neighborhood also plans to have a “100% chance of snow,” which will probably melt as soon as it hits the ground, but you can enjoy the icy cold for a few fleeting seconds.