5 Free & Cheap Culture Events For Post-Thanksgiving Survival

Thanksgiving week isn’t generally a time when most of us are able to get out and about. After pretending to work Monday through Wednesday, the luckiest (or unluckiest, depending on your own situation) among us will head home for a Thanksgiving feast with the family. Once that’s all over, though, don’t contribute to the Black Friday crowds or eat yourself into a food coma.

Getting out for a little cultural experience will help you shake off the holidays, especially if yours were not-so-awesome. Once you’ve wrapped up the celebration, leave that leftover turkey in the fridge and get the hell out of the house to experience one of these free (or cheap) culture events. Your brain will thank you for it.

Thanksgiving Community Feast
Thursday, November 26
Kalachandji’s
$8

If you don’t have somewhere to go this Thanksgiving, don’t just sit on your couch with some sad takeout and feel sorry for yourself. Instead, join your neighbors at Kalachandji’s' annual Thanksgiving feast. $8 will get you in the door, and access to all of the delicious food that Kalachandji’s has to offer on their always-excellent buffet, including some special Thanksgiving dishes. Aside from the food, take time to be grateful for your neighbors and the beautiful temple that sits around this East Dallas gem.

La Cage Aux Folies
Friday, November 27
Texas Theatre
$10

When you’re done hearing about Donald Trump and ISIS and all that other political nonsense from your relatives, head to the Texas Theatre with your leftovers on Friday. As part of the CinéWilde film series, the Theatre will screen La Cage Aux Folles, the hilarious cult/queer film classic that inspired The Birdcage. Before the showing, those leftovers will come in handy at the “Community Cornucopia,” a leftovers potluck that will be a hell of a lot more fun than hanging out with your racist, homophobic relatives.

Black Friday Record Store Day
Friday, November 27
Josey Records
Free

It’s probably wise to skip the department store crowds and traffic of Black Friday, but if you’re really itching to shop, the only place to be is Josey Records. Dallas’ best record store will open its doors at 7 a.m. on Friday, and you can spend all your gifting money on records for your family or yourself. In addition to the tunes, there will be live performances, food and a coffee bar to help fuel your crate digging. Each of the five bands playing have recorded a song for a limited-edition 7” that will only be available at Josey Records, making it the perfect gift for hyper-local music snobs.

Everything Means Nothing
Saturday, November 28
Kirk Hopper Fine Art
Free

After all that gratitude and family, spend the weekend after Thanksgiving getting a little existential. On Saturday, Carlos Donjuan will host an opening reception for his solo exhibition, Everything Means Nothing, at Kurt Hopper Fine Art. Explore the paintings, go home and read a little Sartre, and get all that existential funk out of your system so you can appreciate the holiday cheer like a normal human being.

Light Up The Highlands
Sunday, November 29
Lake Highlands Rec Center
Free
If you’re already ready to get into the Christmas spirit, head to Lake Highlands’ first-ever tree lighting at the Lake Highlands Rec Center. In addition to the tree lighting, there will be Christmas carols, appearances from Santa and burgers from In-N-Out. Bring a blanket to fight the chill and just try to pretend that you’re too cool for the innocent magic that is a Christmas tree lighting.