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Meet the queen of free D.C.

Blogger helps locals find free or cheap area events

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There are more than a dozen yoga studios throughout the metro area that offer free, low-cost or pay-what-you-can classes. More than five locations that project free movies outdoors throughout the summer. And at least three days per week, every week, professional musicians and actors at venues across the city play for free for those lucky enough to know where.

How to find out where, exactly?

Follow Amy B. Melrose, the founder and sole blogger of the site “Free in D.C.,” on Twitter.

Or become her fan on Facebook.

Or find her highly trafficked, searchable site with Google.

Melrose provides many options to find the event information she aggregates. For free, of course.

The energetic, quick-tongued Melrose spends more than 20 hours per week sifting through online invitations, e-mails and paper fliers looking for events that fulfill her criteria: the event is in the D.C.-metro region, costs less than $10 and is accessible by public transportation.

And to make the cut an event must be “funky,” a loose term that encompasses think-tank lectures, art exhibits and “Kostume Karaoke.”

“Somebody cared enough to offer the event. Somebody cared enough to create a sign or invitation for it. And I care enough to post it so people know about it,” Melrose said in an interview. Melrose is in her mid-30s and works part-time as a freelance new media marketing consultant.

Melrose’s self-described blog “baby” was born in October 2007, while Melrose was between jobs, after a few glasses of wine during a birthday party.

“‘You always know all of the cool stuff going on. You should just start a blog,’” Melrose said her friends told her that night.

Over the prior five years she had fleetingly thought about creating a website that listed inexpensive events in the District, but a lack of time and computer skills inhibited her from actually starting.

That night, after the revelry ended, a friend created a blogger template for Melrose.

“It was the kick in the butt I needed to get things going,” said Melrose. Melrose still uses the original template her friend created for the site, which averages about 800 unique visitors per weekday.

When Melrose started the site, most of the events she posted came to her by bills posted in coffee shops, bulletin boards outside restaurant bathrooms, hyper-local newspapers and word-of-mouth.

Today about half of the events she posts come to her as Facebook invitations. On Saturday, she had 58 invites sitting in her inbox, waiting to be reviewed for posting.

Melrose, a native of Philadelphia, moved to the District in 1993 as a transfer student to George Washington University, where she majored in psychology and worked at the university’s Lisner Auditorium.

She did not plan to stay in Washington after graduation, but the city’s accessible culture had her hooked.

“You don’t have to be 21, have a car, or have a lot of money” to take advantage of D.C.’s culture and recreation, Melrose said.

Melrose compiles her blog with newcomers and tourists in mind.

“I write it with the idea that the stork just dropped [readers] in D.C. and there’s everything on my site they need [to find entertainment]: location, price and directions,” Melrose said.

In addition to her blog, Twitter feed and Facebook updates, Melrose posts twice weekly on ReadysetDC and occasionally on Borderstan. Melrose has also entered into an agreement with WashingtonCityPaper.com for a weekly feature column.

Melrose sees her passion for collecting and distilling inexpensive, accessible events as a community service.

“I do the work, put these events into a digestible format, so that other people don’t have to,” Melrose said. “People expect information to find them now.”

But the amount of time she spends finding, posting and confirming the facts of events has led her to ask for donations from users via PayPal. In addition, Melrose now has several local businesses sponsoring her site with small advertisements on the page margins.

Melrose is also, somewhat jokingly, looking for an unpaid intern. She can be contacted through her website, freeindc.blogspot.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/FreeinDC or via Twitter at twitter.com/FreeinDCBlog.

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Bars & Parties

MAL kicks off Jan. 11 with Bootcamp

Mid-Atlantic Leather begins with party at Bunker

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MAL Weekend kicks off next week. (Image courtesy of Bunker)

Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend arrives next week with a kickoff event Thursday, Jan. 11 from 10 p.m.-3 a.m. at Bunker. Organizers at Kinetic promise a surprise drill sergeant who will whip you into shape. Joshua Ruiz DJs the event. This event is for VIP pass holders only; visit kineticpresents.com for details.

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Bars & Parties

A roundup of New Year’s Eve parties in D.C.

Celebrate the start of 2024 in style

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Xavier Entertainment LLC will host the seventh annual Times Square NYE Celebration at 10 p.m. at Ivy City Smokehouse. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

New Year’s Eve 2024 at Lost Society will be at 7 p.m. at Lost Society. There will be unique entertainment all night along with a journey of the senses through captivating light shows and LED displays, music, and bottle service presentations throughout the evening. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Busboys and Poets will host New Year’s Eve Open Mic and Party at 10 p.m. at 2021 14th St., N.W. This will be an evening of poetry, live DJ, dancing, food, and good company in a vibrant atmosphere where local artists take the stage, showcasing their talents in various genres. The night will be hosted by the talented Charity Blackwell and will feature award-winning poet Black Chakra. Dyanna Monet will deejay. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

QueerTalk DC will host Sapphic New Year’s Celebration at 8 p.m. at FigLeaf Bar & Lounge. The event will celebrate Sapphic, trans, and non-binary communities and feature complimentary hors D’oeuvres, a Champagne toast and DJ sets by DJ Clamazon and DJ Q. For more details, visit Eventbrite

The Queers Upstairs will host Heels & Ties: A Queer New Years Eve Surprise at 9 p.m. at Aliceanna Social Club. This evening will be an unforgettable LGBTQ New Year’s Eve party where you can sip your favorite cocktails and enjoy small bites while dancing the night away with music from DJ Rosie & DJ Missy. Tickets start at $30 and can purchased on Eventbrite

BuffBoyzz Gay-Friendly Male Strip Clubs will host a male revue that caters to men and women at 8 p.m. at Buffboyzz Male Strippers. The event will be an exciting, entertaining and sexy show of exotic male dancers in that will entertain your pants off. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

International Events Washington DC will host the 2024 Black Tie New Year’s Eve Gala at 7:30 p.m. at the Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. There will be free-flowing Champagne, an open bar, a spectacular balloon drop in the Euro Discotheque Ballroom and live bands and DJs. For dinner, guests can choose from an elegant sit-down, three-course dinner with Champagne or a dinner buffet of international cuisine. Tickets start at $189 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.

Social Architects will host the 12th Annual New Year’s Eve Casino Night at 8 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Arlington, Va. There will be six rooms of entertainment spread across three floors. The DJs will spin hip hop, R&B, salsa, Afrobeats and old school music. Tickets start at $60 and can be purchased on Eventbrite

Pitchers and A League of Her Own will host a NYE party with complimentary Champagne toast at midnight, party favors, and a DJ all night long.

Shaker’s plans a drag extravaganza with Tatianna and Crystal Edge among others starting at 10:30 p.m.; the $10 cover includes a glass of Champagne. 

Bunker hosts a 12-hour masquerade ball with several DJs, including Joe Gauthreaux. The party starts at 9 p.m. and goes until 9 a.m. on Jan. 1. Tickets start at $45 and are available at bunkerdc.com.

DJ Alex Love spins NYE at Dirty Goose with drink specials at midnight.

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Bars & Parties

Labor Day sees return of SunFestival to Rehoboth Beach

DJs, live auction, comedy and more planned for end-of-summer bash

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A scene from previous SunFestival celebrations. (Blade file photo by Daniel Truitt)

Labor Day Weekend in Rehoboth Beach brings more than the end of summer — it brings the annual SunFestival celebration benefitting CAMP Rehoboth.

The weekend promises two nights of revelry with entertainers and nationally known DJs creating the “ultimate party to close out summer” Sept. 2-3.

Saturday’s $45 general admission tickets are sold out but you can join a waitlist at the event’s website. That ticket grants you access to a comedy show and an auction where you can bid on six experiences like an eight-day boat tour through Belgium and the Netherlands or a week’s stay in Lisbon, Portugal. Organizations have donated these experiences to CAMP to auction off, with all proceeds going to the organization.

The $95 pass to both nights is also sold out. But general admission tickets for the Sept. 3 dance party starting at 7 p.m. with DJs Robbie Leslie and Joe Gauthreaux remain available. CAMP Rehoboth promises a “state-of-the-art club-like atmosphere,” with new design elements and video imaging.

Visit camprehoboth.com for tickets and more information. The weekend’s schedule is below:

Saturday, Sept. 2: A Night of Comedy, Drag, and Song, plus a LIVE Auction! (Doors Open at 6:30 p.m. Auction and show promptly start at 7:30 p.m.) Featuring Dixie Longate and Randy Roberts.

Serving up Tupperware lady realness, join in Dixie’s living room party and all its hilarity. Randy Roberts brings thrills with uncanny impersonations of iconic female vocalists and cabaret.

Experience a night filled with laughter and song as these talented performers will lift your spirits and tickle your funny bone. And not to be missed: the live auction. Check out the live auction items camprehoboth.com/sunfest2023live.

Sunday Sept. 3: A Night of Dance. (Doors open at 7 p.m. Dance ends at 1 a.m.) Featuring DJ Robbie Leslie and DJ Joe Gauthreaux.

Both DJs will offer an unforgettable musical journey starting with classic mirror ball memories, dance floor anthems, and the latest club beats, according to a CAMP Rehoboth statement. Events are held at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, which CAMP promises will be transformed “into the ultimate dance party to close out the summer.”

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