Students are well known for their crafty ways of securing free things, and to honour their return to the city, this weekend seems to be full of freebies. Whether a fresher or not, you deserve the best of the free things in life, so embrace your inner frugality and have a gander at the events listed below.

Festival of Free Gigs at Fallow Café
This week there’s probably been a sizeable number of students returning to the glorious land of Fallowfield with a slightly quizzical look on their face, as Trof’s been gone for a while now and the space has been taken over by Fallow Café. What many of these students may not know is that Fallow Café has made a great name for itself on the Manchester music scene over the summer months, having already hosted some cracking nights. This week they’ve been putting on a Festival of Free Gigs to welcome back their student trade, and on Friday it climaxes with local lo-fi band Shinies (pictured), with support from Dumb.
Until Fri 20 Sep, Fallow Café
, Landcross Road
, Fallowfield,
 M14 6NA, Tel: 0161 224 0467, 7.30pm, FREE, www.fallowcafe.com

Coffee cupping at Takk
Cupping may sound like a fairly rude hobby to indulge in, but within the coffee context it simply refers to tasting. Coffee will vary from bean to bean, and cupping provides the ability for tasters to notice the subtle differences in taste and aroma to fully appreciate what’s on offer. We love Takk, and would recommend a visit there any day of the week for some of the finest coffee in town – but when free cupping’s involved you’d be a mug not to go. Pun shamelessly intended.
Sat 21 Sep, Takk, 6 Tariff Street, M1 2FF, 11am – 12.30pm, FREE, www.twitter.com

Inprint Print Fair at Liverpool’s Camp & Furnace
Granted, this one’s not exactly in Manchester, but it won’t cost much to hop on a train and head over to our culturally competitive neighbour for a day that otherwise might not cost you a penny. Art fairs are great, as you can use them exactly how you would a gallery: spending the day perusing the fantastic array of prints, zines, badges and more without having to commit to buy. It’s well in your interest to snoop out the local talent, and if something happens to grab your eye, entry was free so you can afford to splash out on a treat.
Sun 22 Sep, Camp & Furnace, 67 Greenland Street, Liverpool, L1 0BY, 12pm – 5pm, FREE, www.facebook.com

Last chance to Do It at Manchester Art Gallery
We’ve mentioned this one a few times now, but this is no longer a drill: it really is your last chance this weekend to get involved in the weird and wonderful, playful and creative at Manchester Art Gallery. Part of 2013’s Manchester International Festival, the group show encourages visitors to get stuck in and write a wish to hang on Yoko Ono’s tree, squeeze a lemon over a bicycle seat, or climb a giant ladder to peer into an oversized toy box – all as part of unusual sculptures and artworks.
Until Sun 22 Sep, Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, M2 3JL Tel: 0161 235 8888, FREE, www.manchestergalleries.org

Sat 21 Sep - Sun 22 Sep
Words:
Jess Hardiman
Published on:
Sat 21 Sep 2013