Summertime and the money is tight? Fear not, we got you.

Whether you dig classical music, action blockbusters, iconic city festivals, or a score of different folk music from around the world, there is plenty of free art to engage in this summer.

BAMS Festival

The 2025 edition of the Boston Art & Music Soul Festival could be its best yet. Headliners Lalah Hathaway, Durand Bernarr, and Little Brother round out a bill that includes impressive locals. On top of all the free music at Playstead Field at Franklin Park on June 28, BMAS Fest features Vendor Village, showcasing local Black-owned businesses, the packed-with-food-trucks on Soul Food Row, and Afro-diasporic dance classes

Boston Landmarks Orchestra brings symphonies to city spaces

Celebrating its 25th anniversary season of free summer concerts, Boston Landmarks Orchestra will take on everyone from Duke Ellington to Debussy. A few notable events include a Juneteenth concert with flutist DeShaun Gordon-King on June 14 at the Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Center and a collaboration with the New England Aquarium featuring songs of the sea on Aug. 13 at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell. landmarksorchestra.org/

Berklee Summer in the City concert series

For two decades, Berklee College of Music has been presenting free live music from students, faculty, and alumni. Since kicking off in 2006, the series has expanded and expanded and expanded. This summer it presents more than 200 concerts at the Boston Public Library, Institute of Contemporary Art, Spectacle Island, and half a dozen more spots. Check out the site, where you can search by venue and series. https://college.berklee.edu/events/summer

Movies! Movies! Movies!

There are scores of free flicks being presented in outdoor spots in and around the city all summer. A few of our recommendations: “Paddington in Peru” in West Roxbury on Aug. 15, a “Wicked” sing-a-long Aug. 28 at Castle Island, and the 19th Annual three-day Kung Fu Film Festival at the Chinatown Gate Aug. 22-24. For listings that run from “Beetlejuice” to “Harold and the Purple Crayon,” look at the city website, Department of Conservation & Recreation site, and filmsatthegate.org.

A Night (or Day) at the Museum

Art is easy and accessible when it’s free — pop in for an hour, no pressure. The Institute of Contemporary Art is free Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Museum of Fine Arts is free to all Massachusetts residents on Juneteenth. All students who live in Boston can bring up to two guests to the ICA, MFA, Museum of Science, and a dozen other cultural institutions for free on the first and second Sundays of each month. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is always free for kids under 17 and anyone named Isabella.

Lowell Folk Festival

Downtown Lowell comes alive July 26 to 28 for maybe, just maybe, the coolest New England fest. Certainly the price is right! Taking a wide and open definition of folk, this annual blockbuster of music features blues from Chicago, flamenco from New York City, cumbia from Colombia, jazz from Montréal, and so much more. lowellfolkfestival.org