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Some free and cheap (affordable) cultural events that look interesting to us for this weekend in New York City:

1. Street Art – Williamsburg Street Art Walking Tour 2-hour tour, Saturdays at 2:30 pm. Meets at N7th Street but  email hello@streetartwalk.com to reserve a spot and confirm details. $20 per person.

Alternatively: Historic Harlem Walking Tour, Saturday 7/28 at 11 am. $18.

2. Art – Joseph Albers in America  at the Morgan Library, through 10/14. Admission:$12 Student/Senior $8. Fridays 7-9 pm FREE.

3. Music – The Metropolitan Opera Summer Recital Series. Friday 7/27 at Brooklyn Bridge Park; 7-9 pm; FREE.

4. Film – Ai Weiwei Never Sorryis the first feature-length film about the internationally renowned Chinese artist and activist, Ai Weiwei. At IFC Center starting Friday 7/27; Adults $13; Seniors $9. Check link for showtimes and tickets.

5. Art/Food – Check out Big Kastenmann sculpture by Erwin Wurm at The Standard Hotel. Then head upstairs to Le Bain on the roof top from 2 pm on (21 and over) and have a crepe ($5 to $8) while sitting on a waterbed with a great view of the High Line and the Hudson. And of course there’s always a walk on the High Line post-crepe! All weekend.

6. Music – Antipop Consortium at the New Museum. Alternative hip hop ensemble described as fragmented rhythms of contemporary electronic music with the confrontational, interrogative stance of rap. Friday 7/27 at 7 pm. Members $10, General Admission $12

7. Music – Breakout Sessions Music Fest sponsored by Brooklyn Brewery at 1031 Grand St., Williamsburg. Saturday 7/28 from 3pm to 11pm. 10 bands, 9+ hours of music, 4 hours of open bar. $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Tickets here.

8. Music – Mostly Mozart Festival Preview Concert  at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center. Saturday, 7/28, 7:30 pm. FREE

9. Theater – Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim Delacorte Theater, Central Park through 8/25, 8 pm.  Tickets same day in the park (line up early) or same day virtual ticketing here. All weekend.

10. Leisure/Food – One of our favorite summer things to do is hop on the East River Ferry from Long Island City after WarmUp at PS1 or Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg and ride down under all three bridges with lovely views of Manhattan getting off at Pier 11 at Wall Street (approximately 1 hour from the LIC/Hunters Point; $4 per person.) From there Adrienne’s Pizza on Stone Street for a delicious old style pizza pie and a little feel of Europe in NYC. All weekend.

11. Music/Film –Muppet Movie Sing-a-long with the Loser’s Lounge in Prospect Park Bandshell.  Saturday, 7/28, 7:30 pm (doors open 6:30)  FREE

12. Theater – Oxygen presented by B-Floor Theatre Company (Bangkok) at Flamboyan Theater, CSV Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk St. Oxygen is a visual, movement and multimedia exploration of Thailand’s tumultuous political situation from 2010 to the present. Friday, 7/27 through Sunday, 7/29. Check for showtimes and tickets here. $20. All weekend.

Also in Music: The Head And The Heart / Lost in the Trees, at Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn. Friday 7/27, 7:30 (doors open 6:30)

Also in Film: NewFest 2012 at Lincoln Center. NY’s premier LGBT Film Festival. Check for showtimes and tickets. Tickets $12 for members; $14 General Admission. All weekend.

Olympics 2012: Okay, so it’s more of a sports event than a cultural one, but you can watch the opening ceremonies surrounded by others at Big Screen Plaza, at the Eventi Hotel, (851 Sixth Avenue  at 30th St) tonight Friday 7/27, 7-11:30 pm. FREE.

For more ongoing summer weekend suggestions (i.e. The Clock at Lincoln Center, Yayoi Kusama Retrospective at the Whitney and more) see our previous Culture on the Cheap posts here and here. Also: check back throughout the weekend for possible updates. Also, also: feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.