Fun and Free Things to Do at Penn State

What’s every college student’s favorite word? …FREE!! Free food, free admission, free stuff – whatever it is, we all can appreciate the wonderfulness of freebies. Your wallet might take a hit with all those expensive textbooks, but there are some things you can do at Penn State that won’t cost a cent.

You might have already heard from campus tours or orientations about Late Night at the HUB. It happens every weekend and is hosted by the Penn State club SPA (Student Programming Association). There are games, crafts, and sometimes a balloon artist will be there to make you a fun little hat. I still have a couple crafts on my desk from going to Late Night with my friends. Don’t feel like dropping ten bucks to see a movie? No problem! There are always one or two movies showing at Late Night, most of which are only a couple months old. This is definitely a freebie worth taking advantage of.

SPA also brings many performers and speakers to Penn State. Just recently, Damon John from Shark Tank came and spoke, Michael Ian Black did some stand up, and American Authors performed. Some artists that I’ve seen with my friends are One Republic, Nick Offerman, and Keenan Thompson. I’ve also seen some people that I hadn’t heard of before but really enjoyed, such as comedian Bo Burnham, the sketch comedy group Harvard Sailing Team, and hypnotist Sailesh. (I was actually one of the people who got called up to be hypnotized and it was quite an interesting experience – you can ask my friends if you don’t believe me haha.)  I had some really great times with my friends at these events and the best part was that it was completely free! That’s right – I saw One Republic for free. I think that’s pretty awesome.

There are also a few other free events that happen around campus all throughout the year. No Refund Theater produces plays and other productions for free admission at the Forum building on weekends. The new ice rink sometimes has free skate times for Penn State students. On special occasions, such as Founder’s Day, there are free concerts, free food, free prizes, and free games happening at the HUB or Old Main Lawn. I've even experienced free prizes and giveaways at Redifer Dining Commons too.

So whenever you’re low on funds and still wanna have something fun to do, there’s always something happening on campus. And if you know where to look, you might find something that won’t have you reaching for your wallet.

Erika Arrojado is a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and she is a Mentor for WEPO '14!