i like to go to events which are free, especially when its gratis status has not come about through sponsorship by a large multinational company. although often as not it is as much of a waste of time as an event where you do have to pay, at least i have only wasted time and not money, and mostly i am just looking for an excuse to get out of the house and to do some walking. making a decision to attend an event based on whether it is free and whether comfortable seating is provided and whether it affords an opportunity for a walk is as good as, or better than, deciding to attend on the basis of a review, or the reputation of the performer/s or director. however this only works in large metropolitan centres : in regional areas free events are just about always crap.