Free Outdoor Summer Concerts

The best budget-pleasing concert tickets are the ones that are free, right? FREE OUTDOOR SUMMER CONCERTS throughout Rhode Island are organized by local parks and recreation departments, and they sure beat the price of stadium tickets. And they have the distinct advantage of combining a picnic with live music, which is especially fun if the non-cook in the relationship picks up deli items to surprise the cook. A dozen or more Rhode Island towns hire local and regional bands to play a wide span of genres — old-fashioned rock 'n' roll, salsa, Cajun, zydeco, blues, R & B, and more — in scenic parks and village greens. For city sites, check out the East Providence series at Rosa Larisa Memorial Park; the Pawtucket series at Slater Park ( Thursday from 6:30 to 8 pm in July and August); and the five-week Friday night series at Waterplace Park, featuring a pan-cultural panoply of performers (July 17, 24, 31 and August 7 and 14 at 7:30 pm). | Eprecreation.com | pawtucketri.com | providenceri.com/ArtCultureTourism/