This weekend offers up two perfect alternatives to the shopping mall, two places to get cool gifts on the cheap.
First up is the 3rd annual Bazaar Bizarre on Saturday the 13th. It's such a great event, and this year promises to be the best of the three, with a ton more vendors, an expanded DJ lineup, and a brand new raffle for the masses. My only complaint is that it can suffer from some serious over-crowding, and I thought for sure they'd move to a bigger location this year, given the super-squeeze of the first two. They chose to stay at the Dilboy VFW building in Davis Square, Somerville, but they'll be open twice as long, so that's gotta help a bit. If you're like me, and crazy crowds get you down, show up right when it starts at 4 o'clock. You'll find tons of tables filled with random crafts, cards, artwork, and lots more. Say hi to Sleazy Santa and his Naughty Elves, and be sure to stop by the tables of my pals Erin, Audrey, Dan, Keira, and the Handstand Command crew. The event lasts until 10pm.
The next day, Sunday the 14th, brings the 4th annual Punk Rock Flea Market to the MassArt Gym on Huntington Ave. I've never been to this one, but it appears to be more of a free-for-all than the B.B., described as "an all-ages, sell anything legal, mega size swap meet / craft fair / yard sale. Vendors range from true-blue flea-market vendors to young punks with homemade clothing for sale." It's far less craft-focused than the Bazaar Bizarre, and probably way lower in the average-gift-quality department, but given that it's in the massive MassArt gym, it's bound to have more variety (and elbow room). No need to make a choice, though... you can visit both and make a weekend out of it. The P.R.F.M. opens at 11am and goes until 5pm.
