March is a lucky month for free and frugal events in Albany! With spring just around the corner, find ways to enjoy the last few weeks of winter with these free or low-cost happenings. 

Week One: March 1 to March 9 

Hannaford Kidz Expo
Location: Empire State Plaza
Date: March 1
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free

NYSPHSAA Boys Wrestling Championships
Location: MVP Arena
Date: February 28 & March 1
Time: Varies
Price: Starting at $12.50 for individual sessions

“A Sky That Sings”
Location: Pine Hollow Arboretum
Date: March 3
Time: 3 PM
Price: Suggested donation $10

First Friday Extended Hours at the Albany Institute
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: March 7
Time: 5 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free

An Artist’s Life: Artists and Artisans in Early Albany NY Lecture Series
“Women and the Artistic Experience”
Presented by: Ten Broeck Mansion
Location: Online
Date: March 7
Time: 5:30 PM
Price: Free

First Friday Capitol Tours
Location: New York State Capitol
Date: March 7
Time: 5:30 PM
Price: Free

Opening Reception – Our Story: Unsealed Voices & Spirits
Location: Albany Barn
Date: March 7
Time: 6 PM to 8:30 PM
Price: Free

Art for All – Mixed Media Spring Meadow Inspire by the Hudson River School
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: March 8
Time: 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: Free

Colonial Kitchen Series - Chocolate Workshop
Location: Crailo State Historic Site
Date: March 8
Time: 11 AM to 1 PM
Price: $10

Art.Work.Space Pastel Workshop with Takeyce Walter
Location: Albany Center Gallery
Date: March 8
Time: 12 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free

Frontier Sno-Riders Vintage Rally
Location: Thacher Park
Date: March 9
Time: 5:30 PM
Price: Free

Week Two: March 10 to March 16  

Discover the Pine Bush at Karner Barrens
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: March 10
Time: 11 AM
Price: Suggested donation $5

Nine Pin Trivia hosted by Typhoid Mary!
Location: Nine Pin
Date: March 11
Time: 6 PM to 8:30 PM
Price: Free

St. Patrick's Day Celebration at the Empire State Plaza
Location: Empire State Plaza
Date: March 12
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free

Colonial Kitchen Series - Presentation: Rebuilding New York's Historical Kitchens
Location: Crailo State Historic Site
Date: March 13
Time: 11 AM to 1 PM
Price: $10

LECTURE: "Philanthropy and Military Families in Eighteenth Century Ireland"
Location: Irish American Heritage Museum
Date: March 13
Time: 7 PM to 8 PM
Price: Free

Full Moon Hike at Kings Highway Barrens
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: March 14
Time: 6 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5

Junior Birders
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: March 15
Time: 10:30 AM
Price: Suggested donation $5

St. Patrick's Day at McGeary's Irish Pub
Location: McGeary's Irish Pub
Date: March 15
Time: 11 AM
Price: Free

St. Patrick's Day Drag Brunch
Location: Nine Pin
Date: March 15
Time: Doors open at 11 AM, show starts at 12 PM
Price: Free

North Albany Limerick's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Location: North Albany American Legion Post
Date: March 15
Time: 11:30 AM
Price: Free

Parade Day 2025 at The Hollow
Location: The Hollow
Date: March 15
Time: 12 PM
Price: Free

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Party at the Albany Armory
Location: Washington Avenue Armory
Date: March 15
Time: 12 PM to 6 PM
Price: $20 includes sandwich and a drink

Albany St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Location: Downtown Albany
Date: March 15
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free

Annual Nature Art Show Opening
Location: Thacher Park
Date: March 15
Time: 1 PM to 3 PM
Price: Free

St. Patrick's Day Celebration: Traditional Irish Music with Toss the Feathers
Location: New York State Museum
Date: March 16
Time: 11 AM to 12:30 PM
Price: Free

Aerial Acrobats (Hawks and Owls)
Location: Pine Bush Preserve
Date: March 16
Time: 2 PM
Price: Suggested donation $5

Film Screening: Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker - Documentary related to Americans Who Tell the Truth
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: March 16
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free with museum admission

Week Three: March 17 to March 23 

St. Patrick's Day Celebration at O'Toole's
Location: O'Toole's 
Date: March 17
Time: 11 AM to 8 PM
Price: Free

Special Screening: Discovering New York Suffrage Stories
Location: New York State Museum​
Date: March 18
Time: 12 PM
Price: Free

A Hudson Valley Reckoning: Online Book and Family History Discussion
Presented by: Ten Broeck Mansion
Location: Online
Dates: March 19
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free

Gallery Hours – Our Story: Unsealed Voices & Spirits
Location: Albany Barn
Date: March 20
Time: 3 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free

Femininomenon Live Sing-a-Long with Shannon Tehya & Friends
Location: Lost & Found Bar & Kitchen
Dates: March 21
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free

Women of Science at the New York State Museum
Location: New York State Museum​
Date: March 22
Time: 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free

Colonial Kitchen Series - Van Wyck Chocolate House
Location: Crailo State Historic Site
Date: March 22
Time: 11 AM to 1 PM
Price: $10

Celebrate the First Pitch
Location: DICKS House of Sport
Date: March 22
Time: 12 PM
Price: Free

It's Your Show Baseball Clinic
Location: DICKS House of Sport
Date: March 23
Time: 10 AM
Price: Free

The Mushroom Letters: A Dramatic Reading of Mary Banning & Charles Peck's Correspondence with NorthEast Theater Ensemble
Location: New York State Museum​
Date: March 23
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free

Curator Tour: Portrait Pairings for Women's History Month
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art​
Date: March 23
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free with museum admission

Week Four: March 24 to March 31  

Special Screening: Syracuse Challenger Baseball: The Road to Williamsport
Location: New York State Museum
Date: March 25
Time: 12 PM
Price: Free

Artist-Led Tour: Osi Audu | The Self in African Art
Location: Opalka Gallery
Date: March 25
Time: 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
Price: Free

A Hudson Valley Reckoning: Online Book and Family History Discussion
Presented by: Ten Broeck Mansion
Location: Online
Dates: March 26
Time: 2 PM
Price: Free

Free Jazz & Blues Concert brought to you by Bethlehem Neighbors & the Linda Brown Jazz Project
Location: Bethlehem Lutheran Church
Date: March 27
Time: 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
Price: Free

Gallery Hours – Our Story: Unsealed Voices & Spirits
Location: Albany Barn
Date: March 27
Time: 3 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free

History & Hops: Women’s History Month in New York State
Presented by: New York State Museum
Location: Common Roots Brewing Company
Date: March 27
Time: 6 PM
Price: Free

Drag Me to Nine Pin
Location: Nine Pin
Date: March 27
Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Price: Free

Outcasts: Mary Banning's World of Mushrooms - A Guided Gallery Tour with Dr. Patricia Kaishian
Location: New York State Museum
Date: March 28
Time: 12 PM
Price: Free

BOUTWELL: Radical Republican and Champion of Democracy - A Conversation between Jeffrey Boutwell and Casey Seiler
Location: Albany Institute of History & Art
Date: March 28
Time: 5 PM to 7 PM
Price: Free

Ongoing Events: 

USS SLATER Restoration Tours
Location: USS SLATER
Dates: Mondays through Fridays, March 4 to March 28
Time: Tours at 10 AM & 1 PM
Price: Free

Archives Jr Investigation Station
Location: New York State Museum
Dates: March 6, March 13, March 20, March 27
Time: 10:30 AM to 12 PM
Price: Free

Women of Schuyler Mansion Focus Tours
Location: Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Dates: Thursdays and Saturdays, March 6 to March 29
Time: 2 PM to 3:15 PM
Price: $7 adults, $6 seniors and students, free for children 12 and under

Osi Audu: The Self in African Art
Location: Opalka Gallery, Russell Sage College
Dates: Tuesday to Saturday, March 18 to April 19
Time: 12 PM to 5 PM
Price: Free