Cheap$kate: FREE events in NYC this weekend

Fourth Annual Marco Polo Festival
Celebrate the melding of Italian and Chinese culture at the crossroads of Chinatown and Little Italy this week. Head down to Hester Street on Saturday to enjoy traditional Chinese and Italian Opera, folk dances, contemporary instrumental performances, acrobatics and more. (Saturday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., FREE, procession begins at 62 Mott St., performances on Hester St. Stage between Mott and Mulberry sts., twobridges .org)

Book talk

Jeffrey Toobin and Anderson Cooper
Did you hear we're having an election in a couple weeks? We're sure Jeffrey Toobin, a legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker, will have a lot to discuss as he chats with Anderson Cooper about his new book, "The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court." (Thursday, 6 p.m., FREE, Barnes & Noble Union Square,33 E. 17th St., bn.com)