The third National Plug-In Day could be the biggest ever.

Thus far, a total of 93 cities are slated to take part in this weekend's event, which was created to educate the public on the benefits of electric cars.

That's a 43-percent boost in participation, the organizers say.

In fact, this year's event is so big, it's outgrown its own name: National Plug-In Day will actually span the weekend of September 28 and 29, and it will be international in scope.

Amsterdam; Hermosillo, Mexico; and both Ottawa and Toronto, Canada, will all hold Plug-In Day events, in addition to dozens of American cities.

Individual cities will host electric-car rallies, informational talks, and ride-and-drive sessions to give the uninitiated their first experience of electric motoring.

Last year, events ranged from an electric car parade in Nashville, Tennessee, to a display of plug-in vehicles in New York City's Times Square.

This year, Long Beach, California, will host a gathering of over 100 plug-in cars, and Nissan will have its Leaf Nismo RC racer on display.

Elsewhere in California Charge Across Town, an electric car advocacy group based in the Bay Area, will kick off EV Week 2013 on September 25. Centered around Palo Alto and San Jose, it will feature exhibits and free electric car test drives over the days preceding National Plug-In Day.

Nissan will also be giving away free gas in Atlanta. While that may seem odd, drivers will be encouraged to calculate their potential yearly savings from going electric during the free fill-ups.

Participating cars at the different events will include such models as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, and Tesla Model S, along with and a few older models as well.

National Plug-In Day is spearheaded by advocacy group Plug-In America, which partners with the Sierra Club, the Electric Auto Association, and other organizations.

To find an event near you, search by ZIP code on National Plug-In Day's events page.

So if you don't have plans this weekend, or just want to see why people are making such a fuss over electric cars, check out your local National Plug-In Day festivities.

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