Free Things to Do in Denver (and Beyond) This Week, May 11-17

Civic Center is under construction, but that won’t stop the food trucks from rolling onto Bannock Street for Civic Center EATS; the moveable feast that returns Wednesdays and Thursdays into October. And while the Colorado Legislature just finished its session, you can still tour the Colorado State Capitol, just across Civic Center.

For more entertainment options, check our list of activities worth the price of admission. Now keep reading for free things to do in Denver (and beyond):

This Week

MahlerFest: Mahler in New York
Thursday, May 14, 11 a.m.
Academy-Mapleton Hill, 2435 Fourth Street, Boulder
The theme of this year’s MahlerFest is “Channeling Change Into Community,” with an emphasis on his time in New York. Hilan Warshaw’s Mahler in New York recreates the Manhattan sojourn of this legendary European Jewish composer/conductor, and offers a deep dive into some of the greatest music ever created as well as a heartbreaking love story. Warshaw will introduce the film; a Q&A will follow. Find the full MahlerFest schedule here.

Voces Del Sur at Convivio Cafe: Choral Music en Español
Thursday, May 14, noon to 1:30 p.m.
The Alliance Center, 1536 Wynkoop Street
Join Convivio Cafe, Kantorei, and Guatemala’s Vocalis Camerata for a free choral performance en español in the heart of downtown Denver.

The 2026 Eleanor Gehres Awards Ceremony
Thursday, May 14, 4 to 6 p.m.
Denver Central Library, Park View, 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway
Honor trailblazers who preserve history at this ceremony named after Eleanor Gehres, who bolstered Denver Public Libraries archives and historic artifact collection.

Moonshot Showcase: A Celebration of Learning, Leadership & Innovation
Thursday, May 14, 5 to 8 p.m.
Upper Larimer, 3034 Larimer Street
Moonshot is hosting its annual Showcase, an annual community celebration where emerging leaders from across the Denver area will share the youth-centered solutions they are designing and piloting in their communities. There will be drinks, dinner and music.

Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth
Thursday, May 14, 6 p.m.
Denver Book Society, 1700 Humboldt Street
Head to Denver Book Society for a conversation between Indigenous House founder Crystal Echo Hawk and  Faherty co-founder Kerry Docherty, in celebration of Kerry’s debut memoir. Selfish chronicles one woman’s radical decision to put herself first, and the personal reckoning that followed.

Outdoor Movie Night: Space Jam
Thursday, May 14, 8:30 p.m.
Avanti F&B, 3200 Pecos Street
Avanti’s outdoor movie nights are back for the summer, with themed drinks, food specials and costume contests. This week’s film: Space Jam.

Sunset Sessions
Friday, May 15, 4 to 7 p.m.
The Outpost on Platte, 1635 Platte Street
Start the weekend with free music at the Outpost on Platte, where Denver-based clothing brand “Iim good at this” is hosting a twelve-week pop-up event with live DJs, vendors and beer deals from Denver Beer Co.

Food Truck Carnival
Friday, May 15, 4 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, May 16, noon to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, May 17, noon to 5 p.m.
E.B. Rains Park and Civic Center Campus, 11800 Community Center Drive, Northglenn
The annual Food Truck Carnival returns with live music, twenty-plus food trucks daily and amusement park rides. Admission is free, but you’ll need to pay for the food and the rides; all-day passes are available. Get details here.

Spring Storytelling Soirée hosted by Unbound Authors
Friday, May 15, 6 p.m.
7173 South Havana Street, Centennial
Unbound Authors is a nonprofit writing and communication program working inside Colorado correctional facilities, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Corrections, supporting incarcerated writers in building skills, confidence, and a sense of voice through storytelling.This year’s Storytelling Soirée celebrates a powerful next chapter: the debut of the group’s first anthology and a statewide prison newspaper through Mercury Mountain Media. Donate when you register here.

Paz Lenchantin Performance
Friday, May 15, 6 p.m.
FM, 59 Broadway
FM is hosting a free performance with Paz Lenchantin (Pixies, A Perfect Circle, etc.) offering stripped-down solo versions of songs from her new album, Triste. Fair warning: Space is very limited inside the shop.

What She Wore: Victorian Women’s Clothing
Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m.
Cripple Creek Heritage Center
Melissa Reynolds-Lopez, a founder of The Pikes Peak Victorian Society, will be speaking about Victorian women’s fashion and women out in the West during this free talk.

Rare Bird Takes Flight
Saturday, May 16, 4 to 10 p.m.
Halcyon, A Hotel in Cherry Creek, 245 Columbine Street
Celebrate the return of the rooftop season at rare Bird, the rooftop at the Hancyon. The event starts with hand-tossed pizza and menu tasting until 6 p.m., then continues with pizza-box caricatures, music by DJ Hex Kitten and rooftop games. Admission is free, but space is limited; register here.

Ongoing

SCFD Free Days
Locations and dates vary
Thanks to the sales tax you pay into the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, many arts institutions around the metro area offer occasional free days and programs. The MahlerFest in Boulder runs May 13-17, with many free events; you can visit the CELL for free on Friday, May 15. For more upcoming bargains, check the SCFD site.

Civic Center EATS
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1400 Block of Bannock Street, Civic Center Park
Starting May 13 and running through mid-October, Denver’s summer food truck rally returns to Civic Center Park. Although the location has shifted toward Bannock Street because of renovations in the park, there will still be at least a dozen trucks to choose from, as well as civic booths and llive music from Youth on Record. Get the full lineup in our story (and note that there’s no EATS on 7/1, 7/2, 8/12, 8/13, 9/2 or 9/3).

Colorado State Capitol Tours
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
200 East Colfax Avenue|
The Capitol is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and free guided tours are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check in at the Visitor Information Desk, which opens at 9 a.m.

America 250 – Colorado 150
Through 2026
Around the state
Happy 150th birthday, Colorado! On August 1, 1876, Colorado became a state, and there will be celebrations all year — at the same time this country is celebrating its 250th anniversary. You can find a full list of the activities at Am250CO150.org.

“We Are the Land”
Denver’s YouTube
Denver documented the history and culture of the city’s current American Indian population, as well as Tribal Nations with cultural and historic ties to the land that is now Denver, with the oral history project “We are the Land: American Indian Life, Legacy and Future in Denver.” The project includes an accompanying documentary produced by Off the Road Productions, “We Are the Land,” which is now available for free on Denver’s YouTube channel.

Plan ahead

Jill Sobule Underdog Victorious
Wednesday, May 27, 7 p.m.
Mayan Theater, 110 Broadway
Filmmaker Tom Ropelewski will offer the first-ever public viewing of his upcoming documentary Jill Sobule Underdog Victorious. This labor of love was started before Jill’s tragic death on May 1, 2025, and features rare concert footage, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and interviews with Jill’s friends and collaborators. Following the screening, Ron Bostwick of 105.5 The Colorado Sound will lead a talkback and Q&A with Ropelewski and producer Leslie Dixon.

Do you know of a great free event? We update this list throughout the week; send information to editorial@westword.com.