Five Things to Do for Free in Denver (and Beyond) Today

Are you ready for Lunar New Year?

January 28, 2023

First place, 2022: Team Wisconsin, "The Digital Divide." Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships

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The weather's getting colder, but the entertainment calendar is heating up this last weekend of January, with events ranging from a very down-to-earth screening and discussion of The Holly to the elevated snow-sculpting championships up in Breckenridge, where Team Germany-Bavaria just won a gold medal.

Keep reading for five of the best free events in and around Denver this weekend:

click to enlarge

Head for the hills for this international championship.

GoBreck

Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships
Now through Wednesday, February 1, 7 p.m.
Riverwalk Center, Breckenridge
The 32nd annual International Snow Sculpture Championships presented by Toyota has returned to Breckenridge, where twelve teams of sculptors from around the world worked for four solid days to finish carving 12-foot-tall, 25-ton blocks of man-made snow into intricate works of art. Their work was completed Friday, and the sculptures will be on display through February 1, illuminated nightly in an ever-changing light display. They're free to see, but the weekends are so busy that timed-entry reservations are required from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday only. Visit GoBreck.com/ISSC for more information.

LEGO Pop-Up
Sunday, January 29, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas Street, Aurora
Stanley Marketplace is the site of a couple of events with real family appeal this weekend. The first is a LEGO Pop-Up hosted by members of the Colorado/Wyoming LEGO User Group, who'll build a model of a winter festival and carnival to bring awareness to National LEGO Day; the model will remain on view through Sunday.

Far East Center Lunar New Year 2023
Sunday, January 29, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Far East Center, 333 South Federal Boulevard
The Far East Center is once again pulling out all the stops for the Lunar New Year, including a special New Year street market with red envelopes and exotic holiday fruits in front of the Truong An gift shop, and lion dances breaking out at businesses at the center and along the Little Saigon strip on Federal. Next weekend will usher in the main celebration with an ever-growing schedule of contests, lion and dragon dances, martial arts exhibitions, K-pop and V-pop performances, food and gift vendors and more over two days. Learn more here.

Ongoing...

Downtown Denver Rink
Daily through February 14
Skyline Park, 1601 Arapahoe Street
Get out and skate in the center of the city! It's free if you bring your own skates, or you can rent at $11 for adults and $9 for children twelve and under. It's open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Get details here.

"Reclaiming Denver’s Chinatown"
Online 24/7
To celebrate the Lunar New Year, Denver's Agency for Human Rights and Community Partnerships has released the #IAmDenver documentary “Reclaiming Denver’s Chinatown,” produced by the Denver Office of Storytelling. The documentary premiered to a sold-out audience at the Denver Film Festival in November, and plans are in the works for community screenings and talkback events. In the meantime, watch it online.

Do you know of a great free event in Denver? We'll be updating this list through the week; send information to [email protected].

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