Free things to do in Denver (and beyond) today

President Donald Trump knocked MLK Day and Juneteenth off the list of free-entry days at National Parks, but he added another one: his birthday, which happens to coincide with Flag Day. As a result, on Sunday, June 14, you can take advantage of free admission to all 13 national parks, monuments and historic sites in Colorado.

You can score free fun closer to town today, too. Parker is wrapping up its annual Parker Days festival. And the free Westracks rides continue in Jeffco.

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

Today

Parker Days Festival
Sun., June 14, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
19590 Mainstreet, Parker
This 50th annual festival in Parker is a weekend-long extravaganza complete with a carnival. Although you’ll need to buy tickets for the fifty rides and twenty food and drink vendors, everything else at the fest is free, including live music on four stages, more than 200 vendor booths in the marketplace, family-friendly activities, kids’ crafts and more more.

Clyfford Still Museum Free Day
Sun., June 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1250 Bannock St.
The Clyfford Still Museum is celebrating Pride Month with free admission today.

Black Pride Colorado: The Cookout
Sun., June 14, noon to 4 p.m.
Sie FilmCenter parking lot, 2510 E. Colfax Ave.
Close out Black Pride Week with food, fames, movies, performances and more. The Cookout is hosted by Yvie Oddly, with music provided by MEANGIRL. It’s free and open to all; RSVP here.

Hyacinth Black Poetry Reading
Sun., June 14, 1:30 to 4 p.m.
Green Valley Branch Library, 4890 Argonne Way
New York poet Hyacinth Black will host a live poetry reading and book signing for her latest collection, “Evolution: A Book of Poems.” There will be a Q&A and light refreshments; RSVP here.

Brews & Braids: Dad Hair School
Sun., June 14, 5 p.m.
East Fax Tap, 8001 E. Colfax Ave.
Dads, stepdads, grandpas, uncles and father figures can level up their hair game at this hands-on workshop designed to teach the basics of styling your daughter’s hair. Grab a beer and learn a new skill. Free, but space is very limited; register here.

National Outlet Shopping Days
Through Sun., June 14
Denver Premium Outlets, 13801 Grant St., Thornton
Denver Premium Outlets, home to over eighty retailers, will have several special events and deals during National Outlet Shopping Days, including Butterfly Pavilion experts teaching about pollinators and the Denver LEGO User Group creating a LEGOS mural with kids on June 14.

Ongoing

FIFA World Cup Live at McGregor Square
Through July 19
McGregor Square, 1901 Wazee St.
Catch the world’s game the way it’s meant to be seen: loud, proud and surrounded by fellow fans. McGregor Square is showing FIFA World Cup matches live on the 66-foot screen, turning downtown Denver into a full-blown watch party. Admission is free; registration optional.

Soccer Celebration at Skyline Park
Through July 19
Skyline Park, 16th St.
This block of Skyline Park is being turned into a free soccer central, with massive outdoor screens featuring match broadcasts for fans.

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 Clifford Still Museum is having a free day for Pride Month on June 14, and there’s a free day coming up June 19 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. For more upcoming bargains, check the SCFD site.

Plaza on the Park: Mini Golf
Daily through September 30, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Denver International Airport
Have extra time at the airport? Activities return to Plaza on the Park, the space between the Jeppesen Terminal and the Westin Hotel. The nine-hole mini golf course is back; the space also hosts occasional special events and performances.

Music in the Gardens
Weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
17th Street Community Gardens, 17th and Wewatta streets
After a cold start to its first week, the sixth annual Music in the Gardens lunchtime music series continues with live performances every weekday lunch in the Union Station neighborhood. Get the schedule here.

Westracks Shuttle
Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Various stops in Jefferson County
The Westracks Shuttle Pilot Program will run free buses from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays through Labor Day, connecting riders to key destinations from the Jefferson County Government Center/RTD Golden Station, from Matthews/Winters Park, the Martin G. Lockley Center at Dinosaur Ridge, the Red Rocks Trading Post, Downtown Morrison, and the Morrison Natural History Museum.

Civic Center EATS
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1400 Block of Bannock St., Civic Center Park
On Wednesdays and Thursdays through mid-October, Denver’s summer food truck rally will return 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 live 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 E. Colfax Ave.
The legislative session is over, but the Capitol remains 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, “We Are the Land,” produced by Off the Road Productions, which is now available for free on Denver’s YouTube channel.

Plan ahead

Talk With a Curator of the Denver Art Museum
Tues., June 16, 6 to 8 p.m.
Denver Book Society, 1700 Humboldt St.
Rory Padeken, the DAM Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, will share details on the exhibition co-organized with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art titled “The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol,” which will come to Denver in March 2027. Reserve a spot here.

Juneteenth Music Festival
Fri., June 19, through Sun., June 22
Welton Street
Juneteenth Music Festival is expanding into a three-day festival of music, culture, food, art and community in the heart of Five Points, Denver’s historic Black community. The event kicks off June 19 with live music; the annual Juneteenth Parade kicks off the next day, which conitnues with a street festival. And on Sunday, there will be the Juneteenth Hop. Get all the details here.

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