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You don’t have to spend money to have fun in Denver. This list is updated multiple times every week with free events going on around the Mile High City.
For more options, check our Summer Guide, with hundreds of events for the months ahead, as well as our list of activities worth the price of admission this week. Now keep reading for more free things to do in Denver (and beyond):
This week
Kink Scene Negotiation
Tuesday, July 28, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Sexploratorium, 1800 S. Broadway
Level up your communication skills in kink and other intimate encounters through this Sexploratorium class, where Andrea will share her journey re-entering local kink spaces and having encounters with others, plus some of the tools she’s leveraged or developed to help facilitate communication. Register for free here.
Colorado Day 2026
Saturday, Aug. 1
Across Colorado
Party like it’s 1876 on Colorado’s 150th birthday! There will be celebrations around the state, including History Colorado’s eight locations. Here in Denver, the Center for Colorado Women’s History at 1310 Bannock Street will offer a free pancake breakfast at 9 .m., followed by free admission and tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an interactive community art project, roaming musicians, the grand opening of the “Shared History” mural and more. Nearby, the History Colorado Center at 1200 Broadway will offer free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as history, lab activities, gold panning, and the launch of Setting Colorado’s Table: 150 Years of Agricultural Legacy. Find info on all state activities here.
Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, Aug. 1, 9 a.m.
Outside History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway
Start off Colorado Day with some free pancakes, served up while supplies last by History Colorado.
Free History Colorado Admission
Saturday, Aug. 1, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway
Get into History Colorado Center for free on Colorado Day. Be sure to check out “Moments That Made Us,” featuring 50 artifacts from defining moments in the country and state’s history.
Colorado Day Art Market & Free Day at the Denver Art Museum
Saturday, Aug. 1
Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave Parkway
Celebrate Colorado creatives and artists for Colorado’s 150th anniversary with an art market and free admission at the Denver Art Museum. The art market will be on the Martin and Acoma plazas from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., showcasing work from Colorado artisans, and the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Register here.
LGBTQ-Themed Book Club
Saturday, Aug. 1, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Center on Colfax, 1301 E. Colfax Ave.
Taking place every first and fourth Saturday of the month, this group meets to explore a new theme every month rather than reading the same book together, allowing everyone to choose and share about a book that fits the theme. August’s theme is travel.
Colorado Day Bazaar
Saturday, Aug. 1, noon to 6 p.m.
Commons Park, 1550 Little Raven St.
Head to Commons Park for a day of live music, food trucks and 149 makers selling their wares. Admission is free.
Photo by Hillary Thomas
Dog Days of Summer
Saturday, Aug. 1, 2 to 6 p.m.
Larimer Square
Denver dog lovers are invited to this free festival, which will include live music and free pet photoshoots, treats, bandanas, cooling stations and more.
Boulder Philharmonic presents “Rogue One” Outdoor Screening
Sunday, Aug. 2, 6 p.m.
Levitt Pavilion Denver, 1380 W. Florida Ave.
Enjoy a live performance by the Boulder Philharmonic before a screening of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” at Levitt Pavilion. “Doors” open and pre-concert festivities start at 6 p.m., the concert is at 7 p.m. and the screening of “Rogue One” starts at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, but make sure to RSVP 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. Admission to the Denver Botanic Gardens (both York Street and Chatfield Farms) is free on July 1; for more upcoming bargains, check the SCFD site.
Plaza on the Park
Daily through Sept. 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 Street, 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 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.
USPS
America 250 – Colorado 150
Through 2026
Around the state
Happy 150th birthday, Colorado! On Aug. 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.
Do you know of a great free event? We update this list throughout the week; send information to editorial@westword.com.
