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

Another hot day filled with cool free entertainment options. Denver Days is underway; see the full list of events here. You can hit a celebration in Civic Center Park (complete with a free day at the Denver Art Museum), or head to Leadville to celebrate the save of the Tabor Opera House.

Keep reading for five of the best free events in and around town today:

Boulder Fine Art Street Festival
Sunday, July 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Twenty Ninth Street, 1710 29th Street, Boulder
It’s still high season for art festivals, and the second annual Boulder Fine Art Street Festival is planting itself at the Twenty Ninth Street shopping district just in time to fill a niche before August commences. The two-day fest combines fine art and artisan craft vendors, with paintings, photography, mixed media and sculpture for art lovers, and jewelry, glass, clay, wood and leather for craft collectors.

Day in the Park
Sunday, July 31, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Civic Center Park, 101 West 14th Avenue Parkway
The fun continues in Civic Center Park on Sunday, when Civic Center Conservancy and the Golden Triangle Creative District are hosting a family-friendly day where you can discover park history. The Nature & Science Curiosity Cruiser and Denver Public Library’s Book Bike will be on hand; there will be an open drum circle as well as free ice cream and other goodies. And the Denver Art Museum will be hosting a free day (make reservations here), so you can plan on spending the afternoon in Civic Center. Find more details on Day in the Park here.

Tabor Summer Celebración
Sunday, July 31, noon to 2 p.m.
Leadville
Want to get out of the city? The Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation is hosting a Tabor Summer Celebración, with a free block party complete with live entertainment in front of the legendary building. At 2 p.m., the festival moves inside for a benefit show, and tickets ($30) are required; get them here.

The Perfect Playlist
Sunday, July 31, 2 to 6 p.m.
Centennial Center Park, 13050 East Peakview Avenue, Centennial
Join the Arapahoe Philharmonic, Centennial Arts and Cultural Foundation and students from School of Rock and Arapahoe High School as they explore how music from classical to rock can energize and synthesize. The family-friendly afternoon of music, food and fun will be kicked off by exciting rhythms from the Avalanche drumline! Admission is free; find out more here.

Family Dog Van Unveiling
Sunday, July 31, 7 p.m. to midnight
Dive Inn, 1380 South Broadway
The Family Dog created psychedelic music history in California in the ’60s, and frequently took its show on the road in a colorful van that hauled all concert necessities up and down the West Coast. “From the streets of Haight-Ashbury to the free concert at Golden Gate Park and all along the beach parties of the late ’60s, the truck was there," says current owner Chris Stames, who bought the van that had been abandoned for decades. He brought it to Denver — which had its own Family Dog on West Evans Avenue for a year — and will unveil it tonight, complete with a light show and a psychedelic slide show. Admission is free, and food and drink will be available for purchase; find out more here.

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