The first weekend of 2019 approaches. Film buffs, literary types, and arty partiers are in luck as Denver's creative community presents another slew of ways to have a ball while following a budget. Keep reading for the ten best free and cheap events in Denver this weekend.

WRITE CLUB Denver: Just Do It! Or Not.
Thursday, January 3, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Syntax Physic Opera
$10
The first rule of Fight Club doesn't apply to WRITE CLUB, whose members very much want you to talk about the group. A "literary thunderdome" and proving ground for prose, the competition pits local authors, comedians and gadabouts against each other in a word-for-word storytelling showdown. January's roster of contestants includes Mark Tebben, Colin Iago McCarthy, GerRee Hinshaw, Alexandra Concentric, Lucky Johnston and Kat Atwell, with an evening of narrative debates united under the resolution-testing banner of "Just Do It! Or Not." Admission is $10 at the door; visit Syntax Physic Opera's Facebook events page for more details.


XicanIndie Film Club: Don Quijote Cabalga de Nuevo
Thursday, January 3, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center
$5
Tilt at windmills along with Miguel de Cervantes's doomed and demented hero, awash in ’70s cinematic splendor, when XicanIndie Film Club returns with a screening of Don Quijote Cabalga de Nuevo. The Spanish and Mexican co-production, directed by Roberto Gavaldón, parodies the literary classic. Screened with a helpful set of English subtitles and a toothsome selection of beverages and snacks (including freshly made tamales), the XicanIndie Film Club's First Thursday screening series is a can't-miss proposition for hungry cinephiles. Admission its $5 at the door; find more information on Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center's Facebook events page.

Queen City Companion
Thursday, January 3, 8 p.m.
Mutiny Information Cafe
Free
Fictions and fabrications abound at Queen City Companion, a founding endeavor of the Mutiny Transmissions podcast network. Co-hosted by Jen Kolic and Brian Flynn, the all-false storytelling show welcomes writers, poets and comedians to unleash their imaginations to the delight of the live-in-bookstore audience and listeners at home. January's edition welcomes local standups Meghan DePonceau and Zach Welch, author David Atkinson, and rent-control-advocating flash-fiction purveyor Roseanna Frechette to explore the creative boundaries of make-believe on one of Denver's most underrated live shows for the literary set. Admission is free, but donations for the performers are graciously appreciated. Learn more on Mutiny Information Cafe's Facebook events page.

Cultural First Friday: Astrological
Friday, January 4, 5 to 9 p.m.
Museo de las Americas
Free
Culture and cosmos collide just in time to seize the hopeful spirit of the new year when Museo de las Americas' Cultural First Friday series continues with "Astrological." Embrace mysticism and optimism alike with interactive performance art by Adriana Rondón-Rivero, peruse handcrafted Native American jewelry from on-site vendor Sentli, or divine the future with a $10 tarot reading at Museo's first heritage-heralding soirée of 2019. Warm up and party down as you fill your gullets and bellies with Cerveceria brews and tamales, champurrado and coffee from La Catrina Grill. Visit Museo de las Americas' events calendar for more information.