Free things to do in Denver (and beyond) this week, July 13-19

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

Chainsaws & Chuckwagons
Through Saturday, July 18
Centennial Park, 630 Eighth Street, Frederick
Master chainsaw carvers turn giant logs into works of art at Chainsaws & Chuckwagons, and the public is invited to watch the competition. The event includes food trucks, entertainment and auctions for the carvings. It’s free to attend, and participants can vote for their favorite wood carvings.

Drawing Club
Friday, July 17, 5 to 8 p.m.
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th St.
Grab your sketch pad and drawing tools and come hang out with fellow creatives at BMoCA. Paints are welcome as well. There will be music and light snacks provided, and there’s no need to register.

“Zootopia 2” with Animal Ambassadors from Denver Zoo
Friday, July 17, 6 to 9 p.m.
Historic Elitch Theatre, 4600 W. 37th Place
Come to the Historic Elitch Theatre for a free screening of “Zootopia 2” and meet some animal ambassadors from the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance. Admission is free. Doors open at 6 p.m., the animal ambassadors program starts at 6:45 p.m. and the film starts at 7:30 p.m.

Global Climbing Day Celebration
Saturday, July 18, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Movement RiNo, 3201 Walnut St., #107
Movement RiNo and The North Face celebrate Global Climbing Day with free gym access all day, complimentary climbing gear rentals, yoga and special programming for climbers of all experience levels. In addition to The North Face swag giveaways, the event also features appearances by professional climbers Andres Marin and Cedar Wright. Learn more about Movement RiNo here.

Boulder Good Trouble Activism Fair
Saturday, July 18, 10 a.m. to noon
KGNU, 1720 14th St., Boulder
Head to Boulder to cause a little good trouble during this weekend of action. This event celebrates the legacy of John Lewis (a former Civil Rights leader and long-time member of the House of Representatives who coined the phrase, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America.”) and passes it forward to future generations. At the fair, attendees can learn about activist organizations, make new community connections and register to vote or update their records. 

The Great Bubble Fest + Market
Saturday, July 18, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Aspen Grove Shopping Center, 7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton
Head to the Aspen Grove Shopping Center for a day of colorful bubbles and a buzzing market scene. The free event includes live music, food trucks and more. Reserve a spot here.

Toys “R” Us Play Date
Sunday, July 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Toys “R” Us, 13801 Grant St., Thornton
Take your kids to Toys “R” Us for some free fun, including coloring stations, face paint, a scavenger hunt, games, crafts and more. Learn more here.

Y2K Drag Bingo Brunch
Sunday, July 19, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Denver Milk Market, 1800 Wazee St., #100
Dust off your low-rise jeans and dig up your butterfly clips for a throwback brunch and bingo event celebrating the Y2K era. Reservations for the event are free, but brunch bites and capri-sun cocktails will be available for purchase.

Day Disco
Sunday, July 19, noon to 5 p.m.
Moodswing, 3625 East 48th Ave.
Boogie under the sun during Moodswing’s Day Disco, a free party filled with beats and lots of dancing. Reserve a spot here.

Conjunto Colores w/ Rasta Salsa
Sunday, July 19, 6 to 8 p.m.
City Park, 2001 Colorado Blvd.
Enjoy some a free salsa concert in City Park. These Colorado musicians have had many hits on the New York salsa radio scene.

Movie Nights at Infinity Park: “The Princess Bride”
Monday, July 20, gates open at 6 p.m., movie starts at 7 p.m.
Infinity Park, 4599 E. Tennessee Ave., Glendale
Grab a blanket or lawn chair and head to Infinity Park for a screening of “The Princess Bride.” Food trucks will be at the event, but guests are welcome to bring their own snacks and drinks.

Ongoing

Green Box Arts Festival
Through Sunday, July 18
Green Mountain Falls
This fest, which got its start in 2009, is a two-week multi-disciplinary event with arts performances, exhibitions, classes, camps, conversations and parties…some paid, some free. Get the complete schedule here.

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. Although Mexico and USA games are ticketed, admission is free to other matches. Learn more here.

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. And Biker Jim will be selling his hot dogs!

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.

Canstruction
Through July 31
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Eight teams have been working to build summer-themed sculptures entirely out of canned food, everything from a flamingo pool floatie to a sandcastle. They’re on exhibit during regular mall hours, and you can vote for your favorite. When the display ends, the cans will be donated to We Don’t Waste.

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 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

Sunset Cinema: “The Prestige”
Tuesday, July 21, 6:30 p.m.
Sculpture Park at Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1736 Speer Blvd.
Next up in the Sunset Cinema summer film series is a screening of “The Prestige,” a 2006 Christopher Nolan film in which an illusion gone horribly wrong pits two 19th-century magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), against each other in a bitter battle for supremacy. In addition to rotating food trucks on site and cinema snacks available for purchase, attendees are welcome to bring their own snacks. RSVP for free here.

Signature Sounds Album Release Party and Free Concert with The Denver Brass
Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 East Iliff Ave.
The Denver Brass is releasing two new albums, “The Denver Brass: Elevated Masterworks” and “If You Just Believe,” and the public is invited to the album release party and a free concert to mark the occasion. The free concert is part of the organization’s week-long seminar for brass students, an intensive seminar for brass students that focuses on career development, music business and professional-level technical skills.

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.

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