Free for All: The Five Best Free Events in Denver This Week

Monday has arrived yet again, but rather than submitting to workday doldrums, we humbly suggest reading up on all the diversions awaiting you this week. While a day job may claim your time and attention from morning to afternoon, we hope your evenings are as free as the following five events. With outdoor screenings of goofy ’80s cinema classics, record swaps, comedy and Lucha Libre wrestling, Denver has enough free entertainment in store this week that you may even forget you have to work again tomorrow.


Monday Movie Madness: Top Gun
Monday, July 24, 7:30 p.m.
Infinity Park at Glendale
Local cinephiles can while away their balmy evenings with Monday Movie Madness at Glendale’s Infinity Park, 4599 East Tennessee Avenue. The film series, which boasts a brand-new, jumbo-sized screen this year, asked visitors which movies they’d most like to see, resulting in a program of free family-friendly hits and crowd-pleasing classics like Top Gun, which screens on Monday, July 24, and Sing, which plays August 7. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.; we recommend arriving early to set up lawn chairs and blankets or just spread out across the grass.

Vinyl Records Night at Ratio Beerworks
Tuesday, July 25, 7 p.m.
Ratio Beerworks
Record collectors are a rare and special breed, analog fetishists in a digital landscape who insist on quality and tactility over convenience. Ratio Beerworks welcomes vinyl hounds to its taproom at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, for an evening of comparing, bartering and taking turns spinning their favorite albums on the brewery's turntables. With no admission fees or big-name DJs, Vinyl Night at Ratio is an ideal opportunity to quaff tasty beers, shop for new records at the mobile store and dance the night away to a truly democratic playlist. Visit the Facebook event page to learn more.

Keep reading for more free events.

3 Course Comedy: Basque Foods
Wednesday, July 26, 8 p.m.
The Deer Pile
The Basque region, nestled between France and Spain but fiercely independent in its culture and politics, is famous the world over for its unassuming mastery of the culinary arts. 3 Course Comedy cohorts Adrian Mesa and Eric Henderson celebrate this unique cuisine Wednesday, July 26, at the Deer Pile, with a spicy blend of standups including Brad Galli, C.J. Willard and Nancy Norton, an array of toothsome Basque dishes and musical accompaniment from DJ Tinsel Tits. Comedy-loving foodies can also brush up on Mesa and Henderson's ongoing podcast catalogue, available on iTunes, although the audio version offers only a fraction of the live experience. Admission is free, but the hosts humbly request a $5 donation to Project Angel Heart. Visit 3 Course Comedy's Facebook event page to learn more.

Linda Fairstein in Conversation with Marcia Clark
Thursday, July 27, 7 p.m.
Tattered Cover LoDo
As a former New York City assistant district attorney and head of the city's Sex Crime Unit, Linda Fairstein led the prosecution of such high-profile cases as the "Preppy Murder" case and the controversial "Central Park Jogger" case, which inspired the harrowing Ken Burns documentary The Central Park Five. Drawing upon her years of experience in the field, Fairstein segued into a thriving literary career with a series of legal thrillers about her recurring protagonist, Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper. Fairstein will read from Deadfall ($28, Dutton Books), the nineteenth installment in the best-selling series, before signing copies. She'll be joined in conversation by another infamous and controversial prosecutor, Marcia Clark, who tried O.J. Simpson...the first time. Visit the Tattered Cover's events calendar to learn more.

Lucha Libre & Laughs: Stampede at the Square
Thursday, July 27, 7 p.m.
The Square on 21st
Perennial Westword favorite Lucha Libre & Laughs steps back into the ring at the Oriental Theater next month, but producer/ befuddled referee Nick Gossert has another free show planned to tide fans over, this time at the Square on 21st on July 27. While the pop-up summertime park may have taken up some convenient parking spots, it's been a whimsical addition to the cityscape that livens up the busy thoroughfare in the heart of the Ballpark neighborhood. With bouts between Nanny AC, Allie Gato, the Insatiable Johnny Crash, Cormac Battle, the Miracle That Is Tony and Hunter Gray leading up to the main event, there's an abundance of ringside thrills even before former LLL Champion Royce Isaacs faces off against the acrobatic Len Parker. Fans can also enjoy refreshments from Altos Tequila and Great Divide Brewing Company, while chortling away at running color commentary from local standups Nathan Lund and Mitch Jones.

Looking for more to do? Go to Westword's calendar.