Six Things to Do for Free in Denver Today

The frenzy of holiday shopping and shows is upon us, with events filled with lights and ways to lighten your pocketbook. G

You can get out of the house and enjoy the good weather, or stay home and start your seasonal celebration virtually. Here are six free things to do today, including remembering those who are no longer with us.
World Day of Remembrance Candlelight Vigil
Sunday, November 21, 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Pedestrian Bridge, 2000 West Third Avenue
On World Day of Remembrance for victims of traffic crashes, Denver and the Denver Street Partnership will hold a vigil, complete with the lighting of candles to honor the 74 people lost in the Mile High City this week. A banner encouraging people to slow down,designed by Allison Ramirez of Set Forth Creative, has been installed on the bridge behind Denver Wastewater where the vigil will be held.

Annual DWPC Vintage Jewelry Sale
Sunday, November 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Denver Woman’s Press Club, 1325 Logan Street
The Denver Woman’s Press Club throws its Vintage Jewelry Sale and scholarship fundraiser every year as the holidays approach and people are searching for fun gifts. But shoppers can be forgiven for buying sparkling jewels for themselves, because the baubles are all one kind: a tangle of glorious costume jewelry from Grandma’s jewelry box in the attic and other vintage reminders of the past, as well as handmade and new pieces from glass lampworker Bernadette Fuentes, Tibetan-style beadworker Corrine Joy Brown and Wendy Grossman, who makes jewelry inspired by nature. Learn more here.

Cherry Creek North Winter Wanderland and Holiday Market
Through December 24, daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays through Wednesdays
Fillmore Street between First and Second Avenues
Cherry Creek Winter Wonderland returns, filling sixteen blocks with holiday decor and interactive art installations; there will be special events on Saturday nights. And after the inaugural event last year, the free Cherry Creek Holiday Market is back on Fillmore Street, with thirty local makers (including one that does baby fire pits!), designers and creators. Produced by Fetch Concepts, it will also offer food, a full bar and live music Friday through Sunday. Find more information here.

Holiday Art Market
Through December 29, Mondays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.
Foothills Art Center, 809 15th Street, Golden
The Foothills Art Center’s Holiday Art Market is the perfect excuse for a drive to downtown Golden, where merchants, restaurants and businesses on the main drag radiate with holiday spirit. Nearly fifty years old, HART offers high-quality artisan crafts, including pottery, jewelry, glass, fiber, leather, metal, wood, food items, ornaments and greeting cards, which could ostensibly take care of everyone on your list. The market is also one of the few that stay open for a few days after Christmas — that’s when folks can shop for themselves! Learn more here.
Denver Christkindlmarket
Through December 23, Sundays through Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Thursdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Civic Center Park, 101 West 14th Avenue
For a magical holiday shopping experience, you can’t beat the old-world Christkindlmarket, a light-filled tradition in downtown Denver for twenty years and counting. The market is returning to Civic Center Park in 2021 after moving there last year mid-pandemic, for a more roomy stroll from one charming wooden hut to the next, as shoppers search for hand-blown glass ornaments, Russian nesting dolls, hand-knit mufflers, hot pretzels and pastries, German bier and mulled glühwein, to name a fraction of what’s available. Adding to the spirit of the market are polka bands, old-world characters and other entertainers. Admission is free; find info (including schedule changes) here.


And anytime:

"Unknown"
Opera Colorado, online
"Unknown" is a song cycle honoring the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Opera Colorado co-commissioned the twenty-minute song cycle. which was created by two award-winning American artists —Shawn Okpebholo and Marcus Amaker — to explore the ideas of war, honor and memory through the eyes of soldiers, family members and Tomb Guards, who are connected to each other and the Tomb through their mutual service and sacrifice. Watch it here.

L’Esprit de Noël
Central City Opera, online
For decades, L’Esprit de Noël has raised funds to help support Central City Opera, including education and community engagement programs serving more than 40,000 people each year. For the second year in a row, the event is virtual, and comprises an online tour of a historic Denver property — this time, the McCourt Mansion. Once the home of Peter McCourt, a younger brother to the infamous Baby Doe Tabor and a theatrical manager,  today the mansion sits on the National Register of Historic Places and is back to being a single-family home after decades of mixed-use. Watch it here.

Know of a great event around town? We'll be updating this list through the week; send information to [email protected].