Denver is full of fun — and free — events this week. From long-horned cattle on the downtown streets to art from around the world, there’s plenty to see — and you won’t have to watch your wallet emptying out in order to enjoy the sights. For a full calendar…

It’s the first First Friday of the year, and that means that Denver is teeming with art openings galore. The great thing about art openings? They’re almost always free. And the rest of the weekend is packed full of events, too, from classic film screenings to go-go dancing tryouts, and…

Wooden Snowflakes offers a new interpretation of the timeless holiday tale: A grumpy character with a hardened heart meets someone who helps him or her believe in the magic of Christmas. Rather than Scrooge or the Grinch, however, the non-believer in Catherine Bush’s play is a woman named Eve Lawson…

Start off the New Year right by saving money this week. Whether you attend a screening of The Dead Zone, a poetry open mic or a short film festival, soaking up some culture won’t cost you a cent, so you can head into 2013 feeling fiscally responsible. For more events,…

It’s the end of the year — and that means there are plenty of ways to blow your last bucks on extravagant champagne toasts and hotel rooftop parties. But why do that when you can spend this weekend having fun…without spending too much cash. Skip the fancy parties and spend…

Ring in the New Year with neon clothes and glow sticks at the Black Light Skating Party — Winter Park’s annual New Year’s Eve bash that’s gotten a makeover with party lighting, ice skating and a new location. This year, the Winter Park-Fraser Chamber of Commerce is moving the party…

When Nancy Stohlman slinks on stage to sing with her band, Kinky Mink, she does the whole Jessica Rabbit lounge act, complete with sparkly dresses and smokey tunes. But the songs Kinky Mink performs aren’t lounge standards. Instead, you’ll hear reworked ’80s hair-metal classics like Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and…

This past year has been tough for many people, and we’re eager to kiss 2012 goodbye. In hopes that 2013 will turn out to be much luckier for many, we invited some of the town’s cultural tastemakers — entrepreneurs and entertainers we’re lucky to have in Denver — to answer…

If holiday presents and apocalypse preparation left you broke, don’t worry. Denver is giving back this week, with lots of free events. From an Improv-a-Thon to a tribute to the godfather of soul to a pop-up shop and dance party, here are three of the best ways to celebrate the…

Yeah, the world might end tonight. But just in case it doesn’t, hold onto some of your cash, rather than ending up like one of Harold Camping’s followers. Because there will be plenty of ways to spend it this weekend in Denver, where bargain activities include skating at a roller…

’Tis the season for jolly men in fake white beards and red costumes, and you can see a whole slew of them if you head to the mountains. Bundled-up Santas are all over Colorado resorts right now. “It’s a good time for families to get together,” says Colorado Ski Country’s…

From the Muppets to Mr. Magoo, Charles Dickens’s redemptive holiday tale, A Christmas Carol, has been adapted in many in-carnations. But the WreckingBall Theater Lab and Band of Toughs musical spectacular Moulin Scrooge is perhaps the first to take Ebenezer Scrooge to a Parisian cabaret. Written by The Colbert Report’s…

If the disheartening consumerism of the holidays is taking a toll on both your wallet and your spirit, keep reading. This week, we’re featuring three events that not only cost nothing to attend, but also benefit good causes: the Bring Your Own Records Party, holiday storytelling and a night of…

Let’s face it: winter can be depressing. If the short days and cold weather have you feeling like one of those bummed-out blobs on an antidepressant commercial, don’t worry. There’s reason — ten reasons, actually — to get off the couch and out into the world. From dance parties to…

The holiday show at Obscene/Courageous Theatre begins on a traditional note: a family sitting around the tree on Christmas Eve. But that’s where it gets weird. When drunk Uncle Al shows up and the kids beg him to read them a story, Al pulls out H.P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon and begins…

They’ve dealt with conflict in a war-torn country overseas, but the couple at the center of Time Stands Still — Curious Theatre Company’s new production — finds just as many emotional challenges and troubling issues back home in Manhattan. Pulitzer-winning playwright Donald Margulies’s Tony-nominated work makes its regional premiere in…

When you ask middle-school students to draw something, they usually create something representative and concrete, says PlatteForum education director Meagan Terry — which is why the community art center brought in abstract artists Conor Hollis and Amorette Lana for its newest learning lab. “These artists are not representative; they are…

Now that heating bills across the state are going up, it’s tempting to stay inside and stay warm while staring at your empty wallet. But that’s boring! There’s tons to do in Denver that’s completely free, so you won’t have to feel Scrooge-like with your thermostat. This week, for example,…