10 Things to Do for $10 in Denver This Weekend (8 Free!), January 1-3

It's that we get to start the new year with a weekend so make sure you check out these events to make it go smooth. Make the transition into 2016 with chanting, jokes and David Bowie. Drop us a comment if you know of anything we might have missed for this list and smash that Westword calendar button for a complete listing of events. 

Evergreen Lake Plunge at Evergreen Lake House (10 a.m. Friday, free)
Shake off that New Year's hangover by standing on a frozen lake and cheering on the nut jobs who will be taking the plunge. It's a little out of this column's price range to jump in the lake, but feel free to join the party and watch the polar bears do their thing. It's cringe-worthy fun to get your year started.

Tara Chanting at Kadampa Meditation Center Capitol Hill (11 a.m. Friday, free)
Take a deep breath and start the new year on a peaceful and positive note. Offer yourself to the Enlightened Buddha Arya Tara, and let the goddess wash calm over 2016. They will offer four one-hour sessions from New Year's night until Friday afternoon. If you want to get a jump start you can bring a sleeping bag and stay the night or come at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. Friday to meditate and chant. Focus on those resolutions or just take a break from life and join the event. 

Open Opening at Counterpath (6 p.m. Friday, free)
Counterpath has moved into a new place in a new neighborhood and needs your help to decorate the place. Starting at 9 a.m. bring in any kind of art you have to fill the space and get involved the community. Paintings, sculptures, projections, dance and just about anything you can think of will be accepted. The opening receptions starts at 6 p.m. and includes artist talks, music and refreshments. Start the new year with your own personal gallery showing.

36th Anniversary Show at Pirate: Contemporary Art (6 p.m. Friday, free)
Celebrate the legacy Pirate has offered to our town for the last three decades. Check out work from the collective of Pirate artists like Phil Bender, Justin Beard, Charles Livingston and dozens more at this opening reception. The special show only runs for two weekends, so get there while you can.

Winterfest at Festival Park (4 p.m. Saturday, free)
Bundle up the family and head south to Castle Rock for an evening of fun for kids of all ages. Check out the petting zoo, meet Miss Colorado and Houdini the rescued horse, grab a beer in the lounge, dance to live tunes, warm up by the bonfire  and much more. You can even cheer on folks riding in the cyclocross race and 5K run.

2nd Annual 50 First Jokes at Bug Theater (8 p.m. Saturday, $7)
When the clock strikes midnight on Friday, it's time for these comedians to get cracking on writing new jokes to present at this show. Timmi Lasley and Mara Wiles host the night of fifty comedians telling their fresh-out-of-the-oven rib ticklers. With fifty comedians taking the stage, you're sure to see many of your local favorites and national acts to make it a heck of a time.

Mile High Soul Club at Syntax Physic Opera (9 p.m. Saturday, free)
Every month the vinyl needle spins with the smooth stylings of the Mile High Soul Club. Avoid all the expensive New Year's weekend cover prices and make your way down to south Broadway to hear DJ's Tyler Jacobson and Steve Cervantes play that soul and funk all night long. Rumor has it, you'll have a shakin' fit.

Disco 2000-Bowie Tribute at Meadowlark (10 p.m. Saturday, free)
Major shout out to David Bowie for turning 69 this weekend. Celebrate the birth of the Thin White Duke with DJ's Mikey Kixx and Beetlebum spinning the hits spanning four decades. Some of the best dancing you'll ever do will be to Bowie cuts, so Let's Dance and be The Prettiest Star on the floor. 

Walk Of Shame Dating Game 70's Edition at El Charrito (12 p.m. Sunday, $1)
They have $5 bottomless mimosas, so that's should be enough to get you in the door, but the show is going to kill it too. Be a part of the city's only interactive comedy game show that's going retro this weekend. Be bachelor/bachelorette one, two or three and win that date with someone on the other side of the screen. Make sure to put on as much polyester as possible. 

Place De La Republique at Sie FilmCenter (1 p.m. Sunday, $1)
The Place de la Republique in Paris has received attention lately for being the healing center for the community after the tragic terrorist attacks there, but forty years ago, Louis Malle asked probing questions of the everyday people around the square, making an amazing slice-of-life documentary. Take a trip to Paris through the lens and gain some new perspectives on life.