Free for All: The Five Best Free Events This Week

Merry Monday: While the days leading up to Christmas may seem like a time of last-minute shopping frenzies and programmatic holiday cheer, the upcoming week defies expectations with a grab bag of great free entertainment, without a hint of humbuggery. At these events, you can have fun and hold on to your funds for gift-giving.


A Canto Deo Christmas Bethany
Monday, December 17, 7:30
Bethany Lutheran Church
O hum, all ye faithful, to A Canto Deo Christmas Bethany, a gift full of harmonic splendor presented by the Canto Deo Festival Choir and Orchestra. Sing along with classic carols such as "Silent Night," "Joy to the World" and "The Little Drummer Boy," or sit back and marvel at stunning new arrangements of Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria, John Rutter’s "Sans Day Carol" and many more. Visit Canto Deo's events calendar to RSVP and find out more.


Film & Conversation: A Requiem for Syrian Refugees
Tuesday, December 18, 6 p.m.
Ross-Cherry Creek Branch Library
A harrowing chronicle of Syrian civil war refugees documented in stark black and white, filmmaker Richard Wolf's A Requiem for Syrian Refugees sheds light on the struggles of a forgotten people. Filming at an understaffed and overcrowded United Nations Refugee Camp in Northern Iraq — located perilously close to ISIS-controlled territory — Wolf sought to capture the humanity behind the headlines with first-person accounts from people who'd fled their violence-plagued homeland for an uncertain future. It's a fitting selection for the Ross-Cherry Creek Branch Library Film & Conversation series, which returns this week with a screening of A Requiem for Syrian Refugees followed by a discussion with Syrian-American activist Obeid Kaifo. Visit the Ross-Cherry Creek Branch Library events calendar for details.

The Narrators Denver: Ghosts
Wednesday, December 19, 8 p.m.
Buntport Theater
Gather ’round with the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future for the last Narrators until the new year. Hosted by Buntport Theater "co-something" Erin Rollman, the Denver edition of the Narrators bids farewell to 2018 with a series of paranormal yarns from David Blatt, Rachel Weeks, Jenna Hoerr, Lucy Roucis, Christie Buchele and Rae Moore. Quaff a beer (provided by co-sponsors Great Divide Brewing Co.) and lend an ear to haunted tales of the literal and metaphorical variety. Learn more on the Narrators Denver Facebook events page.

Comedians' Power Hour: RoomRoom Endgame
Thursday, December 20, 7:30 p.m.
The Comedy RoomRoom
Grown from a collegiate boozing ritual into a comedy drinking game with outposts in Albuquerque, New York City, Austin and Denver — with one-offs in cities too numerous to mention — Comedians' Power Hour is chugging one last PBR in honor of El Charrito. Produced and refereed by Brett Hiker, the final power hour pays tribute to the hosts of the Comedy RoomRoom open mic with a triple-threat match between Timmi Lasley, Preston Tompkins and Zeke Herrera (competing in the spot of current host Allison Rose, who opted to serve as Power Hour's guest bartender rather than preside over the RoomRoom's last open mic). Experience one final gauntlet of guzzles and giggles before the place closes; visit the Comedians' Power Hour Facebook events page for more details.

Hoppy Holidays Comedy Showcase
Friday, December 21, 9 p.m.
Denver Bicycle Cafe
Stalwart Denver comedy fans have a special gift awaiting at the Hoppy Holidays Comedy Showcase, a homecoming for some of the scene's prodigal standups. Hosted and curated by Mara Wiles, the lineup welcomes fledgling New Yorkers like Brett Hiker, Kevin O'Brien and Harris Alterman back to the warm embrace of the Mile High, along with a selection of such local favorites as Miriam Moreno, Christie Buchele and Adam Cayton-Holland. Unfolding in the Beer Hall of Wiles's former workplace, Denver Bicycle Cafe, Hoppy Holidays offers a free serving of funny before the familial obligations of Christmas come calling. Find more information on the DBC Beer Hall Facebook events page.

Do you know of an event that belongs here? Send information to [email protected].