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

November is nearly over, and now the season of lights, carols and consumerism begins in earnest. While we're happy to help readers seize upon the holiday spirit, we also understand the impulse to hold off on December's programmatic cheer for at least one more week. With that in mind, the following five events are precisely the sort of exemplary artistic, musical and comedic offerings available week after week in the Mile High. And don't worry about having to dip into your gift-buying budget in order to be entertained: All of these are free.

God Save the Queens: Queer Punk Night
Monday, November 26, 9 p.m.
hi-dive
No one keeps the defiant spirit of punk rock alive better than drag queens, who've made an art form of trampling over conventions with high-heeled grace. God Save the Queens at the hi-dive — our pick for Best Queer Music Night in 2017 — returns with a DJ Sunshine-curated dance party set to a fist-pumping blend of the post-, proto- and electro-punk subgenres, along with queercore, riot grrrl, goth, and plenty of left-field surprises. The evening's indisputable highlight, however, is when emcee Novelí presides over a bar-side drag show that brings some of the city's fiercest queens to the stage; November's edition boasts a lineup of such dive-bar royalty as Pax, Heavenly Powers, Filthy Warumono, Moral Poverty and Luxa De Luxe. While admission is free, reservations are recommended; visit the hi-dive's Ticketfly page to register.


Faculty Tuesdays: Songs of Solitude and Hope
Tuesday, November 27, 7:30 p.m.
Grusin Music Hall
Enjoy music that conveys the wonder of being lost in nature without ever leaving the safety and comfort of the concert hall at "Songs of Solitude and Hope," a special edition of the University of Colorado's Faculty Tuesdays recital series. This week's edition spotlights the trio of violinist Harumi Rhodes, cellist András Fejér and pianist Hsiao-Ling Lin, whose combined mastery evokes the epiphany of finding peace and moving forward. With Edward Elgar's Sonata for Violin and Piano in E minor, Op. 82 and Ludwig van Beethoven's "Archduke" Piano Trio in B-flat Major, Op. 97 on the program, this is a must-hear performance for classical-music aficionados — so be sure to catch the live stream even if you can't manage the shlep up to Boulder. Visit the CU Presents events calendar to watch the show and find out more.

BumbleSpot VIP Launch Party
Thursday, November 29, 6 to 10 p.m.
MOXY Denver Cherry Creek
Since its inception in 2014, Bumble has endeavored to provide a singles-friendly haven from the miasma of creepiness surrounding online dating. The company's dedication to making its users comfortable — which springs from the app's signature function of giving women agency over initial contact with their respective matches, thereby mitigating the awkwardness of an accidental swipe — continues with the rollout of company-approved date venues called BumbleSpots, a curated selection of ideal settings for initial first-person encounters. Denver now has its very own BumbleSpot, at the hotel bar of MOXY Denver Cherry Creek, which launches Thursday evening with a singles soirée at which guests can break the proverbial ice with interactive games, maximize their match-ability with "Profile Doctors," and avail themselves of light snacks and an open bar. Chaperoned by Denise Bidot of the No Wrong Way Movement, the launch party is free for Bumble members. To RSVP and learn more, head over to the BumbleSpot Eventbrite page.

Cartoons & Comedy
Thursday, November 29, 10 p.m.
The Black Buzzard 
Giggle at ’toons with a platoon of buffoons when Cartoons & Comedy returns to Oskar Blues' Black Buzzard, having recovered from a last-minute venue switcheroo that nearly scuppered October's edition. Host, curator and Denver comedy cherub Chris Baker has assembled a clip reel of animated holiday classics and enlisted a trio of the quippiest comedians around to mock them Mystery Science Theater 3000-style. Guffaw the night away with a mouthful of Count Chocula as Pussy Bros. co-founder Janae Burris, High Plains Comedy Festival favorite Eric Dadourian, and a special surprise guest indulge the audience's appetite for a sugary dose of childhood nostalgia while spiking it with irony-aged wisecrackery. Visit BigTop Productions' Facebook events page for more details.


Media Mash-Up
Friday, November 30, 7 to 10 p.m.
RedLine
Forge a new narrative with the members of the Athena Project and Women in Film and Media Colorado at Media Mash-Up, a feminist interpretation of an ancient folk tale that unfolds in three formats: podcasting, short film and live theater. Sounding a revisionist paean to the courage and cleverness of women across the centuries, the program brings the female perspective out from the cultural margins and on to center stage. Drinks and intriguing conversations punctuate the thought-provoking performances at this intersection of arts and activism provided by Denver's inclusive community of creatives. Register and find out more on TEDxMileHigh's Eventbrite page.

Know of an event that belongs here? Send information to [email protected].