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

August is drawing to a close, and with September rent nearly due, many locals are pinching every penny until their next payday. That doesn't mean you can't have fun, though: There are many fancy-free and fiscally free diversions before September rolls in, bringing with it A Taste of Colorado, a monster of free music (and non-free food). Whether swapping records with fellow collectors, belting out karaoke versions of your favorite punk tunes with a live band, or sipping drinks at a thumping rooftop party, you can have plenty of fun in Denver over the next few days without worrying about cover charges.

Vinyl Records Night
Tuesday, August 29, 7 p.m.
Ratio Beerworks
Record collectors are a rare and special breed, analog fetishists in a digital landscape who insist on quality and tactility over convenience. Ratio Beerworks welcomes vinyl hounds to its taproom at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 29, for an evening of comparing, bartering and taking turns spinning their favorite albums on the brewery's turntables. With no admission fees or big-name DJs, Vinyl Records Night at Ratio is an ideal opportunity to quaff tasty beers, shop for new records at the mobile store and dance the night away to a truly democratic playlist. Visit the Facebook events page to learn more.

Punk Rock Karaoke
Tuesday, August 29, 9 p.m.
El Charrito
El Charrito's twice-weekly karaoke nights (typically emceed by veteran Denver comedian Dick Black) are always a grand time, but nothing helps bring those latent rock-star dreams to life like backing from a live band. That's precisely the experience at El Charrito's Punk Rock Karaoke, where you can sign up to perform an ever-deepening roster of genre favorites, with up to seventy different songs. This is just one of many events that make this "Five Star Dive Bar" a cherished watering hole for the local creative community. Visit Punk Rock Karaoke's home page for more information.

Beats and Brews: Marijuana
Thursday, August 31, 5:45 to 8 p.m.
Denver Press Club
Despite national progress, Colorado remains the frontier for the medical and recreational cannabis industry and local journalists have chronicled the unfolding experiment from day one. So it's fitting that the Denver Press Club kicks off its new Beats and Brews series with a networking event for local reporters on the marijuana beat. Members, reporters, community leaders and public-relations professionals can enjoy an after-work beer at the historic haven for local scribes while listening to tales from the front. Learn more on the Denver Press Club's Facebook events page.


Four Season Summer Champagne Series
Thursday, August 31, 6 to 9 p.m.
Four Season Hotel Denver
While sipping champagne by a rooftop pool is typically the purview of wealthy hotel guests, even the hoi polloi can rise to the occasion at the Summer Champagne Series at the towering Four Season Hotel. Mingle poolside on the third-floor deck while a DJ entertains the well-heeled crowd. Guests can wet their whistles with a selection of fine cocktails or, of course, champagne. At 8 p.m., the party moves downstairs to the hotel's EDGE Restaurant and Bar. Though admission to the 21-and-up event is free, the beverages are assuredly not, and valet parking – the only option besides street parking or RTD – runs $20. Visit the Facebook events page to learn more.

Fantastic Rooftop Rumpus: Labor Day Edition
Sunday, September 3, 6 p.m. to midnight
Bar Standard
It's been quite a lively season in the Mile High City, and there are still a few more opportunities for summertime revelry before autumn officially arrives. The Fantastic Hosts have mounted rollicking rooftop parties at Bar Standard, an art-deco-tinged haunt for Golden Triangle drinkers, all season. Now you can boogie your way into fall in the capable hands of local DJ Mental 69 and more from 6 p.m. until midnight on Sunday, September 3. It's the final Rooftop Rumpus of the year, so don't miss the opportunity to cap off your Labor Day weekend with some fleet-footed frivolity and a fine view. Find out more on the Facebook events page.

For more events around town, see our Calendar.