Free things to do in Denver (and beyond) this week, July 20-26

You don’t have to spend money to have fun in Denver. This list is updated multiple times every week with free events going on around the Mile High City.

For more options, check our Summer Guide, with hundreds of events for the months ahead, as well as our list of activities worth the price of admission this week. Now keep reading for more free things to do in Denver (and beyond):

This week

Sunset Cinema: “The Prestige”
Tuesday, July 21, 6:30 p.m.
Sculpture Park at Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1736 Speer Blvd.
Next up in the Sunset Cinema summer film series is a screening of “The Prestige,” a 2006 Christopher Nolan film in which an illusion gone horribly wrong pits two 19th-century magicians, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), against each other in a bitter battle for supremacy. In addition to rotating food trucks on site and cinema snacks available for purchase, attendees are welcome to bring their own snacks. RSVP for free here.

Signature Sounds Album Release Party and Free Concert with The Denver Brass
Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Newman Center for the Performing Arts, 2344 East Iliff Ave.
The Denver Brass is releasing two new albums, “The Denver Brass: Elevated Masterworks” and “If You Just Believe,” and the public is invited to the album release party and a free concert to mark the occasion. The free concert is part of the organization’s week-long seminar for brass students, an intensive seminar for brass students that focuses on career development, music business and professional-level technical skills.

Vinyl Listening Night + Swap with The Mañanas
Wednesday, July 22, 6 to 9 p.m.
Number 38, 3560 Chestnut Place
In partnership with Wax Trax Records, the Residency at FLORA presents a vinyl listening night and swap with residents the Mañanas, a psych band. Longtime collectors and curious listeners alike are welcome to share records, discover new music and connect with fellow music fans at the free event. RSVP here.

Culture Pop
Thursday, July 23, to Sunday, July 26
Greeley
Head to Greeley for a celebration of art, music, culture and community at Culture Pop, four days of food trucks, picnics, more than 150 artist booths, live performances and more. Colorado Poet Laureate Crisosto Apache will do a poetry reading at the opening ceremony at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 23. Learn more here.

Dana Day
Saturday, July 25, 2 to 6 p.m.
Larimer Square
Celebrate and honor the legacy of Dana Crawford during Dana Day at Larimer Square. Crawford is the visionary behind the preservation and revival of the block. At the event, archival photos will be on display and there will be live sets throughout the afternoon from the Annie Booth Quartet and Keith Oxman Quartet. The event is free, but RSVP here. Guests who RSVP will receive a complimentary glass of champagne, with a non-alcoholic option available.

Summer BBQ Block Party
Saturday, July 25, 3 to 7 p.m.
Branch & Barrel Distilling, 15353 E. Hinsdale Circle, Centennial
Enjoy live music, vendors, cold drinks and fresh meats off the grill at this backyard BBQ-style block party at Branch & Barrel Distilling. Admission is free, but reserve a spot here.

Plan ahead

Colorado Day 2026
Saturday, Aug. 1
Across Colorado
Party like it’s 1876 on Colorado’s 150th birthday! There will be celebrations around the state, including History Colorado’s eight locations. Here in Denver, the Center for Colorado Women’s History at 1310 Bannock Street will offer a free pancake breakfast at 9 .m., followed by free admission and tours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an interactive community art project, roaming musicians, the grand opening of the “Shared History” mural and more. Nearby, the History Colorado Center at 1200 Broadway will offer free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as history, lab activities, gold panning, and the launch of Setting Colorado’s Table: 150 Years of Agricultural Legacy. Find info on all state activities here.

Colorado Day Art Market & Free Day at the Denver Art Museum
Saturday, Aug. 1
Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave Parkway
Celebrate Colorado creatives and artists for Colorado’s 150th anniversary with an art market and free admission at the Denver Art Museum. The art market will be on the Martin and Acoma plazas from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., showcasing work from Colorado artisans, and the museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Register here.

Ongoing

SCFD Free Days
Locations and dates vary
Thanks to the sales tax you pay into the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, many arts institutions around the metro area offer occasional free days and programs. Admission to the Denver Botanic Gardens (both York Street and Chatfield Farms) is free on July 1; for more upcoming bargains, check the SCFD site.

Canstruction
Through July 31
Cherry Creek Shopping Center
Eight teams have been working to build summer-themed sculptures entirely out of canned food, everything from a flamingo pool floatie to a sandcastle. They’re on exhibit during regular mall hours, and you can vote for your favorite. When the display ends, the cans will be donated to We Don’t Waste.

Plaza on the Park
Daily through Sept. 30, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Denver International Airport
Have extra time at the airport? Activities return to Plaza on the Park, the space between the Jeppesen Terminal and the Westin Hotel. The nine-hole mini golf course is back; the space also hosts occasional special events and performances.

Music in the Gardens
Weekdays, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
17th Street Community Gardens, 17th and Wewatta streets
After a cold start to its first week, the sixth annual Music in the Gardens lunchtime music series continues with live performances every weekday lunch in the Union Station neighborhood. Get the schedule here.

Westracks Shuttle
Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Various stops in Jefferson County
The Westracks Shuttle Pilot Program will run free buses from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays through Labor Day, connecting riders to key destinations from the Jefferson County Government Center/RTD Golden Station, from Matthews/Winters Park, the Martin G. Lockley Center at Dinosaur Ridge, the Red Rocks Trading Post, Downtown Morrison, and the Morrison Natural History Museum.

Civic Center EATS
Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1400 Block of Bannock Street, Civic Center Park
On Wednesdays and Thursdays through mid-October, Denver’s summer food truck rally will return to Civic Center Park. Although the location has shifted toward Bannock Street because of renovations in the park, there will still be at least a dozen trucks to choose from, as well as civic booths and live music from Youth on Record. Get the full lineup in our story (and note that there’s no EATS on 7/1, 7/2, 8/12, 8/13, 9/2 or 9/3).

Colorado State Capitol Tours
Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
200 E. Colfax Ave.
The legislative session is over, but the Capitol remains open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and free guided tours are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Check in at the Visitor Information Desk, which opens at 9 a.m.

America 250 – Colorado 150
Through 2026
Around the state
Happy 150th birthday, Colorado! On August 1, 1876, Colorado became a state, and there will be celebrations all year — at the same time this country is celebrating its 250th anniversary. You can find a full list of the activities at Am250CO150.org.

“We Are the Land”
Denver’s YouTube
Denver documented the history and culture of the city’s current American Indian population, as well as Tribal Nations with cultural and historic ties to the land that is now Denver, with the oral history project “We are the Land: American Indian Life, Legacy and Future in Denver.” The project includes an accompanying documentary, “We Are the Land,” produced by Off the Road Productions, which is now available for free on Denver’s YouTube channel.

Do you know of a great free event? We update this list throughout the week; send information to editorial@westword.com.