Six Things to Do for Free in Denver (and Beyond!) This Weekend

It's not too late to start enjoying summer. Although go-to Taste of Colorado won't be happening over Labor Day weekend, as we warned you back in April, and the Boulder Creek Fest has also dried up after 25 years, the days ahead are still full of music, movies and merriment.

See arty options in our latest Art Attack, and keep reading for six free things to do around town...and beyond.

Chautauqua Pop-Up Farmers' Market
Sunday, September 3, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Chautauqua Cafe, 900 Baseline Road, Boulder
Take a quick summer trip to Chautauqua Park, where a farmers' market will offer locally grown produce and curated artisan goods. Vendors include Three Leaf Farm, Erin's Beeswax Candles, Art by Gillian, Thalweg Designs and Taurus Moon Curiosities; the General Store will also offer Chautauqua merch. After shopping, take time to enjoy the view and perhaps even head out on a hike. Get details here.

Commonwheel Artists 49th Annual Labor Day Weekend Art Festival
Sunday, September 2, and Monday, September 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Park, 502 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs
The Commonwheel Artists Co-Op is celebrating its 49th Labor Day Weekend Art Festival in Memorial Park. Potters, jewelers, painters, sculptors, photographers, glass artists and other artist/makers will all be showing and selling their work; there will also be live music and food and drink vendors. Find more info here.

Five Points Flavor
Sunday, September 3, through Monday, September 4, 2 to 10 p.m.
2821 Welton Street
Missing those turkey legs at Taste of Colorado? Head to Five Points this weekend, where Mile High Festivals has launched Five Points Flavor, with live music and food trucks that highlight culturally diverse cuisines, with an emphasis on Caribbean flavors. Find out more here.

Natural One Sunday
Sunday, September 3, 1 to 3 p.m.
Wax Trax Records, 638 East 13th Avenue
Everyone's favorite Cap Hill record store, Wax Trax, has been hosting a weekly Sunday summer series of free outdoor concerts with Denver local musicians in collaboration with neighboring business Bang Up to the Elephant. This week will see the psych-shoegaze math-rock group Natural One and prog/punk/metal band Never Kenezzerd playing on the East 13th Avenue sidewalk outside of the record shop. Find out more here.

Artists on the Rise: Antonio Lopez Band
Sunday, September 3, 5 to 7 p.m.
Dairy Block, 1800 Wazee Street
Antonio Lopez, a Colorado singer/songwriter, and his three bandmates will play two concerts at the Dairy Block this month. Catch the first show today. find out more here. Read the Westword story on the Antonio Lopez band and the Dairy Block's Artists on the Rise program here.

Jam Session Sunday With Blues by Reckless & Blue
Sunday, September 3, 6 to 9 p.m.
Little Man Factory, 4411 West Colfax Avenue
Head to the Little Man Factory for cool treats and cooler entertainment: free blues. Find out more here.

Sidewalk Poets: East Colfax StoryWalk Project
Monday, September 4, 9:30 a.m.
McNichols Park, 1700 Roslyn Street
Sidewalk Poets, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing the transformative power of creative writing and storytelling to underserved communities and individuals, will unveil its new installation, East Colfax StoryWalk, at a Labor Day event that includes a community walk/roll through part of the neighborhood installation that stretches along a 2.5-mile loop. Along the way, you'll read poems (available in many languages, reflecting the diversity of the area), hear live readings from StoryWalk authors and celebrate community. Find out more here.

and an ongoing bonus:
Summer at Skyline Park
Through September 31, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Skyline Park, 16th Street Mall at Arapahoe Street
The Downtown Denver Partnership is offering a summer of fun at Skyline Park, with the return of City Skate and the Skyline Beer Garden (open from 3 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday), along with mini golf, volleyball and free movies. And this year, pickleball is added to the mix! In a town where pickleball courts are in hot demand, these will be free from 3 to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and can be reserved for $30 an hour, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (League play is available, too.) Throughout the season, volleyball, mini golf and skating will be free, with skate rentals available for $7 for kids twelve and under and $9 for those thirteen and up. Find the complete schedule (it's a little complicated, since skating and pickleball share the same space) and other details here.

Do you know of a great free event in Denver? We'll be updating this list through the week; send information to [email protected].