Free This Weekend in Denver · October 29, 2026
Free Things To Do in Denver This Weekend: October 30 - November 1, 2026
Olde Town Arvada closes its streets for trick or treating Friday at 5, Miss Shirley reads to kids in full drag on Halloween morning, and two free Arvada Center gallery shows are still hanging, October 30 - November 1, 2026.
1. pARTy and Rigsby Revisited: The Arvada Center Turns 50
The Center turned 50 and gave itself two free gallery shows instead of a gala, which was the correct call. pARTy hands the Main Gallery to 18 Colorado artists, Koko Bayer and Moe Gram among them, while Rigsby Revisited rebuilds the Upper Gallery around the first solo exhibition the Center ever mounted, back in 1977. Free through November 8 at 6901 Wadsworth Boulevard in Arvada. The galleries keep shorter hours than the theater down the hall, so check posted times before you commit to the drive north.
Arts2. 40 West Gallery Member Showcase (First Friday Opening)
Sunday is the last day, and the last day of a free show is always the quietest way to see it. The biannual Member Showcase hangs at The HUB at 40 West Arts, 6501 West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood, with district members on the walls and the 40 West Arts District nonprofit running the room. Free, no ticket. The 5 to 9 PM window belonged to the First Friday opening on October 2, so confirm weekend hours before you go.
3. Trick or Treat Street in Olde Town Arvada
Friday from 5 PM, Olde Town shuts its streets to cars and the shops hand out candy to anyone in a costume. Free, built for families with small kids, and the night before Halloween means the costume gets worn twice for the price of one. Little legs and a closed street is a better combination than little legs and a sidewalk.
Festivals4. Halloween Drag Queen Storytime with Miss Shirley
Miss Shirley reads Perfectly Norman and Be Who You Are in full drag, then takes questions, which is the part kids actually come for. Saturday at 10 AM in Ballrooms B through D at the Arvada Center, free with an RSVP, presented with Jefferson County Public Library. Costumes are welcome but toy swords, guns and wands are not, so disarm the pirate in the parking lot. A 10 AM start also means you get the morning out of the way before the sugar arrives.
Weird5. Mall-O-Ween at Town Center Aurora
Indoor trick or treating on Halloween afternoon is weather insurance, and at the end of October in Denver that is worth something. Participating stores at Town Center at Aurora hand out candy from noon to 4 PM, free, with free parking. Costumes encouraged, roof included.
6. Dia de los Muertos Patio Party
The warmest thing on the calendar Sunday, and it costs nothing to walk into. District Pour & Provisions at 3053 West 104th Avenue in Westminster marks the day in honor of co-founder Chef Jesus Silva's heritage, with traditional Mexican performances, decor and face painting running across every concept inside the food hall. Entry is free, food and drinks are sold a la carte, so bring a card for the part you came for.
Quick answers
- What is happening in Denver this weekend, October 30 - November 1, 2026?
- Friday night belongs to Trick or Treat Street in Olde Town Arvada, free from 5 PM with the streets closed to cars. Saturday is Halloween: Miss Shirley's drag storytime at 10 AM at the Arvada Center, then Mall-O-Ween indoors at Town Center at Aurora from noon to 4 PM. Sunday thins out to the free Dia de los Muertos Patio Party in Westminster and the final day of the 40 West Member Showcase in Lakewood, while the two Arvada Center gallery shows are up all three days.
- What free things are there to do in Denver this weekend?
- All six picks here are free to walk into: pARTy and Rigsby Revisited at the Arvada Center, the 40 West Gallery Member Showcase in Lakewood through Sunday, Trick or Treat Street in Olde Town Arvada on Friday, Halloween Drag Queen Storytime with Miss Shirley on Saturday morning, Mall-O-Ween at Town Center at Aurora on Saturday afternoon, and the Dia de los Muertos Patio Party in Westminster on Sunday. Two of them want something from you that is not money: the storytime needs an RSVP, and the patio party sells its food and drinks a la carte.
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