Plan ahead and maybe add to your itineraries for out-of-town visitors: There are still free or discounted admission days to Denver’s largest nonprofit cultural institutions throughout the 2024 calendar year.
SCFD Free Days are made possible through a cultural funding model and a seven-county tax district that distributes more than $60 million annually to nearly 300 organizations across the front-range urban corridor.
Tier 1 organizations receive 64% of the SCFD funds and are composed of five major cultural institutions: Denver Art Museum, Denver Botanic Gardens, The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and Denver Zoo.
Other organizations are free every day including:
- Broomfield Veterans Museum
- City of Lakewood Art Exhibitions
- Foothills Art Center
- Colorado Music Hall of Fame
- The Aurora History Museum
- Louisville History Museum
It’s worth checking back on the SCFD Free Days homepage for a full and updated list of free admission days.
Here are the remaining Tier 1 SCFD Free Days in the 2024 calendar year:
Free days at the Denver Art Museum
General museum admission is free every day for visitors 18 and younger.
- April 9, 28
- May 14
- June 11
- July 9, 21
- Aug. 13
- Sept. 7, 10
- Oct. 8
- Nov. 2, 12
- Dec. 10
Free days at the Denver Zoo
Free Day tickets are only available online on a first-come, first-serve basis. Walk-ups are not accepted and visitors must register online once tickets are released.
- Nov. 1 (tickets released Oct. 23)
- Nov. 9 (tickets released Oct. 30)
- Nov. 17 (tickets released Nov. 6)
Free days at the Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street & Chatfield Farms
Visitors are encouraged to schedule tickets in advance. Free days do not include access to ticketed events and tickets are made available on a rolling basis, three months at a time on the 1st of the month.
- April 22
- June 5
- July 3
- Aug. 28
- Nov. 29
Free days at the Denver Botanic Gardens at Plains Conservation Center
Visitors are encouraged to schedule tickets in advance. Free days do not include access to ticketed events and tickets are made available on a rolling basis, three months at a time on the 1st of the month.
- June 13
- July 13
- Aug. 15
- Nov. 16
- Dec. 12
Free days at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
No need to reserve Free Day or Night tickets ahead of time. Separate tickets are required for the planetarium and the Infinity Theater. Events with an * are free only from 5 to 9 p.m.
- April 28
- June 4*, 19
- Aug. 21*
- Sept. 10*, 30
- Oct. 20
- Nov. 2*, 18
- Dec. 8
Free days at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Purchase $10 DCPAccess tickets for select shows and dates, check out other student, military and first responder discounts, and check out Free Shakespeare in the Parking Lot programming.
