Manitou Springs Great Fruitcake Toss Festival (annually in January)
Colorado is known for it's goofy festivals and the Great Fruitcake Toss is certainly one of the headliners. This Manitou Springs tradition is held every year after the holidays in an effort to dispose of certain unwanted confections you may have acquired.
Some people prefer to launch their cakes by hand but many choose to build elaborate contraptions to give their fruitcakes the send off they deserve. There are various cake launching categories as well as competitions for the best and prettiest fruit cakes.
When:
The 2014 Great Fruitcake Toss festival has been cancelled. Hopefully it will be back in 2015.
Where:
In Manitou Springs at the Manitou Springs High School track.
401 El Monte Place
Manitou Springs, CO 80829.
Copper Country Music Festival (Labor Day Weekend)
Each year over Labor Day Weekend, Copper Mountain Ski Resort hosts the free Copper Country festival, with two full days of country, blues, and folk music from top name performers.
Buffalo Bill's Birthday (February)
Golden, Colorado celebrates Buffalo Bills birthday in grand style every year at Rock Rest Lodge. This free festival features re-enactments of the wild west days as well as great music, food, and western authors.
City Park Jazz
Looking for free Denver music? City Park in downtown Denver has a free summer jazz concert schedule with top performers.
Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland (Annually in March)
2014's Frozen Dead Guy Days will be celebrated March 7 through March 9. The highlight of the event is really the Polar Plunge, where anyone can sign up to take a dive in a freezing pond. Some people do it for the thrill, some do it to raise money for charities, and some are just plain nuts. There is also a coffin race, hearse parade, music, and many other bizarre activities (frozen turkey bowling???). This is one of the most popular things to do in March for front range residents with cabin fever.
This is probably the wierdest festival I've ever heard of, even wierder than Manitou's fruitcake toss or Leadville's ski Joring. Come and learn about the history of the frozen dead guy and observe some of Nederland's finest citizens enjoying a day in the mountains.
Traffic can become a real problem for the small town so plan accordingly. Parking is available on the side streets but getting to them can take a while.
When:
March 7 - 9, 2014
Where:
The event is held in Nederland, Colorado (at the top of Boulder Canyon west of Boulder).
As more people down in town learn about this festival every year, it has grown from a small event for members of the mountain community to a really crowded winter festival for everyone in the front range. If the crowds don't bother you, come check it out:
Frozen Dead Guy Days Nederland Chamber web site: 
If you want to learn more before you commit to a trip to the mountains, read all about the frozen dead guy here:
Frozen Dead Guy Days Wiki:
Colorado Day, Free Colorado State Parks (First Monday in August)
Colorado Day is an annual tradition of celebrating Colorado's acceptance into statehood. Colorado was first recognized as a state on August 1, 1876, and now we celebrate Colorado Day on the first Monday of every August.
Denver Cinco De Mayo Festival (May 3-4, 2014)
One of the best ways to experience Denver's rich Hispanic heritage is to visit the annual free Denver Cinco De Mayo Festival, one of the best things to do in Denver on a May weekend.
Deprecated: Methods with the same name as their class will not be constructors in a future version of PHP; Zebra_Image has a deprecated constructor in /home/ec2-user/www/public_html/freeindenver/components/com_jem/classes/Zebra_Image.php on line 46
Keystone Ski Resort Free Scenic Chair Lift Rides
Keystone Ski Resort offers free summer scenic chair lift rides every Friday from 3-7pm, starting June 14 and continuing until summer activities close at the end of August. The views are incredible so I would definitely recommend taking a Friday to check out Keystone.
McLoughlin's Restaurant and Bar (Downtown Denver)
McLoughlin's is one of my go-to places when I'm craving happy hour specials in downtown Denver.
U.S. Air Force Academy Visitor Center and Chapel, Colorado Springs (always free)
The United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs has a unique visitor center and chapel area that is free and open to the public. Visitors can learn a wealth of information about the academy and it's history as well as view the planes on display. The Chapel is absolutely beautiful and due to it's unique architecture it's probably the most photographed building in all of Colorado.
Denver Botanic Gardens (free days)
Free days for Colorado residents are held throughout the year at both the Denver Botanic Gardens and the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield.
McCormicks Fish House and Bar (Downtown Denver)
I am a sucker for old buildings, and McCormicks Fish House and Bar, located in LoDo in downtown Denver, has everything I'm looking for.
University of Colorado Museum of Natural History at Boulder (always free)
The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History is a free natural history museum on the CU Boulder campus. They have excellent changing exhibits, a dinosaur section, and an extensive bird display. A small donation is requested to help keep the museum open and free. This is a fun small natural history museum for adults and curious kids.
When:
Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm
Where:
The Henderson Building on the CU-Boulder campus, between 15th and 16th streets east of Broadway.
For details check their web site:
Children's Museum of Denver Free Days (first Tuesday monthly, 4-8pm)
One of the best free Denver attractions for kids, the Children's Museum of Denver's free day takes place from 4pm to 8pm on the first Tuesday of every month, known as Target Tuesdays.