If you choose to brave the winter cold in downtown Iowa City this week, you'll be rewarded with plenty of free entertainment.
The downtown district is putting on its first-ever "Free Week," an arts and culture festival that offers admission-free shows and performances from Feb. 18-22. There are over 40 events for all ages to attend across more than 20 participating area venues.
The festival was inspired by a popular winter music celebration in Austin, Texas' Red River Cultural District, but broadened to include events and performances across theater, film, literature and visual arts. Iowa City's festival kicks off Tuesday morning with a Spanish Bilingual Storytime at the Iowa City Public Library and ends Saturday night with a cover-free drag show at Studio 13.
There are plenty of unique events in between to see, like a pro wrestling event at the Englert Theatre and a weaving workshop at the Stanley Museum of Art. You can find the full schedule of events here.
The district chose to hold the festival in the wintertime because it tends to be slower for some venues and businesses.
"It's to help people get out of the house, try something new, come in or pop around to things that they've never been to before, or see a show or support an event they've never heard of before," said Christopher Hunter, the downtown district's director of marketing.
Hunter recommends arriving early at the events you want to attend in order to secure your spot before venues hit capacity. Because so many of the venues are within walking distance from each other, it will be easy to catch multiple events on the same day.
"Have an open mind, try something new," he recommends. "If you haven't been to Gabe's, or you've never been to Elrays, go check them out. It's a free show."
