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X Marks The Arts Presents: Free Week 2026

Feb 16

Featured February 16 - February 22

X Marks The Arts Presents: Free Week 2026

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🎬 Celebrate Free Week Downtown with @icfilmscene!

🎬 Celebrate Free Week Downtown with @icfilmscene!

Downtown’s cinema is your front-row seat to powerful storytelling and family fun during the Winter Arts & Culture Festival. From compelling documentaries and community conversations to Pixar favorites and FREE screenings, it’s a full week of movies and arts and culture.

🎥 Monday, February 16 – TCB: The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing
Arrive hungry at 6:15 p.m. for a pre-screening meal catered by @newpioneercoop before the 7:00 p.m. film. This riveting documentary explores the life and legacy of influential writer Toni Cade Bambara, featuring stories from Toni Morrison, Nikky Finney, Haile Gerima, and more. A post-screening discussion led by Tisa Bryant follows. The conversation continues on Saturday, February 21 at 2:00 p.m. at the @iowacitypubliclibrary with a community dialogue on sharing knowledge and radical generosity, co-presented by Great Plains Action Society.

🎥 Tuesday, February 17 – A Full Day at the Movies
Start the morning with School’s Out: Inside Out 2 at 10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m.—a FREE, family-friendly screening presented in partnership with ICDD. Dash from @goheartlanders will be on site from 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. for photos and fun, and discounted concessions will be available—perfect for a no-school day downtown adventure.

🎥 Later at 3:00 p.m., join Cinema Salon, FilmScene’s monthly cinema club in partnership with the Iowa City Senior Center. Senior Center members and the public are invited to stay for a half-hour discussion led by Frank Murray, who brings 45 years of experience teaching literature, philosophy, and film to the conversation. Seating is first come, first served.

🎥 Don’t miss FilmScene Free Tuesday, happening all day at both Chauncey and Ped Mall, featuring FREE screenings of Wuthering Heights, A Poet, The Moment, Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie, The Love That Remains, and Hamnet.

Plan your Free Week film lineup at xmarksthearts.com and reserve your seat in advance at icfilmscene.org. Walk-ins are accepted as space allows.

❤️ Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and

❤️ Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and Downtown Iowa City is full of thoughtful finds!

If you’re still looking for the perfect gift, here are a few sweet things we spotted this week in our downtown shops. From beautiful flowers and romantic arrangements to swoon-worthy novels, locally made jewelry, heartfelt cards, sweet treats, stylish clothing, and so much more. Our boutiques are stocked with unique, personal gifts you won’t find anywhere else. Stop in and find something that says I love you in your own way.

Pop into your favorite stores to check out their latest displays, discover something meaningful, and make a night of it with a downtown date. Dinner, drinks, a little shopping, maybe a show — it’s the perfect way to celebrate love and support local while you’re at it. 💕✨

First Round, a Downtown District staple, is a mont

First Round, a Downtown District staple, is a monthly networking event that gives locals the opportunity to meet new people, socialize, and learn about what’s happening across Iowa City’s arts, business, and culture sectors.

To continue building upon the structure of this event, ICDD is excited to announce a new partnership with the University of Iowa Office of Innovation as part of our 2026 First Round series. Every other month, a @uiowa professor will share their work in a downtown venue, giving attendees the chance to connect directly with the people behind the research and education shaping our region.

Join us for the first official event of the partnership next Wednesday, February 18 from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. at @prairielightsbooks , where Dr. Bob Cargill will explore the question, “Can Archaeology Prove the Bible?”

We hope you’ll come for a drink, stay for the conversation, and see what First Round is all about.

This month, your first round is free thanks to the Office of Innovation. Cheers!

More new flavors have arrived in Iowa City! @le_cr

More new flavors have arrived in Iowa City! @le_crave.cafe opened earlier this winter at 14 S Clinton Street in the former Molly’s Cupcakes space, bringing a delicious fusion of Middle Eastern and Western café culture to downtown. If you haven’t had the chance to stop in, now’s your chance to give it a try!

This family-owned café is serving up something for every craving, from traditional za’atar flatbreads and savory lahm bi ajeen to French-inspired sweet crepes, specialty coffee, and unique treats like Dubai chocolate strawberry cups and stuffed pancake bites. Don’t miss their Brazilian lemonade and rotating display case full of surprises!

Open 7 days a week with late-night hours on Fridays and Saturdays until 10:00 PM, Le Crave is the perfect spot whether you’re studying, catching up with friends, or just treating yourself. Plus, you can sign up for their rewards program and get a FREE pastry after 10 visits!

Come alone, come with friends, come as you are. This is more than a café, it’s where global flavors meet local hospitality. See you at 14 S Clinton Street! 💛

Downtown Iowa City’s Winter Arts & Culture Festiva

Downtown Iowa City’s Winter Arts & Culture Festival is back! From February 16–22, 2026, Free Week returns for its second year, transforming the Downtown Iowa City’s Cultural & Entertainment District into a weeklong celebration of creativity, connection, and community, all with 50+ admission-free events across 20+ arts and culture venues.

Presented by X Marks the Arts and sponsored by @thinkiowacity and ICDD, Free Week brings together local and regional artists, performers, and venues to offer a full lineup of concerts, films, workshops, and interactive experiences.

Highlights include @elizabethmoenmusic at the @englerttheatre, free movies at @icfilmscene, a Silent Disco at the @pentacrest.museums, hands-on art activities, gallery talks, live music across downtown, and tons more!

Throughout the week, participating venues will open their doors to welcome the community in, encouraging exploration and discovery during the winter season. Every event is free to attend, and all participating artists are paid through programming curated in partnership with each venue—supporting the people and spaces that keep Iowa City’s arts scene thriving year-round.

Free Week is your invitation to bundle up, head downtown, and experience why Iowa City continues to earn its reputation as the “Greatest Small City for the Arts.”

View the full schedule and start planning your week at xmarksthearts.com.

On the latest episode of Downtown Dish, John Engel

On the latest episode of Downtown Dish, John Engelbrecht from Public Space One (PS1) dives into the free programming and events @p_s_won will be hosting during Free Week. Join us next week during the Winter Arts & Culture Festival for your chance to explore art, make something by hand, and connect with the community!

Free Week Highlights at PS1:

Print Your Own Swag: Wednesday, Feb 18, 1–4 PM at @icpresscoop (225 N Gilbert St) – Try letterpress, screenprinting, and other printmaking techniques. Everyone walks away with a handmade print!

Gallery Talk & Reception: DEAD OR AMAZING – Friday, Feb 20, 5–7 PM at PS1 Northside (229 N Gilbert St) – Hear from the artists behind this experimental, immersive video installation:

- Ethan Edvenson (Des Moines) creates multi-media drawings and video using India ink, chalk pastel, and photography. His work explores humor, transformation, and the pursuit of what’s eternal, inviting viewers into layered, surreal narratives. @ethanedvenson

-Charles Borowicz is a photographer and video artist whose immersive work elevates the everyday and embraces chance within highly crafted imagery. His recent large-scale piece, Semblant, is on view at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. @charles_borowicz

John also shares how PS1 has grown into a dynamic, welcoming hub for creativity, hosting artist residencies, interactive exhibitions, social dance nights, and the annual Dada Prom, all with experimentation and community at its heart.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.

After 10 incredible years, we’re saying thank you

After 10 incredible years, we’re saying thank you and farewell to @cortadoic. Their coffee, food, and welcoming space have been a staple of our community, and they’ll always be part of our downtown story. As owner Yochai shifts his focus to growing his wholesale business, we wish him the very best in this next chapter.

While we’ll miss Cortado, we’re excited to share that a new, locally owned concept is on the way for 26 S Clinton St.

Coming soon is a cocktail lounge and restaurant led by Tommy Connolly, part-owner of @thedandylionic, who will be opening his second business in Downtown Iowa City. The new spot will offer a traditional, modern reinterpretation of the cocktail lounge experience, perfect for late-afternoon and early-evening drinks and bites, with a lounge-style setting, elevated ambiance, great food, and expertly crafted cocktails.

“We are creating a space that balances comfort and cool,” Connolly shared. “A quick after-work drink or a sensual and savory date night, we will be that place.”

Guests can expect a more professional, relaxed, and thoughtfully subdued atmosphere.

We’ll be sharing more as plans continue to take shape. Stay tuned, exciting things are coming to downtown!

X Marks the Arts Presents: Free Week takes it to t

X Marks the Arts Presents: Free Week takes it to the Rooftop!

Downtown Iowa City’s @vuerooftop is bringing more live music and skyline views to Free Week 2026! Join us on the 12th floor of the @hiltongardeninn for two nights of performances as part of the Winter Arts & Culture Festival.

Friday, Feb. 20 | 8:00–11:00 PM – Dage Lee
Acoustic singer-songwriter Dage Lee brings his signature blend of country, rock, and modern influences to Vue Rooftop. With over 2,000 performances across the Midwest, Dage’s high-energy mashups and in-the-moment audience-inspired songs guarantee a one-of-a-kind night.

Saturday, Feb. 21 | 8:00–11:00 PM – @paintedporchacoustic
Painted Porch mixes harmony-driven acoustic covers with classic-rock flair, delivering sing-along favorites from across genres and decades. In just eight months, this Eastern Iowa band has already raised over $15,000 for local charities, blending great music with community spirit.

Bundle up, head downtown, and take in live music with a view. Free Week wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Vue Rooftop.

📅 Make your dining room reservation and learn more about these performances at www.vuerooftop-ic.com.

Explore the full Free Week schedule at www.xmarksthearts.com.

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