When I was married, my wife and I loved to make a special meal, pop popcorn, let the kids stay up later than they should and watch the Oscars together. We made predictions in printed off ballots, we followed the reaction of friends and family on social media, and enjoyed the time snuggling on the couch.

Obviously, much has changed since the last Oscars.

This year though, as can be seen in my posts leading up to the annual show, I was determined to still watch and to still enjoy myself. My former wife had the kids and I had free time. So, in the days leading up to the event, I began scouting out places to watch.

I found a free Oscars watch party at the home of the Denver Film Society, the Sie FilmCenter. The Sie FilmCenter is Denver’s only year-round cinematheque. The Sie FilmCenter presents a weekly changing calendar of first-run exclusives and arthouse revivals—over 600 per year, all shown in their original language and format.

This is one of the indie film cinemas in Denver that plays some of the more obscure films that are released every year, as well as some of the older, beloved “cult classic” indie films.

It was a great time going solo without expecting to see anyone I knew or meet anyone new either. It was a fun atmosphere, I sat by myself next to someone else who was by herself. Everyone laughed at the jokes, cheered for the winners and clapped at the speeches. It was a wonderful night out where I felt both a freedom to be myself and “together” with the crowd around me all enjoying the entertainment and the community surrounding us.

This isn’t the first “night out” alone I’ve had in the past five months, and I don’t expect it to be the last. It was a fun time and experience that I would definitely do again.

How did you watch the Oscars? Share below in the comments.