in partnership with
and heard every Friday on the Weekend Rundown with JonJon and Friends on
Tour de Cincinnati does the research for fun things to do around the city so you don’t have to! Check out the list below for goings on ranging from markets and live music, to brewery fun and food events. Events are subject to change or cancellation. Be sure to click on their respective links for more information.
Categories listed below include:
• Weekend Rundown
• Sporting Events
• New To Do
• Tickets and Registration
• Local News Roundup
You can also listen to the Weekend Rundown with JonJon on Kiss107 every Friday. If you are unable to tune in on the radio, you can listen to Kiss on the iHeartRadio app or you can listen live here.
[If a link is broken, feel free to reach out for information.]
October
FotoFocus Biennial: Backstories
The largest photography and lens-based biennial in America, the FotoFocus Biennial is in its seventh iteration and encompasses 107 projects at 86 Participating Venues across Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky.
Free entry and exclusive events; get your passport here
National Chili Month
Gold Star is helping fight against local childhood hunger by giving a portion of all chili menu items sold from October 1–31 to Freestore Foodbank. Read more here.
Plan Ahead: Check Out These Can’t-Miss Events in Cincinnati This October
October 4–13
Cincy Beer Week
Events all across the greater Cincinnati region to celebrate community, education, entertainment, and everything that has enabled Cincinnati’s beer scene to grow in the last few decades.
October 7–13
Cincinnati Taco Week
$2.50 tacos (minimum order of 3) available from more than 40 participating restaurants.
Wednesday
Skyline’s 75th Birthday Bash
Fountain Square, 11a–1p
Celebrate Skyline by helping them break the Guinness World Record for the most photos of hot dogs uploaded to Instagram in one hour. (World Record attempt will take place from 11:30 to 12:30.)
All participants should ensure that their profile is set to public. The caption of the photos must include the hashtag #SkylineChiliWorldRecord. Photos must also be uploaded to your Instagram feed. Instagram Stories do not qualify.
Thursday
Grand Opening
Aglamesis Bros Hamilton, 3p
Celebrate with sweet treats, gourmet chocolates, and ice cream.
Pints and Plants
Big Ash Brewing, 5–7p
Meet staff and friends of Boone County Arboretum at this after-work event located at Big Ash Brewing. Beverages and food are available for purchase from Big Ash.
Free but registration required
Off the Rails: Halloween Edition at the Hall of Justice
Cincinnati Museum Center, 7–10p
Experience the super heroic and the supernatural with museum tours, themed drinks, and karaoke.
21+
Thursday–Sunday
2nd Annual Oktoberfest
KANTINE Biergarten
Live music, events, and authentic Oktoberfest dishes you’d get in Munich.
Friday
Rollin’ in Rhythm Closing Reception
1435 Main Street, 5–8p
Your last chance to see Rollin’ in Rhythm, an exhibit of skate film and photography exuding the joy, athleticism, self-expression, and solidarity of rollerskating at our two downtown skating rinks. Part of the FotoFocus Biennial.
Pet Adoption Event
Hi-Wire, 6p
Hi-Wire has partnered with the Save the Animals Foundation to host a pet adoption event.
Opening Night: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Through November 2
Read more about haunted houses and ghost tours here
Friday and Saturday
Queen Bee Half Marathon Weekend
Starts at Reading Road/Pendleton Street and the course goes through some of Cincinnati’s historic and scenic neighborhoods, where there will be bands and DJs and refreshment zones that will ‘bee’ unique to the event along the way.
Friday: Bee-U-Tique Expo
Saturday: Queen Bee Half (7:30a), Queen Bee 4-Miler (8a), and Michelob Ultra Victory Party (8a)
Click here to view the course map and to plan where you can watch from
11th Annual Lebanon Oktoberfest
Downtown Lebanon
Live German-style music, food vendors, kid’s zone, and German and local craft beers.
OktoberWest
Harvest Home Park
Friday: 5–11p adults only evening of live music, food trucks, and drinks
Saturday: 4–11p family friendly day of live music, food, drinks, kid activities, log sawing, and stein holding and mug slide competitions
Opening Weekend: Haunted Village
Heritage Village Museum (Sharon Woods)
Family friendly slight-fright event. Walk through the haunted woods and meet ghosts, witches, and a fortune teller. There will also be balloon art, games, a creepy critter zoo, face painting, storytelling, and more. Costumes encouraged.
$15 per person at the door (museum members and children under two are free and do not require a ticket)
Friday–Sunday
13th Annual Operation Pumpkin & Art Festival
Downtown Hamilton
Family friendly pumpkin festival featuring giant pumpkins, pumpkin weigh-off, and food and crafts from over 100 vendors around Southwest Ohio.
Jack O’Lantern Glow
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, October 3–6, 11–13, 18–31
An immersive walkthrough experience with more than 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins and fall displays along a half-mile trail in the Zoo. Festive food will be available for purchase.
NOT included with Zoo admission
Saturday
Queen Bee Half Marathon Watch Party
Streetside Brewery, 8a
Streetside is on the race route and will be opening early to help cheer on the runners. Craft Burger Bros will start serving breakfast at 9.
Season Opener: The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr
Taft Theatre
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. opens TCT’s 2024–25 season on October 12 and runs through October 21.
Remaining Mainstage season:
Santa Claus: The Musical (December 7–16)
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat (February 15–24)
Disney’s Frozen Jr (April 25–May 4)
Electronic Waste Recycling
Woodland Mound, 9a–noon
Great Parks is partnering with Cohen Recycling to recycle unused electronic items. No maximum number of items per person. Click the link for more information and guidelines.
Yellow Springs Street Fair
9a–7p
A Yellow Springs experience, complete with 250+ vendors, 65 shops and eateries, and full lineup of music.
Rock, Fossil, and Artifact Identification Day
Archaeological Research Institute, 10a–2p
Bring in your artifacts, rocks, and fossils to have them identified and recorded by a professional, plus learn how to get involved with local archaeology, upcoming research, and meet the team.
The City Flea
Washington Park, 10a–4p
Cincinnati’s original curated urban flea market that considers itself a small business incubator, community organization, and city advocate.
Fall Vendor Fair *Rescheduled*
Country Pumpkins, 10a–4p
50 crafters and vendors and free admission and parking. Fall festival activities will be open from 10a to 7p, including hayrides, pumpkins, petting zoo, slides, barrel train rides, corn mazes, play areas, photo spots, and more.
Click here for activity pricing information
Sayler Park Harvest Festival
Sayler Park Town Square (6600 Gracely Drive), 10a–6p
Live music, food, crafts, pumpkins, and more.
2nd Annual Oddtoberfest
Urban Artifact, 12p
Seasonal vendors, live music at Radio Artifact, and some special Fruit Tart releases. Visit Urban Artifact at the historic and haunted St Patrick’s church to learn the real spooky secrets of Northside.
1–5p: vendor market
8p–midnight: “Welcome to Planet Terror” Music Horror Experience at Radio Artifact
Howl & Growl Adoption Event
Sonder Brewing, 12–3p
Sonder has partnered with Animal Friends Humane Society for a day full of fun, furry friends (some available for adoption), and activities.
Fall Fest
Burnet Woods, 1–5p
Celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Burnet Woods in front of Trailside Nature Center near the lake with free pumpkin carving and decorating party for kids (big and small), music, entertainment, educational exhibits, Raptors Inc, and a food truck.
Opening – Silas Long: Interior Ruin
BasketShop Gallery (Westwood), 6–9p (participating Fotofocus venue)
Opening and artist talk as part of the 2024 FotoFocus Biennial: backstories. Runs through November 16.
Haunting on the Hill
Hamilton Avenue, College Hill, 6–11p
Prizes, drink specials, costume contest. All proceeds go to the College Hill Rec Center’s Trunk or Treat event.
Advance tickets $10; day-of tickets $15
Saturday and Sunday
Ohio Sauerkraut Festival
Waynesville, Ohio
A weekend of 60+ food items, 460 craft vendors from 25 states, and so much more.
Opening Weekend: HallZOOween
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Trick-or-treat stations, special animal enrichment, Phil Dalton’s Theater of Illusion shows at 1p and 3p, Hogwarts Express Train Ride (additional charge applies), Scare-ousel (additional charge applies). October 12–13, 19–20, 26–27
Free with zoo admission
Sunday
Second Sunday Brunch
Fable Cafe
With Chef Tyler Stemmer
Art on Vine Fall Market
Fountain Square, 12–6p
Monthly local fine art and handmade good market featuring over 80 artists and makers from the Ohio region.
Paws in the Park *Rescheduled*
Summit Park, 1–5p
Unique dog-focused event featuring lure chasing, agility courses, talent show, and a themed costume parade for dogs while humans can shop an array of independent vendors selling both pet-related and non-pet-related goods. There will also be food truck onsite. Benefiting the United Pet Fund.
Free and open to the public
Hocus Pocus Halloween Festival
Downtown Middletown, 2–7p
Family-fun festival featuring food and craft vendors, dance troupes, magic and illusion show, pumpkin carvers, Binx the cat, music, Howl-o-ween dog costume contest and parade, games and activities for kids, and more. The day wraps up with a free screening of Hocus Pocus.
through October 13
Mum’s the Word
Krohn Conservatory
A garden of silent reflection. Escape the noise of the busy world and find solace among the autumn blooms.
through October 27
Ohio Renaissance Festival
Renaissance Park
Lively shows, food and drink, and unique shops that transport you back in time to the days of knights and queens.
Weekends and Labor Day
through November 3
Underwater Pumpkin GLOW
Newport Aquarium
Giant glowing animals made from pumpkins in your favorite exhibits; pumpkin treats and special fall enrichment for resident animals; Jack-O-Lanterns become artificial reefs for the animals to explore; and an underwater pumpkin patch surrounded by sharks.
Included in general admission
Ongoing
ReLeaf Registration
Online
Apply for your FREE tree! ReLeaf registration opens to low canopy neighborhoods on September 7 and it opens to all City of Cincinnati residents on September 21.
Click here for the list of trees
Union Terminal Rotunda Tours
Cincinnati Museum Center
Fridays at 1:30p, 2:30p, and 3:30p
Saturdays at 11:30a, 12:30p, and 1:30p
Sundays at 12:30p, 1:30p, and 2:30p
Free
Sports
Week Six
Cincinnati Bengals @ NY Giants
Sunday at 8:20p
Watch: NBC; Listen: 700 WLW, ESPN 1530, 102.7 WEBN
Check out the Bengals Game Day Guide
Events are subject to change or cancellation. Please click on the link for more information.
New To Do
Elephant Trek
Cincinnati Zoo
The new world-class elephant exhibit at the Zoo opens 10/1 and features swimming pools, streams, overhead feeding stations, mud wallows, and many more enrichment opportunities.
Hearth Brewing
Harrison
1195 Stone Dr, Harrison, OH 45030
The Alley
Wooden Cask Brewing Company
Open Friday and Saturday nights at 5p
An immersive space where history and craftsmanship come together.
Sweets & Meats BBQ
3440 Burnet Avenue (Avondale)
New brick and mortar location is now open.
CHPL – Forest Park Branch
Forest Park’s new building is a Big Next Generation Library; a 26,440-square-foot facility built from the ground up.
Sharon Centre Outdoor Playground
Sharon Woods
10,000 square foot destination playground featuring designs inspired by the park’s unique surroundings and nearby creek, including bird nest-shaped play structures, a crayfish-inspired climber, dragonfly wobble boards, and more.
Willow Run Bourbon
645 Walnut Street
Custom Bourbon experiences. Create and take home your own custom Bourbon.
Juniper Seed
1809 Elm Street
Findlay Market’s newest resident of the Findlay Launch Storefront Accelerator Program offers accessible, affordable, and sustainable plant-based meal options.
Revival Vintage Spirits
614 Madison Avenue, Covington, Kentucky
Retail and bottle shop now open in a new, larger location.
Haven Cafe
4409 Brazee Street (Oakley)
Natural coffee, food, pastries, and smoothies.
Read more about Local Fall Coffee Flavors in Cincinnati
Vintage on Race
500 Race Street
A place for people to spectate socially.
Sudova
22 W Court Street
Eastern European restaurant from Sarah Dworak, who also owns Babushka Piergois at Findlay Market and founded Wodka Bar in OTR.
Annabelle Arthur Boutique
2643 Erie Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208
Brick and mortar shop now open in Hyde Park Square.
Pop Cultur’d Co
6 W 12th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Pop culture merch and gift shop
Tickets and Registration for Future Events
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Mainstage 2024–25 Season
Taft Theatre
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr (October 12–21)
Santa Claus: The Musical (December 7–16)
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat (February 15–24)
Disney’s Frozen Jr (April 25–May 4)
Supermoon Rising
October 17, Cincinnati Observatory, 6–9p
Celebrate the largest supermoon of the year with talks about lunar exploration, an expressive arts showcase inspired by the moon, and night sky viewing if the weather allows. (Rain or shine, participants will be able to celebrate our nearest celestial neighbor in a variety of unique ways.)
Admission is $12 for adults and $7 for children or observatory members. Pre-registration is available here or participants can pay at the door.
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference
October 17–20, Renaissance Hotel (downtown)
Three full days of expert advice from bestselling authors and literary agents to help writers of all kinds achieve their publishing goals. Featuring keynote speaker Steven Rowley.
Register here
Skate in the BLINK Parade
October 18, Come ready to shine and Skate Downtown Cincy will bring the lights.
Must register to participate
afterglow: Official BLINK After Party feat. Austin Millz
October 19, MegaCorp Pavilion, 10p
Charm at the Farm Vintage Market
October 18–20, Lebanon
Farmhouse chic, vintage finds, rustic treasures, antique furniture, repurposed pieces, clothing, jewelry, kids and baby, food trucks, and more.
Demogorgon VIP Experience
October 23, Streetside Brewery
Tickets include preview tasting, exclusive VIP bottled variant, barrel sampling and brewer talk, VIP gift, commemorative t-shirt, specialty burger from Craft Burger Bros, specialty dessert from Homebaked by Jen, and 10% off all non-Demogorgon packaged beer.
Tickets here
Phantom Film Festival
October 31–November 3, Esquire Theatre
Three days of hand-picked selections of classic and contemporary horror films by Cincinnati’s premiere film programmers. Immersive film experience with surprises, prizes, and post-film discussions and hangouts at Alive & Well each night.
5th Annual Layers of Innovation
Cincinnati Museum Center, 7–11:30p
Adults-only evening at the museum that doubles as an annual fundraiser where all ticket proceeds go straight into their philanthropy campaign. The theme is Layers of Innovation presented by Atomic Data where you will celebrate all things STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math).
Tickets here. Early bird pricing until October 19.
Accepting Submissions: ArtLocal Art Show
November 8–9: ArtsConnect (Springfield Twp)
Non-juried show that celebrates all levels of ability. Art will be on display for two days and some work will be available for purchase.
Register here
Market on Main
December 8, Woodward Theater, 11a–4p
Vendor applications are now open.
Aperture Makes NY Times’ Best Restaurants List [citybeat.com] [NY Times article]
ArtWorks Paints Its Wagon in a New Space [cincinnatimagazine.com]
Book with Memories of Coney Island to be Released Next Month [citybeat.com]
Cincinnati Comes in at Number 11 on Stacker’s Most Fun Cities in the US List [stacker.com]
Cincinnati Named Third Best City for a Staycation in the US [wallethub.com]
Cincinnati’s Gold Rush Coins, Steeped in Mystery, Are Worth a Fortune Today [cincinnatimagazine.com]
Cincinnati’s Underground Allure Lands it on Magazine’s ‘Must-See Fall Destinations’ List [citybeat.com]
Dayton Home to be Featured on New HGTV Show, ‘Scariest House in America’ [citybeat.com]
Fireside Pizza Owner Acquires Allyn’s Cafe in Columbia Tusculum [citybeat.com]
Greater Cincinnati Holiday Market Returns in November [citybeat.com]
Il Gusto Brings the Taste of Italy to Deer Park [cincinnatimagazine.com]
Local Pumpkin Carver to Appear on Outrageous Pumpkin All-Stars [cincinnatimagazine.com]
The New ArtsWave App is your Guide to Cincinnati’s Art Scene [citybeat.com]
Restaurateurs Share How they Make their Menus Stand Out in Greater Cincinnati [citybeat.com]
You Can Help Skyline Break a Guinness World Record for its 75th Birthday [citybeat.com]
