Every month Tour de Cincinnati creates a shortlist of notable events around Greater Cincinnati—large festivals, food weeks, entertainment, and ongoing series—to make sure you mark down these dates to keep in mind as you make plans in the coming weeks.
FOR MORE DETAILED WEEKEND RUNDOWN POSTS, CLICK HERE!
Here are several important dates for local events in October to get in your calendars now:
through October 11
Next to Normal
Ensemble Theatre
Click here for the 2025–26/40th season schedule
through October 12
HOMEARAMA
Foundry Park at Three Oaks
Six luxury homes by six local builders, as well as vendors and events throughout the two-week-long show (e.g. VIP weekend, car show & bourbon tasting, pet adoption day, meet the designers, Food Truck Saturday, and more).
through October 19
Mythic
Playhouse in the Park
Pop-rock musical comedy with Broadway ambitions making its US debut in Cincinnati.
Click here for the Playhouse’s 2025–26 season schedule
Check out the Fall in Cincinnati 2025 post for all things scares, tricks, and treats
October 2–30
OctKNOWber Nights
Know Theatre
Series of performances, featuring nine different shows throughout the month of October.
October 2–5 and 9–12
Showcase of Homes
Triple Crown (Union, KY)
Cincinnati Magazine’s high-end multi-home show at Triple Crown.
October 3
Unleashed: The Power of Love (benefiting Cincinnati Animal CARE)
The Clubhouse at Rhinegeist Brewery, 7–10p
Inaugural fundraising event supporting Hamilton County’s animal shelter, celebrating five years of compassion, courage, and CARE for the animals of Hamilton County. Tickets include dinner by the bite, silent and live auctions, redemption runway, VIP party, live music, late night After Pawty with DJ Boywife (10–11:30p).
Tour de Cincinnati Discount Codes:
$50 off of VIP Ticket (regularly $250) with code TDCVIP
$25 off of General Admission Ticket (regularly $150) with code TDCGA
$10 off of Late-Night “After Pawty” (regularly $40) with code TDCAFTER
October 3–4
Rocktoberfest
Bellevue Pavilion
More details to come
October 3–5
3rd Annual Cincy Bookstore Crawl
Multiple venues
Pick up a passport and get it stamped to win prizes. Each stamp is an entry. If you visit 16 or more stores you will qualify for the “Super Crawler” Drawing. This year’s crawl includes 22 stores on both sides of the river.
2nd Annual Bourbon & Belonging
Presented by Queer Kentucky
GLAAD-nominated nonprofit Queer Kentucky is proud to introduce the second annual “Bourbon & Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week”, the only LGBTQ+ inclusive Bourbon week in the country. Bourbon and Belonging will take place in four different cities, Northern Kentucky, Louisville, Lexington, and Paducah.
October 3–November 1
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Click here for the 2025–26 season schedule
October 4
fREADom Festival
Roebling Books (parking lot of Covington location)), 10a
Celebrating the freedom of expression, including banned books, live music, local authors, art vendors, community resources, merch.
Free admission, all ages, dogs welcome
October 4–5
Dog Man: The Musical
Aronoff Center, October 3–4
Based on the worldwide bestselling hit series by Dav Pilkey.
Saturday, October 3, at 2p and 6:30p
Sunday, October 4, at 2p
October 5
59th Annual Art Show
Hyde Park Square, 10a–5p
200 juried fine artists, both local and from across the country, will be exhibiting and selling works in a variety of mediums, including painting, photography, glass, ceramics, and more.
Free admission
October 8–12
America’s River Roots Festival
Cincinnati and NKY Riverfronts
Celebrating the vibrant culture of America’s river cities to kick off America’s 250th birthday in 2026. Tickets to come for cuisine and beverage experiences.
Tickets now available for:
Riverboat Cruises including lunch, brunch, dinner, late night, sightseeing and more
October 10–26
The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition
The Emery Theater
Youth edition of Frank L. Baum’s timeless classic, The Wizard of Oz.
60-minute runtime
October 11–12
Ohio Sauerkraut Festival
Waynesville, Ohio
A weekend of 60+ food items, 460 craft vendors from 25 states, and so much more.
October 13–17
12th Cincinnati Design Week
Multiple Venues
Annual multi-day celebration of design, featuring workshops, panel discussions, speaking events, and more.
Tickets
October 13–19
Cincinnati Taco Week
Multiple locations
$2.50 tacos available at several restaurants around Greater Cincinnati.
October 14–26
The Notebook
Aronoff Center
Click here for the 2025–26 Broadway in Cincinnati season schedule
October 18
Cyclones Season Opener
Heritage Bank Center, 7:30p
The Cincinnati Cyclones have their First Face-Off in front of the home crowd against the Wheeling Nailers.
October 18, 2025–April 12, 2026
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
Cincinnati Museum Center
An exhibition the world needs you to see. Be a witness.
Through this daunting selection of more than 500 original artifacts from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland, as well as more than 20 institutions and museums all over the world, Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. portrays the complex reality of the notorious camp while sharing firsthand stories from those who survived, and those who perished.
Tickets
October 23
CMC After Hours: Halloween Edition
Cincinnati Museum Center, 7p
Strange science, mysterious specimens, spooky experiments, open exhibits, and themed cocktails and food available for purchase. Costumes encouraged.
21+; Tickets
October 24–26
Vintage Market Days of Dayton-Cincinnati
Greene County Fairgrounds
Three-day vintage-inspired market featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, home decor, outdoor furnishings, consumables, seasonal plantings, and more.
October 25
Run Like Hell 5K
The Banks, 7p
A high-voltage, Halloween-themed night race along Cincinnati’s riverfront. A portion of proceeds benefit The Cure Starts Now.
Register here
October 25
Opening Night: The Heart Sellers
Playhouse in the Park. Through November 23.
Click here for the Playhouse’s 2025–26 season schedule
October 25–26
2025 Cincinnati Coffee Festival
Music Hall Ballroom
Sample coffee roasters, tea and pastry shops, bakers, chocolatiers, and more from around the region. There will also be latte art and live talks, music, and vendors. Benefiting the Ohio River Foundation.
Tickets
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Have any questions or want specific recommendations about things to do? Just ask!
