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 14
“Equal to Any in the City:” Ball & Thomas Photographs 1840s–1870s
Cincinnati Museum Center
Experience American history through the lens of one of the 19th century’s best photographers.
Included with Museum admission
through October 18
Yayoi Kusama: All the Eternal Love I Have for Pumpkins
Cincinnati Art Museum
All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins illustrates Kusama’s characteristic themes, including infinity, the sublime, and obsessive repetition. Tickets are available online only and are released one month prior to your visit date.
Check back often to reserve yours
September 15–October 15
Hispanic Heritage Month
Check out the Fall in Cincinnati 2026 post for all things scares, tricks, and treats
September 28–October 2
Cincinnati Design Week
Multiple Venues
Annual multi-day celebration of design, featuring workshops, panel discussions, speaking events, and more.
Tickets
October 1–4
Bourbon & Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week
Kentucky
The only LGBTQ+ inclusive Bourbon week in the country, taking place all across the state of Kentucky.
October 1–11
House of Cards Carnivale
Factory 52
One-of-a-kind celebration filled with larger-than-life entertainment, unexpected moments, and experiences around every corner. More details to come.
October 2–3
Art Walk
Essex Studios 6–10p
Live music, local eats and treats, resident and visiting artists, and new artist debuts.
October 2–4
4th Annual Cincy Bookstore Crawl
Multiple venues
Pick up a passport and get it stamped to win prizes. This year’s crawl includes 27 stores on both sides of the river.
Luxe Living Home Tour
NKY
Explore eight luxury homes and along the way enter to win over $2,500 worth of luxury prizes.
October 4
60th 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 8–11
BLINK Cincinnati
Downtown: from Findlay Market and OTR south to The Banks and over the river to Covington
The country’s largest art, light, and projection mapping festival draws national attention.
Tour de Cincinnati Guide to BLINK 2026
October 9–25
Mary Poppin’s Jr.
Emery Theatre
Click here to view The Children’s Theatre’s 2026–27 season
October 9–31
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Click here for the 2026–27 season schedule
October 10
Queen Bee Half Marathon
7:30a
Women-focused racing weekend with strong charity and community ties.
October 10–11
Ohio Sauerkraut Festival
Waynesville, Ohio
A weekend of 60+ food items, 460 craft vendors from 25 states, and so much more.
October 12–18
Cincinnati Taco Week
Multiple locations
$3 tacos available at several restaurants around Greater Cincinnati.
October 13–November 1
Mrs. Mannerly
Ensemble Theatre
Regional comedy revival.
Click here to see Ensemble Theatre’s 2026–27 season
October 18
Fifth Third Community Days
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 10a–5p
Free admission to the museum on the fifth and third Sundays of the month.
October 20–25
BOOP! The Musical
Aronoff Center
Click here to view the entire 2026–2027 season
October 22
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 22–30
OctKNOWber Nights
Know Theatre
Series of performances, featuring nine different shows throughout the month of October.
October 23–25
Vintage Market Days of Dayton-Cincinnati
“Collected & Curated”
Greene County Fairgrounds (Xenia)
Upscale, vintage-inspired, indoor/outdoor market featuring original art, vintage, furniture, boutique clothing, jewelry, handmade goods, home décor, food trucks, seasonal plantings, and more.
Tickets
October 24
Cyclones Season Opener
Heritage Bank Center, 7:30p
The Cincinnati Cyclones have their First Face-Off in front of the home crowd against the Bloomington Bison.
October 24–25
2026 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
Looking for more detailed Weekend Rundown posts? Click here!
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Have any questions or want specific recommendations about things to do? Just ask!
