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.].
Dates to Know in Cincinnati: November
November 1–30
Cyclones Blood Drive
Hoxworth Blood Center
Donate blood or platelets at any Hoxworth Neighborhood Donor Center or select mobile blood drive from November 1–30 and receive the NEW Cincinnati Cyclones performance hoodie (while supplies last).
November 22–December 5
Crosstown Shootout Blood Drive Challenge
Donate blood at either UC or Xavier’s campus blood drive, or at any of the seven Neighborhood Donor Centers (mention your favorite team!), and receive an exclusive Crosstown Shootout t-shirt. Through December 5.
Wednesday
Good Plates Giving Project (GPGP)
Good Plates Eatery, 10a
Every year on the day before Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas Eve, we open our doors at 10 am to provide people in our community with hot meals, winter goods and wellness products, and toys for kids, all free of charge.
Thursday
Thanksgiving Day
Opening Day: Shillito’s Elves
Carew Tower (along Fifth Street)
The elves’ move is part of expanded holiday programming that will stretch throughout downtown’s Fountain District. Through January 4.
Free
Opening Night: Light Up Middletown
6–10p
Drive-through light display from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve—open in all weather and on holidays. Through December 31.
Admission by cash donation
Friday
Opening Day: Christmas Tree Sale
Findlay Market
Trees (starting at $75), wreaths ($30), and stands ($35). Through December 21.
Opening Day: WinterFest
Kings Island, 5p
Experience Kings Island transformed into a holiday wonderland, with more than seven million lights, ice skating, entertainment, activities, festive attractions, holiday shopping, and seasonal treats.
Admission starting at $29.99
Opening Day: Yuletide Village
Renaissance Park, 5p
Holiday lights, festive shows, and a Yuletide Market full of gifts, as well as hot food and drinks available for purchase. Through December 20.
Art on Vine
Elm Street Plaza, 5–9p
An extra Art on Vine event for the holiday season: a Black Friday special where you can watch Light Up the Square on Fountain Square and celebrate the grand opening of Elm Street Plaza while supporting local makers. Additional holiday market dates: December 7 and December 21 (details below).
Free admission
Light Up the Square
Fountain Square, 6–9p
Kick off the holiday season with Fountain Square’s annual tree lighting celebration. Festivities begin at 5p with live music, followed by a special appearance by Santa Claus, then a dazzling fireworks display.
Opening Night: Die Hard is a Christmas Movie
Know Theatre, 7:30p
A shot-for-shot remake of the perennial action classic, set inside the suburban home of a family on the brink of collapse.
Holidays in Cincinnati 2025
Friday–Sunday
North Pole Express
LM&M Railroad
Experience the wonder of the holiday season by journeying down the train tracks of Warren County, Ohio. Passengers spend time with Santa and his elves on the one hour and 15 minute festive train ride. Additional dates: December 5–7, 11–23
Coach Class seats starting at $30
Saturday
Small Business Saturday
Shop Local Guide
Local Stocking Stuffers
Check out @linsinnati on Instagram for a Story highlight about all things Shopping Local, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday in Cincinnati.
Opening Day: Scuba Santa’s Water Wonderland
Newport Aquarium, 9a
Playful penguins, colorful holiday lights, and a flurry of magical bubbles. Meet cheerful elves straight from the North Pole and join in the fun as Scuba Santa fills the Theater with bubbles. FISH (Family Inclusive Sensory Hours) will be on December 14 from 8a to 10a. Through December 24.
Included with admission and membership
ArtisanFest513 Harvest Market
Washington Park, 11a–4p
Free admission
Crafty Supermarket Holiday Show
Music Hall Ballroom, 11a–5p
100+ makers in one space for a holiday shopping extravaganza.
Free admission
WestSide Holiday Market
Westwood Town Hall, 12–5p
Small business pop-up market showcasing over 120 local vendors, food trucks, and family friendly activities. There will also be free photos with Santa.
Free admission
8th Annual Holiday Market
Streetside Brewery, 1–4p
Shop local, support small businesses, and drink Streetside beer.
Free admission
Tree Lighting
Braxton Factory 52, 3–10p
3–6p: Pictures with Santa and a visit from real reindeer
3–8p: Holiday Market
5p: tree lighting
7–10p: festive tunes with DJ JonJon
Free admission
Jingle Jams
The Porch at Washington Park, 4–7p
Merry mix of live holiday music, great drinks, and festive vibes. Additional dates: December 6–7, 13, 20–21.
Free admission
Downtown Dazzle
Fountain Square, 6–9p
Cookie and ornament decorating, scavenger hunt, photos with Santa and Buddy the Elf, Santa rappelling from a building, and fireworks show. Additional dates: December 6, 13, 20.
Free admission
Saturday and Sunday
2nd Annual Hoppy Holiday Market
Rhinegeist Annex
Each $15 ticket includes your first beverage and entry to their market of a variety of curated local vendors.
Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt Holiday Beer Extravaganza
Moerlein Lager House
Local breweries bring their most festive seasonal brews to the riverfront, as well as live music and entertainment and The Cincy Hat onsite for purchases. Plus: The Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt will have food, festive drinks, and gifts.
Tickets
Sunday
Holiday Family Funday: Whacky Tacky Traditions
Taft Museum of Art, 10a–3:30p
Free music, art-making, and gallery experiences.
Additional dates: December 7 and 14.
Registration not required but encouraged
Ongoing
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 admission
Sports
UC MBB vs. Eastern Michigan
Heritage Bank Center
Wednesday at 7p
Watch: ESPN+; Listen: 700 WLW
Thanksgiving Eve + $2 Beers
Cincinnati Cyclones vs. Toledo Walleye
Heritage Bank Center
Wednesday at 7:30p
Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens
Thursday at 8:20p
Watch: NBC; Listen: 700WLW, ESPN 1530, and 102.7 WEBN
Xavier MBB vs. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
Cintas Center
Friday at 5:30p
Watch: ESPN+; Listen 700WLW
Xavier WBB vs. (1) UCONN
Cintas Center
Sunday at 2:30p
Watch: FS1
All college sporting events listed are Division I home games only. Events are subject to change or cancellation. Please click on the link for more information.
through December 6
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 7:30p
Click here for the 2025–26 season schedule
through December 28
A Christmas Carol
Playhouse in the Park
through January 4, 2026
Recall. Reframe. Respond. The Art of Paul Scott.
Cincinnati Art Museum
Working with new ceramic forms or repurposing antique pieces, Scott breaks, reassembles, erases, and adds details using screenprinting, engraving, and collage processes to create new “historical” patterns. Broadly, his works address updated narratives about art, history and American experiences.
Free admission
through January 11, 2026
Indigo and the Art of Quiltmaking
Taft Museum of Art
For thousands of years, people around the world have treasured textiles dyed with indigo. A synthetic version, developed in the 1880s, still colors today’s blue jeans. This exhibition presents twenty quilts created between the early 1800s and 2015.
Tickets (admission to the museum is FREE on Sundays and Mondays)
through March 1, 2026
What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine
Cincinnati Art Museum
The unforgettable art and satire of MAD, from its start in 1952 as a popular humor comic book to its evolution into a beloved magazine.
Tickets
through April 12, 2026
Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away.
Cincinnati Museum Center, 10a
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
New To Do
Salazar
101 W Fifth Street
Mon–Thurs, 5-10p
Fri–Sat, 4–10p
Sun, closed
2025 Winterhaus
Fountain Square
With the move of the ice rink to Elm Street Plaza, Winterhaus is a cozy, glass-enclosed tented retreat in the heart of the city, complete with daily programming, a full bar, and space for everything from co-working to private events.
Prim
70 W Fifth Street
Tues–Thurs, 4p–midnight
Friday, 4p–2a
Saturday, 2p–2a
Sunday, 4p–midnight
The Barket
Findlay Market
Montclair Street
3134 Harrison Avenue, Westwood
Fresh cut flowers, retail wine, home goods, and gifts.
Open daily, 10a–6p
Now Available: Teddy Lou, Bell Guru
STEM picture book by local author Chris Demeropolis.
Tasty Bird Vintage
2533 Gilbert Avenue (Walnut Hills)
Curated selection of housewares, furniture, and clothes from the ’30s through the ’90s.
Mon, closed
Tues–Thurs, 11a–6p
Fri–Sat, 11a–8p
Sun, 11a–6p
Stumps Lanes and Cinful Eats
5536 Bridgetown Road
Casual bowling alley offering open play and leagues, plus pizza and yard games
Mon, 4–9p
Tues–Thurs, 9a–9p
Fri–Sat, 9a–11p
Sun, 12–9p
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Avenue
Now open seven days a week, 10a–5p
Tokyo Pie
633 Madison Avenue (Covington)
Mon–Wed, 4p–12a
Thurs–Fri, 4p–2a
Sat, 11a–2a
Sun, 11a–12a
Japanese inspired pizzas and nightlife
Tickets and Registration for Future Events
3rd Annual ReMADE 2025
Art Academy of Cincinnati, December 5, 6–9p
Sustainable art event, gallery show, and annual fundraiser; an evening art, music, and community, highlighting the creative talent and original works of Cincinnati’s remarkable artists, as well as Indigo Hippo’s mission to broaden arts accessibility, reduce waste, and inspire possibility through creative reuse.
Tickets include complimentary bites
14 Delicious Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants in Greater Cincinnati [citybeat.com]
Allez Bakery to Open New Location in Madisonville [citybeat.com]
Barb Cooper Shows You How to Eat Your Way Through the City [cincinnatimagazine.com]
Cincinnati Animal CARE Partners With Good Plates Eatery on Holiday Meal Distributions [citybeat.com]
Cincinnati’s Very Own Prophet Predicted the End of the World. Repeatedly. [cincinnatimagazine.com]
Iconic Greater Cincinnati Restaurants & Bars Every Visitor Needs to Try [citybeat.com]
MindPeace is Creating a Culture of Wellness in Local Schools [cincinnatimagazine.com]
New Exhibition Reflects on “MAD” Magazine at the CAM [cincinnatimagazine.com]
The Reading Rooms of Cincinnati [cincinnatimagazine.com]
Restaurant Focusing on Small Plates, Wine and Private Events to Open in Former Somm Wine Bar [citybeat.com]
