Condado Tacos grand opening
Get ready to enjoy tacos, tequila and margaritas at the Banks. Columbus-based Condado Tacos is celebrating the opening of its first Cincinnati location this Thursday. The restaurant, located near Great American Ball Park, is serving buy-one-get-one-free tacos and half-price margaritas all day.
11 a.m.-2 a.m. Thursday. Condado Tacos, 195 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. www.condadotacos.com
Fun on Wheels
Two mobile vans are visiting the Queen City. The first is a mobile record store and the second involves what may be the most popular feline in the world.
The Crosley Cruiser: This mobile record store is rolling into Northside on Thursday. The cruiser is equipped with mobile charging and listening stations, seating and a hand-crafted Crosley Rocket Jukebox. The regionally touring van will have giveaways and serve drinks while showcasing "Booze and Vinyl," a book that explores the intersection of music and mixed drinks. Noon-3 p.m. Thursday at Shake It Records, 4156 Hamilton Ave., and then 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at Second Place, 3936 Spring Grove Ave., Northside. www.crosleyradio.com
Hello Kitty Cafe Truck: Hello Kitty, the iconic Japanese feline, will visit Cincinnati on Saturday in the form of a food truck. The cafe on wheels will sell Hello Kitty cookies, packet pies, macarons, stainless-steel thermos bottles, bow-shaped water bottles, headbands, keychains and T-shirts. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday. Kenwood Towne Centre, 7875 Montgomery Road, Sycamore Township. www.sanrio.com
Homecoming and MusicNOW
I've been looking forward to this weekend for a while.
Cincinnati-bred band the National's inaugural Homecoming Music Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday at Smale Riverfront Park. Acts such as Father John Misty, Feist, Future Island, the Breeders and Lord Huron, along with the National, will perform on two outdoor stages with the Roebling Suspension Bridge as a backdrop. 1 p.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Smale Riverfront Park, 100 Ted Berry Way, Downtown. $89.50-$199.50. ntlhomecoming.com
MusicNOW, the arts and music festival started by the National's Bryce Dessner in 2006, also will take place this weekend. Various venues across Cincinnati will host different artistic events Friday, Saturday and Sunday. MusicNOW will begin at 8 p.m. Friday with an opening night celebration at the Cincinnati Masonic Center, located at 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. Tickets to attend the celebration, featuring performances by Mouse on Mars, Bryce and Aaron Dessner as Red Bird Hollow, Sam Amidon, Lisa Hannigan, Spank Rock, Kristin Anna and other guests, cost $50. The Cincinnati Ballet will also participate in MusicNOW. The ballet will premiere its latest "Bold Moves" performance 8 p.m. Friday at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, which is located at 650 Walnut St., Downtown. "Bold Moves" will include a performance of Bryce Dessner's "Murder Ballad" with musical accompaniment by Chicago ensemble Eighth Blackbird. Friday-Sunday. Multiple locations and prices. musicnowfestival.org
Cincinnati Funk Fest
The type of music you like probably will determine whether you go to MusicNOW's opening night or this concert at U.S. Bank Arena. Cincinnati Funk Fest is an R&B and hip-hop feast featuring live performances by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Erykah Badu and artist Yasiin Bey, better known as Mos Def. Lauren Eylise, Talib Kweli, Hi-Tek, Kameron Corvet and Speed Walton round out the stellar lineup of performers. (For those looking to extend the party, check out Kweli's 10 p.m. Saturday DJ set at Over-the-Rhine winery Revel.)
8 p.m. Friday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $63-$124. usbankarena.com
'Star Wars' Galore
Consider this weekend a prequel to all of the upcoming "May the Fourth" events.
'Star Wars' Night with Cincinnati Rollergirls: The epic clash between good and evil returns to Xavier University's Schmidt Field House on Saturday when the Cincinnati Rollergirls take on the Black-n-Bluegrass Rollergirls. It's only fitting that the seventh annual Crosstown Knockdown between the rival teams is also "Star Wars" night. The evening will include a laser sword giveaway, limited-edition "Star Wars" T-shirts for sale, "Star Wars" characters from the Ohio Garrison of the 501st Legion, a costume contest and droids. 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Schmidt Field House, 3900 Winding Way, Evanston. Ages 13 and up, $12; ages 7-12, $5; children age 6 and younger, free. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Millennium Falcon at NKU: Here's your chance to get inside the fastest ship in the galaxy. An interior replica of the Millennium Falcon will be on display inside BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University this weekend. This will be the shiny-and-new version of the Falcon, as seen in the upcoming “Solo: A Star Wars Story," which hits theaters May 25. The walkthrough is free but ticketed and timed to make sure as many people as possible have a chance to see the ship. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. BB&T Arena, 500 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Lebanon BrewHaHa
Sticking with the "Star Wars"/Han Solo theme for a second, laugh it up, fuzzball. Well, that's what the organizers of the Lebanon BrewHaHa hope you do. The annual event raises funds for the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Youth Orchestra. This year, comic magician Michael Kent will bring the laughs, and a host of local breweries will supply the beer. There also will be food trucks and live music.
6:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday. Warren County Fairgrounds, 665 N. Broadway St., Lebanon. $10-$40. Ages 21 and up. www.lebanonbrewhaha.com
Battle of Hogwarts Anniversary Week Celebration
Get ready, muggles. Over-the-Rhine board game parlor the Rook will kick off a weeklong series of events Sunday celebrating Harry Potter's victory over evil wizard Voldemort, as depicted in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." The festivities will culminate May 5 when the Rook raffles off a trip for one winner and a guest to two "Harry Potter" theme parks in Orlando, Florida. There will be trivia, "Harry Potter"-themed food and drinks, and other games throughout the week.
11 a.m.-12:15 a.m. Sunday. The Rook OTR, 1115 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Oakley Pup Crawl
Oakley is going to the dogs on Sunday. The sixth annual Pup Crawl is a fun event that takes dogs and their owners to various pubs in Oakley, all for a good cause. Donations to participate in the crawl help fund research into a cure for K-9 lung cancer. Organizers promise contests, giveaways and more fun than you can wag your tail at during this event.
1 p.m. Sunday. Oakley Square, 2980 Madison Road, Oakley. Advance registration: $30, $5 per pup; day-of-crawl registration: $35, $5 per pup. cincypupcrawl.com
Art on Ridge
End your weekend browsing local artwork and crafts for sale at the second annual Art on Ridge festival at the Rockdale Temple. It also includes music, food trucks and local craft beer for sale.
11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Rockdale Temple, 8501 Ridge Road, Amberley Village. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
