CINCINNATI — The Queen City will go Technicolor this weekend when the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra performs songs inspired from somewhere over the rainbow, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden kicks off its annual Tunes & Blooms concert series and the Uptown West Fest rocks Fifth Third Arena.
FOOD & DRINK
Pink Boots Beer Release: 4 p.m.-midnight Friday. Brink Brewing Co., 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. Lift a pint in honor of International Women's Day at Brink Brewing this Friday. Women from the local beer industry brewed the Mom's Favorite Hefeweizen in those hoisted glasses during the event. Chris Lee will perform live music and BGs Grill food truck will serve food. Brink will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the beer to the Pink Boots Society, an organization that works to help women advance their careers through education. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
COMMUNITY
Spring Craft Fair + Brunch: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday. West Side Brewing, 3044 Harrison Ave., Westwood. Free. Hop on over to Westwood this Saturday for the Fill Your Easter Basket Spring Craft Fair at West Side Brewing. More than a dozen local vendors will be on site selling everything from art to handmade gifts to candy. Starters Café will also have brunch and lunch options available as you shop. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Northside Record Fair: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. North Church, 4222 Hamilton Ave., Northside. Free. The Northside Record Fair returns to North Church this Saturday. There will be thousands of records to browse, along with CDs, cassettes, posters, t-shirts and other memorabilia all day long. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
ArtsWave Day Open House at Music Hall: Noon-4 p.m. Saturday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Join local nonprofit ArtsWave for a free community-wide open house of Music Hall that will include mini-performances by resident companies and tours of the Queen City's historic gem. Visitors will be able to participate in guided tours provided by the Society for the Preservation of Music Hall; hands on musical experiences with the CSO Music Lab and listen to rehearsals; and performances by members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, May Festival and Cincinnati Ballet. www.cincinnatisymphony.org
Pop Up + Meet and Greet: 4-8 p.m. Saturday. Idlewild, 1230 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. Bring a little style to your wardrobe this weekend while meeting three season 17 "Project Runway" contestants in Over-the-Rhine. Designers Lela Orr, Cavanagh Baker and and Cincinnati's own Tessa Clark will be mingling at Idlewild, the boutique women's fashion shop where Clark sells her Grind and Glaze line of clothing. Visitors will also be able to enjoy a drink as they shop for clothes from each designer's collection. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Cincinnati Rollergirls Superhero Night: 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Schmidt Field House, 3900 Winding Way, Evanston. $5-$12. Avengers assemble! The Cincinnati Rollergirls invites everyone to come and cheer on their favorite superheroes on four wheels as they take on the Steel City Roller Derby team this Saturday. The team will host a superhero costume contest during halftime of the first game, followed by intermission entertainment from Dance Flash Fusion. crg2019game2.brownpapertickets.com
MUSIC & MORE
Tunes & Blooms: 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale. Free. Spring has sprung and as far as the Cincinnati Zoo is concerned that can only mean one thing . . . The annual Tunes & Blooms returns to the zoo this Thursday with its first free evening concert. Admission to the event is free after 5 p.m. (Parking still costs $10 though.) Music will start at 6 p.m. and beer will be available for purchase during the event. Tunes & Blooms will then continue at the same time each Thursday through the end of April. cincinnatizoo.org
"Tell It Like It Is" with Dane Cook: 7:30 p.m. Friday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $39.50-$59.50. Actor, director and comedian Dane Cook is visiting the Queen City this Friday as part of his "Tell It Like It Is" tour. Cook directed "Troublemaker" for Showtime in 2013 and voice-acted in Disney's animated film "Planes" after launching a successful standup career in 2003 with his "Harmful IF Swallowed" album. tafttheatre.org
"Wonderful Music of Oz:" 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $25-$130. Prepare to be transported over the rainbow when conductor John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra whisks you away in a swirl of songs from "Wicked," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Whiz" and more. Guests Broadway vocalists Blaine Krauss, Jessica Hendy and Scott Coulter will join the Pops during three kid-friendly magical performances. www.cincinnatisymphony.org
"Fiesta!" with the Nouveau Chamber Players: 4 p.m. Saturday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Enjoy a free performance by members of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra and Nouveau Chamber Players inside Music Hall's Wilks Studio this Saturday. The hour-long recital will include "Fiesta #1, for String Ensemble" by Sonia Morales-Matos. www.cincinnatisymphony.org
"This Show is Awkward AF" with Tiffany Jenkins: 8 p.m. Saturday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $38-$78. Facebook video sensation Tiffany Jenkins will offer her open, honest and often funny insights into her past as an active addict, as well as her struggles with anxiety and depression at the Taft this Saturday. The wife, mother, author and content creator will delivery her story of hope that is guaranteed to inspire. tafttheatre.org
Uptown West Fest: 7 p.m. Saturday. Fifth Third Arena, 2700 O'Varsity Way, CUF. $30 non-students; $15 students. The annual spring concert, Uptown West Fest returns to the University of Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena this Saturday. This year's lineup includes A$AP Ferg & Lost Kings. The concert series is organized by UC's Programs and Activities Councils. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
