CINCINNATI — Whether you’re ready to charge, crawl, march or slide into the weekend, this week's list of things to do covers all of those bases.
FOOD & DRINK
🍻 Dark Charge Day 2019: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday. Braxton Brewing Co., 27 W. Seventh St., Covington. Braxton’s annual Dark Charge Day celebrates the craft and Kentucky tradition of barrel-aged beer. For the event’s fifth year, the brewery is introducing more Dark Charge beer variants, food partners and extended live music lineup. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
💁 Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl: Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. The Hi-Mark, 3229 Riverside Drive, Columbia Tusculum. Get into the holiday spirit by wearing your ugliest holiday sweater while making merriment in Columbia Tusculum. The bar crawl will begin at The Hi-Mark before moving on to Pearl’s, Allyn’s Cafe, Local Post and ending at Streetside Brewery. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
🚶🏽♂️Fourth Annual OTR Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl: 2-10 p.m. Saturday. Seven participating bars in Over-the-Rine. $17.99-$25. 21 and older. Get ready to crawl through OTR in your ugliest sweater this weekend. Bars participating in this fourth annual crawl include 16-Bit, OTR Live, MOTR, Mr. Pitiful's, the Drinkery, Revel Urban Winery and Below Zero Lounge. OTR Live will host a ticketed pub crawl after party. www.eventbrite.com
👨🏼 Fifth Annual Dad Day: Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Stop in and have a Rhinegeist Dad on Dad Day with your dad as you dance awkwardly to bygone tunes while enjoying the hoppy holiday ale. DJs will be spinning, plaid family photo ops will be available and everyone will have a chance to win a special Dad Day gift set. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
🥂 4EG Bar Claw: 3-9 p.m. Saturday. Multiple locations. Santa Claws is coming to town. No, that is not a typo. Bar and restaurant group 4EG is hosting a crawl featuring $2 White Claws through each of its Cincinnati bars. For a list of bar visit times and and details visit the event Facebook page.
🎉 One-Year Revelry: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday. Karrikin Spirits Co., 3717 Jonlen Drive, Fairfax. Help the folks at Karrikin Spirits celebrate its first year in business during a day filled with special releases and live music starting at 6 p.m. Reservations are recommended for dining. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
COMMUNITY
🎅🏿 Black Santa at Carew Tower: 4-7 p.m. Thursday. Carew Tower, 441 Vine St., Downtown. Free. Bring your own camera for photos with Santa Galen in a festive North Pole setting on the first floor of the Carew Tower Arcade. Then stop by the letter-writing station and drop your letter into the Macy's Believe mailbox that goes straight to Santa at the North Pole. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
⚾️ Redsfest 2019: 3-10:30 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown. $25 two-day adult pass; $17 one-day adult pass; $12 two-day children 12 and younger pass; $7 one-day children 12 and younger pass. Christmas is coming early for Cincinnati Reds fans. This year’s Redsfest will feature up-close experiences with past and current players, games and merchandise available for purchase. www.mlb.com
🙀 A Christmas Nightmare 2019: 6:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The Dent School House, 5963 Harrison Ave., Green Township. $25 general admission; $45 fast pass admission; $55 front-of-line admission. If you are more into horror than the “holly jolly” of the holidays, then you’ll want to make your way to The Dent School House. The school house will turn Christmas into a real nightmare this weekend. (Of course, what is scarier than eating Christmas ham with that one weird uncle or your in-laws?) frightsite.com
💸 Ohio Explored Holiday Maker Mart: Noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside. Join the folks at Urban Artifact for the third annual Ohio Explored Holiday Maker Mart. More than 70 Ohio Made vendors will display and sell their crafty creations during the two-day event. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
🐶 Seventh Annual OTR Rail Dog Parade: 2-5 p.m. Sunday. Queen City Radio, 222 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine. It's back! The seventh annual OTR Rail Dog Parade will begin at 2 p.m. from Queen City Radio, make its way around Washington Park , then to Vine Street before ending at the Woodward Theater on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. The Woodward Theater also will be hosting this month's Second Sunday on Main vendor and community event when dressed-up dogs, human participants and parade spectators arrive. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
MUSIC & COMEDY
🎤 Fourth Annual Homegrown Concert: 6:30 p.m.-midnight Friday. Bogart’s 2621 Vine St., Clifton. $15 advance; $20 at the door. Cat Country 94.1 and Holman Motors present the fourth annual Homegrown Concert at Bogart's featuring Radio Romance, Derek Alan Band, Kevin McCoy Band, Raleigh Keegan, Tyler Moore Band and DJ TATER. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to The Barracks Project, Inc., a nonprofit that helps homeless veterans. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
🎭 Comedian Brian Posehn: 8 p.m. Saturday. Taft Theatre Ballroom, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $22 advance; $25 day of show. Comedian, actor and writer Brian Posehn is a busy man. Last year, Posehn released his memoir, “Forever Nerdy.” He’s also appeared in multiple comedy specials, made guest appearances on a variety of television shows (most recently in an episode of “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus) and spends a good amount of time on Twitter reminding people that he is not Randy Quaid. Basically, if you like absurd comedy and/or bearded nerds, this show is for you. tafttheatre.org
👩👩👦👦 “Trolls Live”: 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $23-$144. Get ready for another hair-raising adventure when Poppy, Branch and all their Trolls friends come to life on stage in “Trolls LIVE!” heritagebankcenter.com
THE ARTS
🎶 “Hello, Dolly!”: 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Tickets start at $30. The Tony Award-winning musical for Best Music Revival will raise spirits this weekend on the Procter & Gamble Hall stage. “Hello, Dolly!” is an upbeat musical comedy that NPR critics called “the best show of the year.” www.cincinnatiarts.org
✝️ Christmas Saengerfest: 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Multiple locations. $30 general admission; children 12 and under free with adult ticket. Christmas Saengerfest is a musical Christmas tradition now in its eighth year. Choirs and musical performances of all types will be performed in six different locations. For 2019, the participating locations include Memorial Hall, St. Francis Seraph, First Lutheran, OTR Community Church, Prince of Peace Church and the Christian Moerlein tap room. www.americanlegacytours.com
🎼 Schumann’s “Paradise”: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $14-$130. Conductor Paolo Bortolameolli will lead sopranos Sally Matthews and Sarah Shafter, mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, tenors Joshua Stewart and Johnathan Johnson, along with the May Festival Chorus with Director Robert Porco in a performance of Robert Schumann’s “Paradise and the Peri.” www.cincinnatisymphony.org
⛄️ “The Snowman”: 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Tickets start at $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Vocalist Thomas Stricker will create holiday magic with Conductor John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra when they perform during a screening of “The Snowman.” The animated classic film will be projected above the stage as the Pops and Stricker bring Howard Blake’s accompanying score to life. www.cincinnatisymphony.org
🎄 “A Charlie Brown Christmas”: 2 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. Tickets start at $10. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati will bring this classic Peanuts cartoon to life with two weekends of public performances at the Taft. The second weekend of performances will take place Dec. 13-15. thechildrenstheatre.com
