CINCINNATI – Celebrate love, craft beer, chocolate, music and dance during this romantic weekend.
(If you're not down with Valentine's Day this year, check out these suggestions to either avoid the holiday or survive it with friends.)
FOOD & DRINK
Barrel Aged Beerfest: 3-11 p.m. Friday. Streetside Brewery, 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum. Free. Fans of barrel-aged brews, rejoice. Streetside Brewery is hosting its inaugural Barrel Aged Beerfest on Friday. The tap list for the event includes Mead Thique, Rum Thique, Mexican Hot Chocolate Thique, Brett on Berlin and Oh My Quad. For more information, visit the event Facebook page.
Second Anniversary Celebration Bash: 3 p.m.-midnight Friday; noon-midnight Saturday; 1-10 p.m. Sunday. Brink Brewing Co., 5905 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. Free. This is a big weekend for local craft beer lovers. First, Brink Brewing Co. will celebrate its second anniversary in College Hill with three days of fun. Festivities will begin at 3 p.m. Friday with a bottle release, followed by food from 4-9 p.m. and live music from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The party will continue with more food and music on Saturday and a special family Sunday Funday with a photo booth, birthday cake and a portion of the day's proceeds being donated to the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. For more information, visit the event Facebook page.
Winter Bonanza 2019: Noon-1 a.m. Saturday. MadTree Taproom, 3301 Madison Road, Oakley. Free admission. How time flies! In 2013, MadTree 1.0 opened its doors in Columbia Township. Today, MadTree brews its beers inside a former hanger at MadTree 2.0 in Oakley, and it's one of the largest local craft breweries in Cincinnati. What better way to celebrate its sixth year in business than with one of its biggest Winter Bonanzas to date? Admission is free but $6 drink tickets for MadTree's beer, cider or cocktails on tap can be pre-purchased online. There also will be live music, food and specialty beers on tap throughout the day. For more information, visit the event Facebook page.
COMMUNITY
Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs: 6-10 p.m. Thursday. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate. $100. Looking to do something a little different this Valentine's Day? How about celebrating eternal love by attending the Pharaohs in Love Afterparty for Egypt, which is part of the opening reception for "The Time of Pharaohs" exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center? You'll get a sneak peek of the exhibit from 6-8 p.m. followed by the afterparty, which includes light bites and cocktails from 8-10 p.m. For tickets, visit cincymuseum.org.
Cocoa Classic 5K: 8:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday. Voice of America Park, 7850 VOA Park Drive, West Chester Township. $60. This may be one of the most fun 5K races ever. Rather than running or walking for a finisher's medal, the Cocoa Classic rewards participants with a finisher's mug topped with a marshmallow, chocolate and Rice Krispies Treat. Day-of registration for the race begins on site at 7:15 a.m. Saturday. ohioruns.com
MUSIC & MORE
"The Sleeping Beauty:" 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $40. The Cincinnati Ballet will bring the classic fairytale of evil being overcome with a kiss this weekend. The ballet will incorporate beautiful sets and costumes, dazzling dance and a score by Tchaikovsky to transport you to a world where a beautiful, sleeping princess awaits a kiss from her true love to awaken her. www.cballet.org
The Valentine's Love Jam: 8 p.m. Thursday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway, Downtown. $39-$125. Let R&B performers Tyrese, Avant, Dru Hill, Next and 112 set the mood for you and your significant other. usbankarena.com
Winter Jam Tour 360: 6 p.m. Saturday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway, Downtown. $15 donation at the door. This event is one of the largest annual tours of Christian music in the country. Newsboys United, Danny Gokey, Mandisa, Rend Collective, Ledger, NewSong, Hollyn, Zane Black, Ty Brassel, Manic Drive and Dan Bremnes will perform. usbankarena.com
Tom Segura's "Take It Down" Tour: 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday. Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. $35-$75. Ready to begin your weekend with a laugh? I recommend seeing one of comedian Tom Segura's two performances at the Aronoff Center on Friday. Segura has gained quite the following after three successful specials on Netflix and a comedy style that turns everyday life situations into hilarious anecdotes. www.cincinnatiarts.org
