Get ready for a weekend full of celebrations, culture and the arts.
FOOD & DRINK
Graeter's BCCC White Stout Release Party: Friday-Sunday. Braxton Brewing Taproom, 27 W. Seventh St., Covington. Free. The latest collaboration between Graeter's Ice Cream and Braxton Brewing sure sounds sweet. Graeter’s Black Cherry Chocolate Chip White Stout will be available starting at 8 a.m. Friday, with more fun planned inside Braxton's taproom Saturday and Sunday. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Ice cream season: Multiple times and locations. While we're on the topic of ice cream, it's worth noting multiple seasonal ice cream parlors are opening this weekend. One of those places is the Loveland Dairy Whip, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday at 611 W. Loveland Ave. in Loveland.
Scraps Rescued Food Cook-Off: 2-6 p.m. Sunday. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $75 general admission; $150 VIP. This sounds delicious. Chefs from 10 of the hottest restaurants in Over-the-Rhine will transform rescued food into by-the-bite creations. Each chef will receive a mystery ingredient from a participating food sponsor in advance and create a unique dish. Attendees will receive 10 bites with complimentary Rhinegeist beer pairings and the chance to vote on their favorite. ourdailybread.salsalabs.org
COMMUNITY
28th annual Bockfest: 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. Bockfest Hall, 1619 Moore St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Celebrate the coming of spring, Over-the-Rhine's brewing heritage and bock beer during the funkiest festival in Cincinnati this weekend. The 28th annual Bockfest will kick off at 6 p.m. Friday with a parade that begins in front of Arnold's Bar & Grill on Eighth Street. Festivities then will continue at Bockfest Hall through Sunday. For a breakdown of each day's festivities visit www.bockfest.com.
Art After Dark: Harlem Nights: 5-9 p.m. Friday. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Free. In honor of its new exhibition "Something Over Something Else," the art museum will host a special Harlem Renaissance-themed Art After Dark this month. The evening also will celebrate Black History Month and the opening of the special exhibition with live jazz music, food for purchase from Just Q'in BBQ, specialty cocktails and docent-led tours throughout the night. www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
MUSIC & COMEDY
Festival of Laughs: 8 p.m. Saturday. Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $49-$125. Comic heavyweights Sommore, Gary Owen, Mark Curry, Tommy Davidson and Michael Blackson are set to bring all the laughs to the Heritage Bank Center. heritagebankcenter.com
"Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular": 8 p.m. Saturday. Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Tickets start at $22.50. The annual "Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular" will feature some of the best Elvis impersonators performing the King of Rock's best music through the years. www.cincinnatiarts.org
THE ARTS
"Annie Jr.": 2 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $10. Annie, the popular comic strip heroine, takes center stage in the Children's Theatre of Cincinnati's production of the famous musical. Follow along as Annie searches for her parents in 1930s New York while dealing with the embittered Miss Hannigan. Fourteen-year-old Walnut Hills honor student Diana Hutchinson will become the first black actress to portray Annie in the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati's production of the classic musical. thechildrenstheatre.com.
"Something Over Something Else": 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Free. "Something Over Something Else: Romare Bearden’s Profile Series" reunites for the first time in nearly 40 years 30 of Bearden's vibrant collages from this series. Bearden, a celebrated African American painter and writer, reflected upon his childhood and maturity during his journey from rural North Carolina to working-class Pittsburgh to his treasured first studio in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood. In honor of Black History Month, the Cincinnati Art Museum is offering free admission to all during the exhibition's opening weekend. The exhibit runs through May 24. Cost of entry starting Tuesday for non-members of the museum will be $12 for adults and $6 for seniors and children. www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
