CINCINNATI — There is a deep philosophical question underlining this edition of "Top of things to do in Cincinnati": If you don't have fun this weekend, do you really know what fun is?
Summer vibes abound with two food festivals (one dedicated to goetta and another guaranteed to nourish your soul), a three-day celebration of Anderson Township, Pendleton's annual showcase of brave fools riding big wheels and finally a fantastic music festival featuring the best R&B performers (then and now).
Glier’s Goettafest: 5-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday; noon-11 p.m Saturday; noon-9 p.m. Sunday. Newport Festival Park, Riverboat Row, Newport. Free admission. Get your goetta on this weekend in Newport with a smorgasbord of various goetta-based dishes. www.goettafest.com
Cincy Soul: 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday; noon-11 p.m. Sunday. Fifth Street and Fountain Square, Downtown. Free. Now in its fourth year, Cincy Soul has grown into more than a food festival showcasing the delicious dishes of local minority-owned eateries. This year’s Cincy Soul also will feature live performances at Fountain Square by Roxanne Shante and Montell Jordan on Saturday and Lil Mo, Arin Ray and Kwame on Sunday. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Festival 513: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday; noon-2 a.m. Saturday. Elm Street and Freedom Way, Downtown. Free. Make time for Festival 513 before heading into Paul Brown Stadium for the Cincinnati Music Festival. Dozens of food and merchandise vendors will line both sides of Freedom Way at The Banks. www.festival513.com
Kaze Relaunch Party: Noon-1 a.m. Saturday. Kaze, 1400 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. No admission. Kaze’s new owner, the Thunderdome Restaurant Group, will celebrate its makeover of the Over-the-Rhine staple with a big bash this weekend. There will be tunes by DJ Rare Groove, DJ Apryl Reign and SmokeFace, and Thunderdome will give away gift cards throughout the day. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Vibe Cincinnati: Begins 11 a.m. Thursday and Friday; 6 a.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. Sunday. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. The heart of the Queen City will be bumping during this year’s Cincinnati Music Festival thanks to Vibe Cincinnati. This multifaceted event celebrating diversity in the region will take over Fountain Square beginning Thursday with the Vibe Marketplace, followed by a lineup of live music along with other events at various venues through Sunday. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
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"The Rickey Smiley Morning Show:" 6-10 a.m. Friday. Fountain Square, 500 Vine St., Downtown. Comedian Rickey Smiley will do a live broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show from Fountain Square as part of the Cincinnati Music Festival weekend. The 57th annual R&B festival officially kicked off at 6 p.m. Thursday and will continue starting at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Paul Brown Stadium. Smiley’s morning show can be heard locally on 101.1 FM The Wiz. wiznation.com
Anderson Days: 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 5-10 p.m. Sunday. Beech Acres Park, 6910 Salem Road, Anderson Township. Free. Anderson Days will feature live music, games, rides, food, the "Anderson's Got Talent” competition and a Rozzi Famous Fireworks display. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Danger Wheel: Noon-11 p.m. Saturday. East 12th Street between Broadway and Sycamore streets, Pendleton. Free. The fifth annual Danger Wheel returns for a day of downhill races, local brews and fun in the sun. This year’s event will feature 128 teams of adults racing giant big wheels for glory and good times. www.dangerwheel.com
Art After Dark: Life's a Beach: 5-10 p.m. Friday. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Free. Enjoy live music from the Cliftones, food for purchase from Eli’s, Graeter’s and the Macaron Bar, plus free admission to exhibits “No Spectators: Art of Burning Man” and “Kimono: Refashioning Contemporary Style.” For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Red, White & Zoo: 7-9 p.m. Thursday. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale. $25 in advance; $25 day of show. Country recording artists Filmore and Aaron Goodvin will perform at the zoo during this B-105 sponsored event benefiting the USO of Central and Southern Ohio. cincinnatizoo.org
Conor Oberst: 8 p.m. Thursday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $33. Bright Eyes lead singer and prolific musician Conor Oberst will perform, joined by singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg. tafttheatre.org
Wiz Khalifa: 6 p.m. Thursday. Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $29-$103. Rapper Wiz Khalifa will visit Riverbend as part of his “The Decent Exposure Tour.” French Montana, Moneybagg Yo, Chevy Woods and DJ Drama will join Khalifa. www.riverbend.org
Cincinnati Music Festival: 6:30 p.m. Thursday; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Paul Brown Stadium, 1 Paul Brown Stadium, Downtown. $50-$100 Thursday; $60-$150 Friday and Saturday. One of the oldest and largest R&B and jazz festivals will return to the Queen City this weekend. Throwback Thursday will kick off the 2019 Cincinnati Music Festival in the East Club Lounge of Paul Brown Stadium with performances by Slick Rick and EPMD, along with a fashion show by Shingo. Then on Friday, Earth, Wind & Fire, RBRM (Bell Biv Devoe with Bobby Brown), Tamia, Raheem DeVaughn and headliner Maxwell will fill the stadium. Mary J. Blige will close out the festival on Saturday after performances by Frankie Beverly & Maze, Blackstreet featuring Teddy Riley & Dave Hollister, The Ohio Players and Major. www.cincymusicfestival.com
Zedd at GABP: 10-11 p.m. Friday. Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown. $12-$117. DJ and producer Zedd will perform at Great American Ball Park after the Cincinnati Reds play the Colorado Rockies. The game starts at 6:40 p.m. and the concert will begin approximately 20 minutes after it ends. www.mlb.com
The Righteous Brothers and The Temptations: 8 p.m. Friday. PNC Pavilion, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $23.50-$71. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame duo The Righteous Brothers are teaming up with four-time Grammy award-winning group The Temptations for a one-of-a-kind co-headlining show. Admission also includes a free pre-show cookout that begins 90 minutes before the concert. www.riverbend.org
Loud & Proud 2019: 8 p.m. Friday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $25-$60. The KISS 107.1 Loud and Proud 2019 concert will feature pop sensation Lizzo, as well as Cincinnati-based Round2Crew, Amaya Sexton, Chasity Marie, Jessica Dimon and Sarah Jessica Darker. usbankarena.com
Heart: Love Alive Tour: 7 p.m. Saturday. Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $29.50-$350. Heart will take over Riverbend Music Center on Saturday when the band's “Love Alive” cross-country summer tour comes to town. Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson will be joined by Elle King. www.riverbend.org
moe. and Blues Traveler: 5:30 p.m. Sunday. PNC Pavilion, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $23.50-$59.50. Progressive rock band moe. and platinum-selling band Blues Traveler will visit the Queen City on Sunday as part of their "All Roads Runaround Tour.” Bringing a little special sauce to the stop will be special guest G. Love. www.riverbend.org
