CINCINNATI — Eat, drink, dance, smell the roses and celebrate moms with these weekend event picks.
COMMUNITY
Cincinnati SneakerBall: 8 p.m.-midnight Friday. Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave., Queensgate. $60-$75. 21 and older. Do you have a closet full of some of the most sought-after sneakers around? Or perhaps you're just a big fan of sneaker culture and/or charitable causes? If you answered yes to any of the above, the second annual Cincinnati SneakerBall is for you. This event will feature art, live music, engaging art activations, a silent auction and the chance to connect with top professionals, influencers and sports figures in Cincinnati. The ball will benefit the Children's Hospital Charitable Care Fund. eventbrite.com
Appalachian Festival: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., California, Ohio. $5-$10 general admission. Come celebrate the 50th annual Cincinnati Appalachian Festival at Coney Island Amusement Park this weekend. The festival will once again showcase the arts, culture, music and crafts of Appalachia. The Rabbit Hash String Band also will provide live music each day of the event. For an extra $7 per person, you'll be able to enjoy Coney's classic rides from noon-8 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday during the festival. appalachianfestival.org
Crafty Supermarket Spring 2019: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Support local and regional "makers" this Saturday during the Crafty Supermarket hosted inside the Music Hall Ballroom. More than 100 vendors from all over the Midwest will be on-hand. There also will be demonstration tables, a live DJ, local food and sponsored tables featuring the work of local organizations. craftysupermarket.com
FOOD & DRINK
Cincinnati Zoo Benefit Night: 5-10 p.m. Thursday. Taste of Belgium, 2845 Vine St., Clifton. Free. Taste of Belgium, in partnership with Delirium Beer, will host a special evening of fun and fundraising for the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden this Thursday evening. The event will raise money for the zoo's "More Home to Rome" campaign to help fund the construction of a new elephant habitat. Zoo director Thane Maynard and his team will be guest bartenders at the event. There also will be a chance to win door prizes from Taste of Belgium and Delirium. You'll also be able to purchase a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip for two to Belgium during the event. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Hip-Hop Happy Hour w/ DJ Nate the Great: 6-10 p.m. Thursday. Revel OTR Urban Winery, 111 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine. Get into your weekend groove with the old-school styling of DJ Nate the Great at Revel OTR. Admission is free and there will be $5 pints, pours, wine cocktails and light bites from 6-7 p.m. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Wódka Bar OTR Grand Opening: 4 p.m. Friday. 1200 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Fans of vodka, rejoice! The Wódka Bar in Over-the-Rhine is hosting an official grand opening celebration on Friday. The event will include tastings of the bar's infused vodkas, vodka flights and appetizers. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Cincinnati Jazz & BBQ Festival: 4-9 p.m. Saturday. Corner of Madison Road and Whetsel Avenue, Madisonville. Free. Madisonville's renaissance is in full bloom and to celebrate the neighborhood is relocating its annual Cincinnati Jazz & BBQ Festival to the corner of Madison Road and Whetsel Avenue. A mixed-use development is currently under construction at the festival's traditional location. The music, drink and great barbecue is returning though! www.mcurc.org
Puppies & Pints on the Patio: Noon-3 p.m. Saturday. Samuel Adams Taproom, 1727 Logan St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Prepare to have your heart melted this Saturday when the Sam Adams taproom hosts this fundraiser benefiting the Cincinnati chapter of Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART). There will be a raffle and adorable, adoptable puppies at the event. A dollar for every pint of Sam Adams beer sold during the event will be donated to HART. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Asian Food Fest: Noon-10 p.m. Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Freedom Way at The Banks, Downtown. Free admission. Come find your new favorite dish at the ninth annual Asian Food Fest this weekend. Dozens of local restaurants and vendors will be celebrating the culture and cuisine of Asian countries such as Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Small plate prices range from $2-$6. There also will be live music, local crafts and Asian beers and family activities. asianfoodfest.org
Dog Mom's Day: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Taft's Brewpourium, 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village. Taft's is offering a fresh take on Mother's Day with its Dog Mom's Day event. Every dog mom who brings their pup to the Brewpourium on Sunday will receive a wristband for $1 off pints of beer, $2 off pizza and free treats for their four-legged loved ones. There also will be a doggy wading pool set up outside in case it's hot. For those humans looking for Mother's Day fun for their own moms, click here for a full list of suggested events. For more information about Dog Mom's Day visit the event Facebook page.
MUSIC, THE ARTS & MORE
Sprouts and Stouts Festival: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday; noon-11 p.m. Saturday. Trinity Episcopal Church of Covington, 326 Madison Ave., Covington. Free general admission; $50 VIP experience. Find the perfect perennials for your garden while enjoying some tasty stout beers, food and great music during the annual Sprouts and Stouts Festival in Covington. The Newbees, the Turkeys, Lauren Mink, School of Rock and the Boone County High School Jazz Band will perform at the event. Participating breweries include Braxton, Wooden Cask and Darkness. The VIP experience includes two drink tickets, a private bar, free food, a separate stage viewing area and a chance to meet the bands. sproutsandstouts.com
Louis Conducts Mozart and Mahler: 11 a.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday. Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $14-$130. Join the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra for its season finale this Friday and Saturday. CSO conductor Louis Langrée, along with violinist Stefani Matsuo and the rest of the symphony, will perform Mozart's "Violin Concerto No. 4" and Mahler's "Symphony No. 5." cincinnatisymphony.org
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. $23-$26. The Cincinnati Music Theatre Co. will perform a new musical version of the classic "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in the Aronoff's Jarson-Kaplan Theater starting this weekend. This powerful story about misshapen but gentle-souled Quasimodo is both moving and timely in light of the recent fire that nearly destroyed the original Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. cincinnatiarts.org
