Thursday, December 5

Goodnight, Thursday 🌙 

Get ready to work off all those Thanksgiving calories with this looooong list of things to do this weekend!

For those of you who are new to my nightly newsletter, it arrives in your inbox from Sunday to Thursday. Watch for your next newsletter to arrive again on Sunday.

Have a great weekend, friends!

ESSENTIALS FOR YOUR WEEKEND

Weekend Weather ☁️ 

Friday: Expect a high of 33° with sun. 4% chance of precipitation.
Saturday: Expect a high of 41° with sun. 2% chance of precipitation.
Sunday: Expect a high of 53° with clouds. 22% chance of precipitation.

FRIDAY EVENTS 📆 

Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer returns at Music Hall for a 7pm show. Celebrate the joys of the season with their annual “Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer” concert in Music Hall’s beautiful and historic Ballroom.

Head to Waynesville for Christmas in the Village. Stroll in and out of retail and dining storefronts, while listening to carolers, choirs, and musicians. Santa arrives daily, 1300+ luminaries along Main Street, 40+ shops, and much more.

Jingle Jams (at Washington Park) is a merry mix of live holiday music, great drinks, and festive vibes. This seasonal event on the Porch happens on Friday (Steve Schmidt) and Saturday (Jim Hart), 4-7pm.

The Heritage Village Museum hosts 19th Century Holiday Guided Tours (advanced ticket purchase required). Celebrate the season with a holiday guided tour of the Village! Go inside eight historic houses and learn how Christmas celebrations changed and evolved over the course of the 19^th  century in Southwestern Ohio.

SATURDAY EVENTS 📆 

Downtown Dazzle is happening at Fountain Square, 6-8pm. See Santa rappel from a Cincinnati skyrise and wait with anticipation for the sky to fill with a fabulous fireworks display! Come early and stay late – Saturdays at the Square are full of festive fun. Enjoy a drink or hot cocoa at Fountain Square’s Bar or make a holiday memory at the UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank! Ice skating admission is walk-up only, no reservations required.

It's time for the annual Newport's historic East Row Victorian Christmas Tours. Residents will be opening their spectacular historic homes to the public, just in time for the Christmas season.

Lebanon's 35th Annual Horse Drawn Carriage Parade and Christmas Festival returns. There will be two horse-drawn carriage parades this year: a daylight parade at 1 pm and their traditional candlelight parade at 7 pm. Enjoy a Christmas Festival (starting at 10am), visits with Santa, shopping, food, lights, and more.

Enjoy free admission to see "Discovering Ansel Adams" on Saturday as part of Cincinnati Art Museum's CAM Kids Day on Saturday, 11am-3pm. Explore the museum with drop-in themed activities, story times, performances, and hands-on artmaking. This month's theme is "Museum Magic ".

Main Street is the place to be this Holiday Season! Get into the holiday spirit with Merry Movies on Main at Ziegler Park. This week's featured holiday movie is Polar Express™ and will show at the park from 5 to 7pm. Be sure to leave some time to see the Shillito Elves (1312 and 1324 Main Street) and the nearby Main Street Pop-Up Holiday Market too (1312 Main St.).

Grab some great gifts at The City Flea's Holiday Market at Factory 52 (Norwood), 11am-4pm.

It's Findlay Market's annual Holiday Market Weekend 1! They will have dozens of local artisans alongside the normal lineup of merchants selling holiday gifts, food and decor.

It's "Dad Day" at Rhinegeist, 12-8pm! Their Hoppy Holiday Ale has returned, and that calls for a celebration! Holiday-themed cocktails, FIND THE PICKLE (if you know, you know), and more Dad Day fun for the whole family!

Jingle Jams (at Washington Park) is a merry mix of live holiday music, great drinks, and festive vibes. This seasonal event on the Porch happens on Friday (Steve Schmidt) and Saturday (Jim Hart), 4-7pm.

Head to Waynesville for Christmas in the Village. Stroll in and out of retail and dining storefronts, while listening to carolers, choirs, and musicians. Santa arrives daily, 1300+ luminaries along Main Street, 40+ shops, and much more.

The historic Hunt House Open House is on Saturday, 1-4pm. Carolers will greet you as you arrive at the Hunt House for a warm and homey holiday! Enjoy hot cocoa as you tour the Hunt House. The Blue Ash Historical Society will collect new hats, mittens, and gloves during the open house. All donations will be delivered to Operation Give Back.

SUNDAY EVENTS📆 

Grab some great gifts at The City Flea's Holiday Market at Factory 52 (Norwood), 11am-4pm.

Art on Vine – The Holiday Gift Sale at Rhinegeist. 12-6pm

Head to Waynesville for Christmas in the Village. Stroll in and out of retail and dining storefronts, while listening to carolers, choirs, and musicians. Santa arrives daily, 1300+ luminaries along Main Street, 40+ shops, and much more.

It's time for the annual Newport's historic East Row Victorian Christmas Tours. Residents will be opening their spectacular historic homes to the public, just in time for the Christmas season.

Taft Museum of Art hosts free Holiday Family Fundays on Sunday, 10am-4pm. This week's theme is Festive Folk. These special days offer a new experience each time you visit. Music, art-making, and gallery engagements throughout the day are sure to inspire your young creators. Museum admission is free for this event. 

365Cincinnati thanks our sponsors for supporting this year’s Christmas in Cincinnati!

HOLIDAY EVENTS - NOW OPEN 🎅 

Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Trains at Cincinnati Museum Center: Nov. 9, 2024 - Jan. 6, 2025; Come experience a deep-rooted Cincinnati holiday tradition: Holiday Junction Featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains. The exhibition, a display of hundreds of model trains zipping around a winter wonderland, has been a part of Cincinnati holidays since 1946. You'll also get to see Brickopolis, a room full of fantastical scenes created with LEGO bricks. Santa arrives on Friday (Nov. 29).

Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt: Nov. 22, 2024 - Jan.5, 2025. This festive event takes place adjacent to the Moerlein Lager House on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn and Stage in Smale Riverfront Park. The European, yet Cincinnati Holiday themed event features food, beverages, merchandise, holiday lights, choral and musical entertainment, character visits an ice rink, an Igloo boardwalk, and more. with a European, yet Cincinnati Holiday theme.

The Shillito Elves are returning to downtown windows this year! You can find them in the windows at 1312 and 1324 Main Street starting Nov. 22. You'll find The Mail Sorter, Little Woodshop, Pete the Painter, Lazzie Bear and Gift Wrap, and Elves at Home including the Piano Player, Ned the Newspaper Reader, and the Bunkbed Elves. The Main Street Pop-Up Holiday Market will be at 1318-1320 Main Street and will feature 9 shops (open weekends from noon to 8pm, Friday-Sunday, Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Fountain Square Ice Rink, Nov. 2, 2024 - Feb. 17, 2025; Rink amenities include 600 pairs of rental skates, the WGU Warming Tent, a full-service concessions tent with hot and cold snacks, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, on-site parking, and restrooms. The rink is open to skaters of all ages. The rink operates seven days a week. No reservations required, all admissions are walk-ups only. The rink is all ice skating this year (bumper cars no longer on the rink).

Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo,  Nov. 21, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025. The Cincinnati Zoo will once again be transformed into a “Wild Wonderland” for the 42nd annual PNC Festival of Lights! In addition to admiring the beauty of 4 million LED lights, visitors can find the 5 Fiona fairies in Fairyland, take in a blacklight puppet show, marvel at the spectacular Wild Lights show on Swan Lake, or snack on one of their seasonal concessions. Santa will be available for visits starting at 4 p.m. through December 23. Tickets are required. Closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Deck the Y'alls Lightfest: Nov. 22 - Jan. 1, 2025 (closed on TDay, and a few Mondays - see site for details); This interactive sparkling wonderland features more than 2 million dazzling lights and ten immersive themed displays at Thomas More Stadium, located in Florence, KY. Guests will have the opportunity to walk around the field and can even skate on the outdoor ice rink located right on the first base line!

Holly Jolly Days is at the Behringer-Crawford Museum from Nov 16, 2024 - Jan 12, 2025. Visitors can look forward to new attractions, including 13 animated displays in the Holiday Toy Trains exhibit, a nostalgic "A Window Through Time" display with vintage Christmas decor, and a LEGO Makerspace for creative play.

Pyramid Hill Lights is an artful drive through adventure at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Nov. 15, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025. This art and nature filled route is illuminated by over one million lights and features installations by local artists.

Krohn Conservatory's Holiday Show - Solstice Glow, Nov. 2, 2024 - Jan. 5, 2025. The seasonal display located in the main exhibition house, invites visitors to explore a botanically designed Cincinnati theme. Guests will experience an enchanting, immersive train display, winding their way through a miniature world of botanical models thoughtfully sculpted in natural plant material. Included are models of the famed Roebling Bridge, Great American Tower, P&G Towers, Fountain Square, Krohn Conservatory, Eden Park Water Tower, the Winton Place Rail Station, Mount Adams and its incline track, along with many other icons that represent the architectural diversity of the Queen City. G-scale model train tracks traverse the elegant flow of the walking path, and pass by a waterfall, which spills into a bubbling brook. Hand-sculpted cedar mountains combined with decorative grapevine stretch throughout the layout creating a perfect backdrop for the plants, trains and models. Open 10-8 on Thanksgiving Day.

Christmas at EnterTRAINment Junction will be open Nov. 16, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025 (closed on Thanksgiving Day). See the magic of Christmas at the home of the World’s Largest Indoor Train Display. Take a “Journey to the North Pole”, where you can meet Mrs. Claus and Santa himself.

ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM! 🏈 

Cincinnati Bengals: Monday night game this week

TOURS OFFERED THIS WEEKEND: 🚶‍♀️ 

Take a free Public Tour of the Cincinnati Art Museum, offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. No need to register – meet in the lobby.

Union Terminal Rotunda Tours are offered by Heritage Program docents at Cincinnati Museum Center on Fridays – Sundays. During a 45-minute tour of the 1933 train station, docents explain the architecture, construction and art of one of the finest examples of the Art Deco style. Hear details about the world-famous mosaic murals. These limited capacity public tours are first come, first served and will depend on availability. Tours are free; there is a charge to park.

Rookwood Pottery offers Behind the Scenes Tours of Rookwood on most Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets required.

Take a tour with Cincinnati Food Tours and savor some local food and culture. Times vary, but tasting tours are offered weekly at Findlay Market and in other delicious neighborhoods. Information and reservations at www.cincinnatifoodtours.com. 

SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS AND SEASON LONG EVENTS:❣️

Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Trains at Cincinnati Museum Center, Nov. 9 – Jan. 6, 2025

Cincinnati Art Museum: Discovering Ansel Adams, now thru Jan. 19, 2025

Krohn Conservatory: Solstice Glow, Nov. 2, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025

NOTE: The Contemporary Arts Center, 21C Museum Hotel, and the Weston Art Gallery (events listed below) are all within walking distance of one another. Make a day of it!

Contemporary Arts Center: Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project (thru Jan. 5), Kahill Robert Irving: Ground Water from screen Falls Street (thru Dec. 30), Barbara Probst: Subjective Evidence (thru Feb. 9), Terra Futura (thru Feb. 10)

21C Museum Hotel Galleries: Queen City of the West (thru Dec.), Revival (thru Sept., 2025), and FotoFocus Biennial, backstories (thru Sept., 2025)

Weston Art Gallery: Richard W. James: No True Scotsman (Nov. 15-Jan.19), Julie Byrne: My Boat (Nov. 15-Jan.19), Pamela Hignite: Memory Keepers (Nov. 15-Jan. 19)

PERFORMING ARTS THIS WEEKEND: 🎭️ 

Playhouse in the Park: A Christmas Carol, Nov. 22-Dec. 29
Playhouse in the Park: The Second City Anniversary Show, Oct. 24-Dec. 22
Ensemble Theatre: Alice in Wonderland, Nov. 23-Dec.30
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: Twelfth Night, Nov. 15-Dec.7