BLINK Cincinnati
BLINK will transform 20 blocks of Cincinnati. The art and light festival includes 21 light projections onto buildings, 27 art installations that incorporate light, permanent murals and six stages of live entertainment. Organizers said they created BLINK to showcase Cincinnati's artistic community and architecture. The festival includes daytime activities, such as the Architects of Air luminarium, and a fall Summerfair, as well. The best part: Everything except the luminarium, which costs $5 to enter, is free.
BLINK light projections: 7 p.m.-midnight Thursday-Sunday. Luminarium tours: 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Installations roughly follow the Cincinnati streetcar route from the Banks to Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine. www.blinkcincinnati.com
Fade2Black Film Festival
The Fade2Black Film Festival shines a light on the major contributions black Americans have made to cinema since 1910. The festival, organized by Black Folks Make Movies, kicks off Thursday evening at the University of Cincinnati and continues through Saturday with multiple film screenings and discussions.
Thursday-Saturday; event times vary. University of Cincinnati, 2600 Clifton Ave., Clifton Heights. $10 per two-hour session; $50 day pass. www.blackfolksmakemovies.org
Second Sight Spirits Oak Eye Bourbon Release
Not since before Prohibition has a new bourbon been distilled, aged and uncorked in Kenton County. That is why Ludlow's Second Sight Spirits will make history when it serves the first batch of its Oak Eye bourbon at Coppin's restaurant inside Hotel Covington on Friday. The release party also will include cocktails made with Second Sight's craft rum and a few other surprises.
5-8 p.m. Friday. Hotel Covington, 638 Madison Ave., Covington. Free admission. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Ladyfest Cincinnati
Ladyfest 2017 is being described as the year of "the witch," inviting participants to dive into their most powerful selves through music and art starting on Friday the 13th. Ladyfest is a community-based, not-for-profit global arts festival designed for feminist and women artists. The festival will offer unique performances, art exhibits and lectures at various locations across Cincinnati.
Performances start 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Various locations. For more information visit ladyfestcincinnati.com.
Cincinnati Pops Opening Weekend
Last weekend it was the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's opening weekend; this weekend it's the Pops' turn to celebrate returning to Music Hall. The Pops will mark its homecoming by playing scores composed by John Williams, who created iconic soundtracks for film franchises such as "Jurassic Park," "Superman" and "Star Wars."
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. (Sunday's 2 p.m. show is sold out.) Cincinnati Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $20-$125. my.cincinnatisymphony.org
Lebanon Oktoberfest
This may be one of your last chances to get a bratwurst and beer at an Oktoberfest this season. The Lebanon Oktoberfest, which raises money to support the Miller Ecological Park, will take place Saturday in downtown Lebanon with music and good food.
11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Saturday. Mulberry Street, Lebanon. Free. For more information visit the Facebook page.
Cincinnati Cyclones season opener
The puck will hit the ice at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to kick off the Cincinnati Cyclones' regular season at U.S. Bank Arena. The hockey team is always fun to watch -- and who can pass up $1 hot dogs and a free Cyclones season calendar for the first 5,000 fans? The team will face the Kalamazoo Wings.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $15. cycloneshockey.com
Kentucky Symphony Orchestra's season opener
The Kentucky Symphony Orchestra will open its 25th season with "All by Themselves," a pairing of the works of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Eric Carmen.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Greaves Concert Hall, Highland Heights, Kentucky. $19-$35. kyso.org
RetroFittings
RetroFittings will double as a fashion show and fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul at the Duke Energy Convention Center on Saturday. Students from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning will show off designs made from clothes bought for $15 at St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores. The evening also will include hors d'oeuvres, drinks, a raffle and silent and live auctions.
6:30 p.m. Saturday. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown. $25-$100. www.svdpcincinnati.org
Bonus: Eat. Play. Give
More than 30 Tri-State chefs and restaurateurs will come together for Eat.Play.Give, a brunch fundraiser that supports the de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation. Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel and his wife, Annette, formed the foundation after losing their firstborn, Tatiana, to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 2002. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State, 3520 Central Parkway. $20-$102.50. www.eatplaygive.net
