One day it's all about ghouls, ghosts and goblins. The next day it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving, ice skating and late fall fun.
Welcome to this weekend.
FOOD & DRINK
Halloween Night at Tin Roof: 10 p.m.-1 a.m. Thursday. Tin Roof, 160 E. Freedom Way, Downtown. No cover. Dress your best for the chance to win $500 during Tin Roof’s annual Halloween costume contest. There also will be live music from Atlanta-based cover band The Jump Cut. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Dragoween: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Thursday. Queen City Radio, 222 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine. Queen City Radio’s annual Halloween drag show returns and promises to be as spectacular as ever. Stixen Stones will host the event, which will feature some of the most amazing queens in the Queen City. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Halloween Night of the Living Dead: 7-10 p.m. Thursday. Little Miami Brewing Co., 208 Mill St., Milford. Little Miami Brewing Co. plans to bring back the dead this Halloween with great music, costumes and fun. Dennis O'Hagan will lead an all-star jam of local musicians playing Grateful Dead music all night long. Costumes are encouraged. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Wunderween V: 8 p.m.-midnight Thursday. Wunderbar, 1132 Lee St., Covington. Common Center will present the fifth anniversary of Wunderween. For those who don’t know, Wunderween is billed as “the finest All Hallows Eve Rock N' Roll fiesta in town.” Go Go Buffalo and Dead Man String Band will serenade guests with music spirited enough to raise the living dead. There also will be costume contests and heaps of high jinks to keep Halloween night interesting. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Bellevue Day of the Dead Pub Crawl: 5 p.m.-closing Saturday. Darkness Brewing Co., 224 Fairfield Ave, Bellevue. Ages 21 and older. The folks at Darkness Brewing, Three Spirits Tavern, the B-List, Danyelle’s Bellevue Tavern and the Fairfield Market invite all goblins, ghosts and ghastly craft beer-loving ghouls to take part in this special Day of the Dead Pub Crawl. Each participating location will sell a special drink and then donate a portion of the proceeds from that drink to the Bellevue Education Foundation. Those who wear a Day of the Dead mask also will be automatically entered to win prizes. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.
Rhinegeist Rare Beer Fest: 1-10 p.m. Saturday. Rhinegeist Brewery, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. $45 general admission; $70 VIP admission. Rare Beer Fest returns to Rhinegeist this weekend with two tasting sessions: 1-5 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. Up to 40 breweries from across the country are expected to participate in this annual event that showcases hard-to-get craft beers. General admission includes 10 five-ounce samples and a tasting notebook. The VIP experience also includes 10 five-ounce samples and a notebook, plus four five-ounce samples from the exclusive VIP bar, a food token and a take-home 500-milliliter bottle of this year’s Rhinegeist Beer Fest specialty blend. www.eventbrite.com
COMMUNITY
Oakley Masquerade 2019: 8 p.m.-midnight Friday. 20th Century Theater, 3021 Madison Road, Oakley. $50-$75. Ages 21 and older. General admission includes access to a haunted nightclub, bar service, a silent auction, costume contest and photo booth. VIP and table packages include a special bar, lounge and access to the balcony view. Proceeds will help the Save the Animals Foundation. www.oakleymasquerade.com
Toys for Tots Donation Drive: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Powder Keg Harley-Davidson, 2383 Kings Center Court, Mason. While some of us think it is too soon to start thinking about Christmas, it’s never too early to give to others. Powder Keg Harley-Davidson, along with other Mason-area businesses will be hosting a donation drive for Toys for Tots, which provides new toys to children in need each holiday season. Bring a new, unwrapped toy and then enjoy an afternoon browsing local vendors, giveaways, free food and face paintings at the motorcycle dealership. www.powderkeghd.com
Heads Up! Pumpkin Chuck: Noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Stanbery Park, 2221 Oxford Ave., Mount Washington. Wondering what to do with that carved pumpkin on the front porch after Halloween? Here’s a suggestion: Take that hollowed out squash to Stanbery Park, load it into the sling of a medieval trebuchets and then send it soaring through the air. You’ll also be able to enjoy food, drink, music and family activities while at the park. Proceeds from sales of food and drink during the Pumpkin Chuck help fund multiple events hosted at Stanbery Park throughout the year. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Fountain Square Ice Rink: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. Fountain Square, 500 Vine St., Downtown. $6 admission; $4 skate rental. Get ready to hit the ice starting this Saturday through Feb. 2 on Fountain Square. The UC Health Ice Rink will open to the public starting at 10 a.m. this weekend and continue with pre-holiday hours of operations through Dec. 17. After this weekend those hours will be noon-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; noon-10 p.m.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. myfountainsquare.com
Northside Record Fair: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. North Church, 4222 Hamilton Ave., Northside. It’s once again time for one of the biggest and best record fairs in the Midwest. The Northside Record Fair will feature thousands of records spread out on more than 40 vendor tables. There also will be plenty of memorabilia, cassettes and compact discs to browse. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Kolping Center Harvest Fest: 4:30-10 p.m. Saturday. Kolping Center, 10235 Mill Road, Springfield Township. The annual Harvest Fest will feature a petting zoo, Kolping Schnitzel Haus schnitzel dinners, drinks and live music by Comet Bluegrass All-Stars. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
MUSIC & COMEDY
Chris Lane “Big, Big Plans Tour”: 8 p.m. Thursday. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville. $25 general admission. Chris Lane is a frighteningly talented up-and-coming country music star. Good thing he is performing at Bogart’s on Halloween. He’ll be joined by Baylee Littrell during his Queen City “Big, Big Plans” tour stop. www.bogarts.com
Rumours of Fleetwood Mac: 8 p.m. Friday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $27.50-$44.50. Rumours of Fleetwood Mac might not be the real thing, but as far as tribute bands are concerned, the group is good enough to celebrate 50 years on the road. So, sit back and enjoy the show when Rumours performs in the Queen City. tafttheatre.org
Blue October: 8 p.m. Friday. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville. $29.50 general admission. Blue October exploded onto the Billboard Top 15 singles chart in 2009 and has never looked back. The band will perform old and new favorites at Bogart’s. www.bogarts.com
“Legends of Hip Hop”: 8 p.m. Friday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $63-$129. Some of the most iconic names of hip-hop will come to the Queen City when the “Legends of Hip Hop Tour” rolls into U.S. Bank Arena. Relive some of the best hip-hop of all time with performances by E-40, Mystikal, Scarface, 8 Ball & MJG, Too Short, Bun B and Pastor Troy. usbankarena.com
John Cusack with “Say Anything”: 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown. $52.75-$153. Children of the 1980s won’t want to miss this special engagement at the Taft. (I know I won’t.) Actor John Cusack will host a live screening of his 1989 classic comedy/drama “Say Anything” on stage to close out the weekend. Should I wear my tan trench coat and bring my boombox, or would that be too much? tafttheatre.org
