‘Tis the Season for Holiday Events
From the U.S. Bank Ice Rink to light and train displays, there are all kinds of events happening to get you in the holiday spirit. Download our Holiday Events Guide for more than two dozen ideas! (And speaking of holiday fun, here’s how to pick up free tickets to the popular annual Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival.)
Hey, Miss Thang
I have loved R&B singer Monica since she was the 14-going-on-30 girl getting me all in my teenage feelings with “Before You Walk Out of My Life.” She’s all grown up now, still singing the same smart, sexy music I love. She will perform at Bogart’s on Friday along with Rico Love.
7 p.m. Friday. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville. $25. www.bogarts.com
Reds Fans, This Is for You
Redsfest is like Christmas for Reds fans. You get to mix and mingle with more than 80 current and former players, minor leaguers and broadcasters at the Duke Energy Convention Center. There will be autograph and photo sessions with players such as Joey Votto, Todd Frazier, Billy Hamilton and Devin Mesoraco, interviews and game shows, and a fun zone just for kids.
3-10:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturday. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown. $17 one-day pass, $25 two-day pass. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/fan_forum/redsfest.jsp
Shop, Dance, Drink and Make Merry
The Covington Night Bazaar sounds like a great chance to pick up some holiday presents but also have a good time -- even if you hate to shop. A giant tent set up at Roebling Point will be filled with all kinds of craftspeople and local artists. There also will be live music, seasonally themed craft cocktails, local brews and food (including some free bites).
6-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Roebling Point, 302 Court St., Covington. Free admission. For more details, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Celebrate Repeal Day
I love any chance to have cocktails so I’m all in for honoring Repeal Day, which celebrates the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition on Dec. 5, 1933. On Saturday, Japp’s is offering live music, food from Picnic and Pantry, a Repeal Day photobooth, Hendrick's Gin martinis and classic cocktail specials. Dress in costumes of the era. Then on Sunday, Metropole is teaming up with Watershed Distillery to host its Repeal Day celebration, Sunday Sipper. Expect Roaring ’20s music, a cash bar with speakeasy cocktails featuring Watershed Distillery spirits, and burlesque dancing by Ginger LeSnapps. Costumes are encouraged there, too.
- Japp’s Get Wet Repeal Day Party: 7 p.m. Saturday. Japps Since 1879, 1134 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. Free admission. For more details, visit the event’s Facebook page.
- Sunday Sipper: 7-11 p.m. Sunday, Metropole, 609 Walnut St. Free admission. www.metropoleonwalnut.com
Energy Nightclub Makes Debut
Pulse Nightclub closed its doors recently but a new nightclub, Energy, is set to open in the space on Saturday. DJ Sab of KISS 107 took over Pulse a year ago but never felt the club was “100 percent my vision.” So he has remodeled and rebranded the space, drawing inspiration from clubs in Las Vegas. There’s new lighting, seating and decor, as well as a new sound system, and the space is now divided into two rooms, a lounge area featuring craft beer and the main dance floor. Get ready to party.
Opens 10 p.m. Saturday. Longworth Hall, 700 W. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. Ages 21 and up $5; women ages 18-20, $10; men ages 18-20, $15. For more details, visit the event’s Facebook page.
It’s Tradition for a Reason
The hugely popular Trans-Siberian Orchestra returns for its annual rock opera concerts at U.S. Bank Arena. “The Ghosts of Christmas Eve” follows the story of a young runaway who breaks into an abandoned theater seeking shelter from the cold, and the ghostly visions she experiences from that concert hall’s past.
4 and 8 p.m. Friday. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown. $35.50-$73. usbankarena.com
All My Favorite Things
The Vintage Holiday Bazaar & Fashion Show at Northside Yacht Club mixes a plethora of things I like: champagne, cocktails, champagne, sweets AND shopping. There also will be swing dance lessons by Cincinnati Lindy Exchange, a pinup workshop hosted by Sailor Retro, a vintage fashion show and a retro photobooth.
Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Northside Yacht Club, 4227 Spring Grove Ave., Northside. $10 admission. For more details, visit the event’s Facebook page.
Drink Up. And Often.
Braxton Brewing is hosting a bottle release and block party on Dec. 5 -- Repeal Day -- to celebrate the release of Dark Charge, the first beer in Braxton’s “Heritage Series.” (Dark Charge is a massive Imperial Stout that showcases Kentucky bourbon.) Food trucks Chili Hut, Cuban Pete Sandwiches and Empanadas Aqui will be serving at the party, and there also will be live music all day. Expect to hear from bands such as Motherfolk, Current Events Band, the Tammy WhyNots, Pete Dressman & The Sun and Tracy Walker.
Starts at noon Saturday. 27 W. 7th St., Covington. Free admission. For more details, read beer reporter Jesse Folk’s preview and visit the event’s Facebook page.
