Everyone loves a good surprise party. What’s better than an unexpected night of fun with friends? How about supporting an importance local arts organization in the process? Friday’s Secret ArtWorks event offers an exciting twist on fundraisers as each attendee will walk away with a piece of original artwork. The catch: guests will not know who created their work until it's been purchased. More than 800 small-scale pieces have been donated by more than 300 locally-, nationally- and internationally-renown artists. Guests were invited to preview the offerings online, but the secret artists will not be revealed until tonight. Ticket sales are now over, but tonight’s attendees will enjoy cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a mysterious night of art at The Center downtown, all to benefit ArtWorks. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concludes its community concert series “One City, One Symphony” this weekend with the well-loved classic, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Music Director Designate Louis Langrée conducts the performance; these will be his final shows with the CSO before starting his role as music director for the 2013-2014 season. Joining the CSO, Langrée and the May Festival Chorus for the concerts Saturday and Sunday at Music Hall. Go here for tickets. If you thought this cold weather meant you had to retire your gold lamé hot pants, dry your tears and pull those bad boys out, because OTR Skate is back! Channel your inner roller disco king/queen and roll over to the OTR Rec Center Friday from 8-11 p.m. Five bucks gets you admission and skate rental, complimentary pizza from Cincy By The Slice, free gaming from Wii to air hockey, raffle prizes and music from DJ Positronic, The Yugos and Indigo Wild. Saturday is all about the little guy as local businesses around the Tri-state take part in Cincinnati Unchained. Get a head start on your holiday shopping (or, if you’re like me, take advantage of sales for your own damn self) and visit independent businesses  in an effort to keep your money in the local economy — where it goes much further than when you drop your cash at a big box chain store. Participating Cincinnati Unchained shops offer discounts and free goodies to thank shoppers for supporting local businesses — find a full list here. Another way to get in on the conscientious gifting trend is giving handmade presents this holiday. Did the Holly Hobbie gene skip over you? No worries. The Crafty Supermarket Holiday Show takes over the Clifton Cultural Arts Center Saturday. This isn’t your grandma’s church basement craft show — expect handmade books, cool local artwork, quirky jewelry, textiles, posters, clothing and many more hand-crafted gifts everyone can appreciate. Plenty of vendors will be on-hand to fuel your shopping in addition to a DJ, craft demos and — as usual — awesome swag bags for the first 100 shoppers. The party runs 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. Comedian Erik Griffin performs at Funny Bone on the Levee Friday-Sunday. Workaholics fans know him best as TelAmeriCorp's Montez Walker, a competitive salesman who has a very healthy sexual relationship with his wife. Here’s a sample of one of Griffin’s finest Montez moments: Check out our calendar for more art openings, theater shows, concerts and other events happening this weekend and beyond.

In addition to Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day, the next couple days bring a ton of events and activities. Saddle up, grab some tequila and get out there this weekend!Essex Studios blossom this weekend for the galleries’ spring Art Walk, BLOOM. The space has been transformed with a thousand origami flowers, yarn gardens by the Cincinnati BombShells and color-coded pathways. As always, more than 100 artists’ work will be on view as guests eat and drink their way through the studios. The art walk runs 6-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Saturday is Clay Alliance’s annual pottery fair at DeSales Corner. Peruse decorative and functional pottery pieces, meet local artists and get supplies to work with clay on your self. Hourly raffles and live music round out the day. The 12th annual fair takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m., rain or shine. The first Saturday of May happens to be Cinco De Mayo this year, but it’s also Free Comic Book Day: once a year, comic/specialty book shops across North America offer free publications to all guests. Find a nearby participating store here. Many store offer additional in-store events and promotions; Up Up & Away in Cheviot welcomes The Walking Dead co-creator and original artist Tony Moore. Crafty Supermarket is back! Making its home at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, the spring show brings more than 50 indie, subversive crafters from across the city and country to sell their funky, functional handmade goods. Just in time for Mother’s Day, shoppers will find unique apparel and accessories, home goods, artwork and more goodies. Fuel your shopping with delicious food and coffee from local vendors while a PROJECTMILL DJ keeps you groovin’. Show up early to nab a coveted swag bag — every year, shoppers line up around the corner of Clifton Avenue in hopes of being one of the first 100 who get a bag. The market is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and admission is free. Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the U.S. than Mexico, but since when do we let historical inaccuracies stand in the way of a good drinking holiday? Nearly every bar and restaurant participates in some capacity, but we’ve selected a few to host our annual Cantina Crawl. Here’s our schedule: 5 p.m. El Coyote 5:45 p.m. Pirates Cove 6:30 p.m. Tostado’s Grill 7:15 p.m. MLT’s 8 p.m. Cactus Pear (Clifton) 8:30 p.m. Nada 9 p.m. Bakersfield Join our roving squad of senoritas and “Seen on the Scene” photographers as they travel from place to place with more prizes than you can throw a maraca at. Prom is a rite of passage many, but often LGBTQ kids don’t feel comfortable at school dances because of bullies and expectations about dress and dates. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Greater Cincinnati provides a welcoming environment for these individuals at their annual GLSEN Prom Saturday. Come to the Freedom Center for two events in one: those under 21 are invited to "dress as you want, bring who you want, and love as you want.” In a separate area of the center the over 21 crowd, who maybe didn’t get to experience a prom of their own, can enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing for $65. Those wanting to attend post-dinner can come after 9 p.m. for a discounted price. As always, kids are welcome free of charge with early registration. All proceeds support the local GLSEN chapter. Check out Stage Door for this weekend's theater offerings, our music blog for a live show lineup and our To Do page for more events, art shows, performances and more this weekend.And don’t forget to check out the "supermoon" Saturday — the biggest full moon of the year will peak around 11:30 p.m. tomorrow.