Break out the tinsel and don your ugliest Christmas sweater, because Cincinnati is looking super festive. There is a variety of holiday revelry to be had this weekend, from holiday markets where you can knock out all your Christmas shopping and horse-drawn carriage parades that will transport you to a Hallmark movie set to holiday-themed shows featuring historic music organs and misremembered tales. There are also things to do for the bah-humbugs among us, including a winter block party and artist talk.
If you’re looking for even more to do every day of the week, visit the CityBeat events calendar, which is free to use if you have something planned that you’d like to advertise to CityBeat readers.
Columbia Tusculum Neighborhood Noel
Friday, Dec. 5 from 5:30-8 p.m. in the Columbia Tusculum Business District
Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood is getting into the holiday spirit. Columbia Tusculum Neighborhood Noel will include a luminary, holiday caroling, carriage rides, holiday performances, Santa, crafts and festivities, plus business specials in Columbia Tusculum’s historic district. You can view the full schedule of events and their locations, plus get tickets for carriage rides and performances, here.
Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer
Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at Cincinnati Music Hall (1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine)
A concert promising to delight all ages, Happy Holidays with the Mighty Wurlitzer will feature nostalgic carols and toe-tapping classics performed on Music Hall’s historic Wurlitzer organ. Master of the theater organ Tedde Gibson will play the Wurlitzer, and there will also be performances from Viva Voices’ youth chorus and the professional training division of the Cincinnati Ballet, who will dance to excerpts from The Nutcracker. This year’s show includes a whimsical gingerbread and candy theme, plus a visit from Santa. Local 12-WKRC anchor Kyle Inskeep will return as the show’s host this year.
Old Crow Medicine Show’s Holiday Hootenanny Feat. Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Taft Theatre (317 E. Fifth St., Downtown)
Grammy Award-winning string band Old Crow Medicine Show will be bringing their Holiday Hootenanny to Cincinnati for the very first time. Enjoy foot-stompin’ Christmas classics, songs from the band’s new holiday albums and fan-favorite Old Crow hits, plus fiddle artistry from special guest Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.
Cov Christkindlmarkt
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 6-7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at George Steinford Park/Sixth Street Promenade (W. Sixth St., Covington)
Celebrate the holiday season and knock out some of your Christmas shopping at the Cov Christkindlmarkt in Mainstrasse Village. This curated market spans two days and features local makers, seasonal treats, food and beverages, plus family-friendly activities and festivities. On Saturday, the market will also host a tree lighting when it gets dark.
Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Downtown Lebanon
The annual Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival features two (!) processions of horse-drawn carriages, plus a whimsical festival featuring live entertainment, craft vendors, holiday activities and plenty of food in Lebanon’s quaint downtown. It’s like the setting of a Hallmark movie. A free shuttle service will run from Lebanon North Plaza (920 Columbus Ave.) to 300 E. Silver St.
Dark Charge Winter Block Party
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Braxton Brewing’s Covington taproom (27 W. Seventh St., Covington)
‘Tis the season to celebrate the annual release of Braxton Brewing’s Dark Charge Imperial Stout variants, including a collaboration with a Cincinnati culinary icon. This year, you can experience the first-ever Skyline Chili beer, plus cookie butter-, crème brûlée- and buckeye-inspired flavors. At the block party this Saturday, visitors can also enjoy live music, including headliners Cincy Brass, Hoopty and DJ Jay Kay. There will also be food available from Skyline Chili, Dewey’s Pizza, Beards & Bellies and Pretzels Pretzels Pretzels. You can also enjoy some bourbon and beer at the BLINE Lounge with cocktails by Molly Wellmann.
Red Dog’s Santa Paws
Saturday, Dec. 6 from noon to 4 p.m. at MadTree Brewing Co. (3301 Madison Road, Oakley)
Fur parents: It’s time to get your pup’s picture taken with “Santa Paws!” Friendly, leashed dogs can visit MadTree in Oakley this Saturday where, for a $15 suggested donation to League for Animal Welfare, you can get a digital photo of them with jolly, ole St. Nick. You can also bring new or gently used dog or cat toys to donate to shelter pets, plus shop local vendors.
Cheviot Santa Village & Holiday Market
Saturday, Dec. 6 from noon to 5 p.m. in the Cheviot Municipal Lot (3709 Harrison Ave., Cheviot)
Cheviot will be merry and bright for this new, family-friendly holiday tradition. The free outdoor market will feature over 50 local crafters and makers selling everything from jewelry and clothing to baked goods and holiday decor, and even fossils. Brews from MadTree will be available, and singer Alexa Michelle will perform. Kids can get their photos taken with Santa for free, and there will also be complimentary hot cocoa and children’s activities.
East Row Victorian Christmas Tour
Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 6-7 throughout Newport’s East Row Historic District
The annual East Row Victorian Christmas Tour is back for its 31st year, offering attendees the chance to tour eight gorgeous Queen Anne and Italianate homes from the 1890s through the 1910s. The homes are dressed in their holiday best and feature architectural elements like original staircases, fireplace mantles and woodwork, plus newly renovated kitchens, sitting rooms, dining rooms, and entrances. The tour is self-guided and tickets can be purchased here.
Cincinnati Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 2-9 p.m.
Don your ugliest Christmas sweater and get ready for a night of festive revelry at the ninth-annual Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl. The crawl will take you to at least five spots throughout Over-the-Rhine and your ticket includes two free holiday shots, plus discounted drinks with your lanyard at participating locations. And, if you complete the crawl, you’ll get an after-party gift. Things may get ugly, but at least you’ll be in the holiday spirit.
The City Flea Holiday Market
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 3-8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Washington Park (1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine)
Get your Christmas shopping done early at the City Flea’s annual holiday market in Washington Park. The market has been extended over two days so you have plenty of time to shop all your favorite local vendors and makers. Shop from a selection of one-of-a-kind goods like handcrafted jewelry and accessories, holiday decor, vintage trinkets and much more.
Light Up College Hill
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 6-9 p.m. at Patrick’s Park (5923 Hamilton Ave., College Hill)
Holiday cheer will take over Hamilton Avenue at the annual Light Up College Hill event. A tree-lighting ceremony will take place at 7:30 p.m., and visitors can enjoy a variety of fun and activities like festive train rides, live reindeer, baby goats, Santa’s workshop, a life-size snow globe, a silent disco, a scavenger hunt and more. There will also be live performances, including a Christmas jazz set by The Gimlets.
Market Bleu Winter Event
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 6-10 p.m. at the Contemporary Arts Center (44 E. Sixth St., Downtown)
Enjoy an evening of retail therapy and creativity at Market Bleu. This quarterly night market features a curated selection of handmade goods and fine art by local and regional makers — perfect if you’re searching for that one-of-a-kind gift to give a loved one this holiday season.
St. Nikolaus Fest
Sunday, Dec. 7 from 1-4 p.m. at the German Heritage Museum (4764 West Fork Road, Green Township)
Celebrate the holiday season with some German flair at the family-friendly St. Nikolaus Fest. St. Nikolaus will arrive at 2 p.m. to meet the kids. He’ll be joined by members of Krampuslauf Zinzinnati, who will represent a funny and child-friendly version of Krampus to help kids stay on the Nice List in a way that won’t induce childhood trauma. Guests can also enjoy apple cider, Stollen and cookies, plus shop books on German heritage.
Nowhere But Here Artist Talk by Tim Stegmaier
Sunday, Dec. 7 at 4 p.m. at Iris BookCafé and Gallery (1331 Main St., Over-the-Rhine)
Tim Stegmaier is a photographer, poet, sculptor, painter, dancer and performance artist “based equally in Cincinnati, Ohio, and almost everywhere else.” His new exhibit, Nowhere But Here, recently opened at the Iris BookCafé and Gallery and features mostly black-and-white photographs taken throughout Asia while Stegmaier lived there between 2013 and 2020. “Tim Stegmaiers’ photographs in Nowhere But Here seem to function in a third mode, as a door through which their viewer may pass, opening onto the observed world but equally into the photographer’s own consciousness and psyche, in both an outer and inner journey,” reads a press release on the exhibit. Stegmaier will host an artist’s talk this Sunday to talk more about the “silent and still offerings to a chaotic world” his new exhibit embodies.
Ain’t True & Uncle False for the Holidays
Sunday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Know Theatre (1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine)
Join storytellers Paul Strickland and Erika MacDonald as they travel to Big-Fib Trailer-Park Cul-de-sac to visit Ain’t True and Uncle False, who will spin tall tales and twisted carols for the holiday season. The 90-minute show will feature off-kilter holiday stories (Frosty the Snowman may be the scandalous love-child of the Abominable Snowman and a snow-cone machine) and songs with the help of MacDonald and her kazoo. If you can’t make Sunday’s performance, there will also be shows on Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 13-14.
