Cincinnati, it’s cold outside. We’ve selected some entertaining weekend events that are interesting enough to help you forget about the freezing gloom. There will be a few events in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Warm up with a cup of chili at Findlay Market’s Chili Fest or get even hotter at The Birdcage’s fetish gear dance party. There’s something for everyone around town, scroll down for our weekend picks. 

To suggest a future weekend event for our weekly events article, email CityBeat arts & culture reporter Katie Griffith at kgriffith@citybeat.com.

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.

Louisville Loves Emo When: Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. Where: Madison Live!, Covington What: Live music, emo style. Who: Louisville Loves Emo Why: Organizers say that audiences can expect deep cuts from all eras of emo music. Photo: Provided by Louisville Loves Emo
S!it Show Opening Reception When: Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. Where: PAR-Projects, Northside What: Art exhibit opening Who: Cincy Phlush, Jeni Barton and Jason Haap Why: Toilet-based artistic activism that calls attention to the issue of accessible public restrooms. Photo: Artwork by Matt Eckerle
The Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular When: Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. Where: Aronoff Center, downtown What: Concert honoring Elvis’ legacy and songs Who: Shawn Klush, Cody Ray Slaughter, Ryan Pelton, The Blackwood Quartet The Nashville Dreams, backed by the Fabulous Ambassadors Why: It’s the closest you’ll get to seeing the king of rock and roll. Photo: Cincinnati Arts Association
Chili Fest When: Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Where: Findlay Market, OTR What: Chili cookoff and hot sauce competition. Who: Findlay Market and participating vendors Why: Check out CityBeat’s preview of the event here. Photo: Provided by Findlay Market
NKY ComiCon When: Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Where: Marriott Cincinnati Airport, Hebron What: Comic convention Who: NorthernKyCon Why: Cosplay, comics, games, art, anime, special merchandise and more. Photo: provided by Evvnt Promotion
I Am -Insert- When: Jan. 14 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Where: Michael Matzko Photography, Northside What: Collaborative art project in which you are the subject Who: Michael Matzko Why: Show up and for a short portrait shoot, express yourself however you wish. You could find yourself among the subjects in Matzko’s upcoming photography exhibit.
AdamCon When: Jan. 12, 13 & 14 from 9-12 a.m. & Jan. 15 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Where: Capstone Games Store, Wyoming What: Free board game convention Who: AdamCon Why: Check out CityBeat’s preview of the event here. Photo: Mireille Raad, Unsplash
Rock, Fossil and Artifact Identification Event When: Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Where: Archaeological Research Institute, Lawrenceburg What: Identification event for rocks, fossils and artifacts Who: Archaeological Research Institute Why: Authenticate your collection. Photo: Cincinnati Museum Center
Randy Villars Dixieland Smoky Jazz Quartet When: Jan. 13 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Where: BrewRiver Creole Kitchen, Mt. Lookout What: Live music Who: Randy Villars Dixieland Smoky Jazz Quartet Why: NOLA food paired with classic NOLA jazz. Photo: facebook.com/BrewRiverCreoleKitchen
Spring Grove Cemetery 4521 Spring Grove Ave., Northside Okay, hear us out. Suggesting you be alone in a cemetery may creep you out, especially when the sun has been setting at 5 p.m., but Spring Grove Cemetery’s tranquility and beauty are so unmatched that it’s a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Not only is this historic cemetery the final resting place of many famous people, it’s also a Morton Arboretum Register Level III-accredited arboretum — one of only two historic cemeteries to earn that recognition. Phoebe Bridgers has a few holiday songs perfect for this gloomy, beautiful walk. Photo: Kellie Coleman
Strapped In: Gear Dance at The Birdcage When: Jan. 12 at 8 p.m. Where: The Birdcage, downtown What: Dance party featuring your favorite fetish gear Who: Cincinnati Leather and Mike Turk Why: It’ll be cold outside, but The Birdcage is gonna get hot. Hailey Bollinger and Paige Deglow
Bobby Mackey’s Music World 44 Licking Pike, Wilder Yes, Bobby Mackey’s is technically in Northern Kentucky, but it’s labeled as the “most haunted nightclub in America” and has been featured multiple times Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. Owned and operated by Country singer Bobby Mackey, the building was built in 1850 and originally served as a slaughterhouse and meatpacking operation. After the slaughter house closed in 1890, the building took on new life as a casino and eventually became the site of the Latin Quarter, a nightclub popular with mobsters. It was a spot renowned for murder, mob activity and satanic rituals before becoming Bobby Mackey’s in 1978; the building remains rich with history, and many patrons say the bar is still inhabited by former frequenters. Stories say Satanists were connected to one of the area’s most famous homicides: the murder of Pearl Bryan. Two men killed Pearl by decapitating her with dental instruments. They were wealthy youths from the area who were in medical school, and one of them had gotten Pearl pregnant. They saw no other option but to kill her. Rumors began circulating the duo were involved with the Satanists who practiced in the old slaughterhouse, and they had murdered her as an offering to Satan. Her head was never found. It has been suggested that it was dropped down the well in the basement. Paranormal tours of the property take you into the main floor, upstairs and basement, where the so-called “portal to hell” — that dust-filled hole once used to drain animal remains and serve as disposal for human heads in the building’s slaughterhouse days — resides. People who visit Bobby’s claim to have seen the ghost of a decapitated Pearl, hear the jukebox play the “Anniversary Waltz” on its own and see the apparition of a woman named Johanna, frequently accompanied by the smell of rose perfume, reportedly the same brand of perfume that she wore while she was still alive. Photo: Facebook.com/BobbyMackeyFB Photo: Facebook.com/BobbyMackeyFB
Ascending Women: Vision Boarding When: Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Where: MadTree Taproom, Oakley What: Vision board-making session for empowering women Who: Ascending Women and Power to Pursue Why: Powerful women empowering women. Photo: facebook.com/MadTree
Cincinnati Cavalcade of Customs When: Jan. 12 – 14 Where: The Duke Energy Convention Center, downtown What: Showcase of Cincinnati’s hot rods, custom cars, trucks and motorcycles Who: O’Reilly Auto Parts Why: There will be a pinup girl contest and cash prizes for best vehicles in show. Photo: facebook.com/CavalcadofCustoms
Join the Cincinnati Beard Barons When: Jan. 14 at 4 p.m. Where: Wooden Cask Brewing Company, Newport What: Monthly beard baron meeting in which new officials will be elected and new members accepted. Who: Cincinnati Beard Barons Why: It’s a charitable community that appreciates well-groomed facial hair. Photo: facebook.com/CincinnatiBeardBarons
Celebrate Black Empowerment Day When: Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Where: Cincinnati Museum Center, West End What: Day-long event with vendors, speakers and community members to honor and celebrate Black empowerment Who: Community partners, performers, speakers, Black-owned businesses and more. Why: Celebrate with Cincinnati institutions and small businesses. Photo: Aidan Mahoney
Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting presented by Cincinnati Black Theatre Company 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18 6 p.m. Feb. 19 The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is hosting the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company’s performance of Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting all weekend. The play imagines a meeting between Joe Louis, Paul Robeson, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey in 1947 in which they discuss a strategy for promoting a black baseball player to the major leagues. Tickets are $20 and include a free ticket to a Reds Baseball game (except opening day) and a ticket to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17; 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18; 6 p.m. Feb. 19. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 E. Freedom Way, The Banks, cincinnatiblacktheatre.org. Photo: Freedom Center Facebook

Katie Griffith is CityBeat’s arts and culture reporter. She proudly hails from the West Side of Cincinnati and studied journalism at the University of Cincinnati. After freelancing for CityBeat for many...