Four more weekends until Christmas, Cincinnati. The holidays are here and there are tons of festivities, markets and events to soothe your cheerful souls. Essex Studios will host its annual Holiday Art Walk, FC Cincinnati faces rival Columbus Crew and the seventh annual Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl will take over Over-the-Rhine. Rhinegeist is celebrating dads everywhere and Lebanon is hosting its yearly horse drawn carriage parade. Scroll down for a handful of events taking place in Cincinnati this weekend.

To suggest a future weekend event for our weekly to-do picks, 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.

Essex Studios Art Walk When: Dec 1 & 2 from 6-10 p.m. Where: Essex Studios, Walnut Hills What: Open studios and art market Who: Local artists Why: A rare opportunity to not only shop local art but see inside artist’s studios where the art is made. Photo: facebook.com/essxstudioscincinnati
Fiona: The Musical Opening Weekend When: Dec. 1,2 & 3 Where: Ensemble Theatre, Over-the-Rhine What: Musical about Cincinnati’s Fiona the Hippo Who: Ensemble Theatre and cast, writer Zina Camblin and composer David Kisor Why: Check out CityBeat’s article about the musical here. Photo: Provided by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati
Santa Paws When: Dec. 2 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Where: MadTree Brewing, Oakley What: Santa and pet meet-and-greet with photo opportunities Who: MadTree, Red Dog Pet Resort and Spa Why: Monetary and toy donations benefit the League for Animal Welfare. Photo: Provided by RedDog Specials
Market Bleu at Contemporary Arts Center 6-10 p.m. Dec. 3 This quarterly event features handcrafted products and fine art made by local creatives. Stop by Market Bleu at the Contemporary Arts Center to find unique gifts to help make the holidays more enjoyable for friends and family. Have a drink while you browse this nighttime bazaar and let it turn your Saturday evening into a fun night out while supporting local artists and artisans. 6-10 p.m. Dec. 3. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. 6th St., Downtown, marketbleu.com. Photo: facebook.com/marketbleu
Warped Wing Brewing Company Launches Whiskey Rebellion When: Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. Where: Warped Wing Brewing Company, Dayton What: The brewery launches its Whiskey Rebellion Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels. Who: Warped Wing Why: It’s the perfect time of year for an imperial stout beer. Facebook.com/WarpedWingMason
Waynesville, Ohio Distance: 45 mins This small town in Southwest Ohio lays claim to Caesar Creek State Park, including its 1,300-foot public beach and fully stocked marina. A walk around town will charm you with dozens of independently owned and operated antique stores, home-style restaurants and specialty shops. Photo: waynesvilleohio.com
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever When: Dec. 1,2, & 3 Where: The Village Players of Fort Thomas, Fort Thomas What: Holiday play Who: The Village Players of Fort Thomas Why: The show promises to be festive and funny. Photo: Village Players Facebook
Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 3 Like a scene straight from a Hallmark holiday film, the 33rd-annual Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade & Festival brings some quaint Christmas charm to downtown Lebanon on Dec. 3. The day includes two processions — one at 1 p.m. and a candle-lit one at 7 p.m. — with horses from clydesdales to pint-sized ponies pulling carriages decked out in holiday finery. And there’s more than just bells on bobtails to enjoy that day: Lebanon is also hosting a Christmas Festival from 10 a.m.-8 p.m., with live entertainment, craft vendors, holiday activities and plenty of food, from funnel cakes and roasted almonds to barbecue. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Dec. 3. Downtown Lebanon, lebanonchamber.org/carriage-parade. Photo: Lebanon Area Chamber of Commerce
Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl When: Dec. 2 Where: Multiple bars in Over-the-Rhine What: Public bar crawl featuring everyone’s ugliest holiday sweater. Who: Bar Crawl USA Why: Even Grinches participate in the opportunity to wear a festive ugly sweater. Photo: Stte Funn, Unsplash
FC Cincinnati Hell Is Real Watch Party When: Dec. 2 at 3 p.m. Where: Multiple locations around the city What: FC Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew game day event and watch party Who: FC Cincinnati Why: The game is sold out, but find a bar to watch and support Cincinnati soccer, see FCC’s website for participating venues This game is a big deal for FC Cincinnati — it’s the first time in the club’s history that they’ve made it to a conference final. Photo: Bryan Houston
6. Rhinegeist 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine “Great atmosphere, great beer! Free parking lot across the street from the brewery. Kid-family friendly with games, cornhole, ping pong, etc.” — Morgan F. Photo: Rhinegeist
Fireworks Party + Drag Brunch Sept. 2 & 3 Newport’s 16 Lots is hosting Newport on the Levee’s first-ever Pride event in conjunction with Riverfest activities this weekend. The brewery’s Labor Day weekend party kicks off Saturday with a drag brunch at 10 a.m. with 16 Lot’s brunch fare, mimosas and Bloody Mary bar. The fun continues Sunday at 4 p.m., with a Riverfest fireworks watch party on the brewery’s deck. Tickets for the watch party include all-you-can-eat food, discounted parking and live music. Sept. 2 and 3. 16 Lots Southern Outpost, 1 Levee Way, Newport, 16lots.com. Photo: facebook.com/16 Lots Southern Outpost
The Burning Caravan When: Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. Where: Japp’s, Over-the-Rhine What: Live jazz music Who: The Burning Caravan Why: Crafty cocktails and smooth jazz. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
An Evening with Alex Salcido When: Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. Where: Camp Springs Tavern, Alexandria What: Live music Who: Alex Salcido Why: Salcido is half of Cincinnati’s The Harmed Brothers duo. Photo: Camp Springs Tavern Facebook
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Zoo Blooms Photo: Lisa Hubbard via The Cincinnati Zoo
Take a Tour of the American Sign Museum $15 per person Explore a museum featuring over 100 years of signage. This 20,000-square-foot museum has everything from pre-electric signs to beautiful art-deco neon signs to modern plastic-faced signs. 1330 Monmouth Ave., Camp Washington. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Streetside Brewery 4003 Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum Streetside Brewery is proud to be located in Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood Columbia Tusculum. The Hickey family are residents of the neighborhood, and founded Streetside Brewery to share their talent with their community. Enjoy craft beer such as the Alpha and the GRL PWR, wine and guest taps. The Street Chef Brigade food truck is just outside serving Thai chicken tacos, the Street Chef burger, deviled eggs and more. Photo: Scott Dittgen Photo: Scott Dittgen
Small Animal Sunday at Cincinnati Animal CARE When: Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m. Where: Cincinnati Animal CARE, Pleasant Ridge What: Adoption day for small pets like bunnies and guinea pigs. Who: Cincinnati Animal CARE Why: Little critters need love, too. Photo: Enoch Leung, Wikimedia Commons
Phil Castellini and the Reds “Where ya gonna go?” -u/Murky_Crow “Even when they get good players I’m not convinced they’ll make the most of them.” -u/0ttr “Look what the Castellinis did to the Reds. This used to be a Baseball town. Now some die hard fans I know say they do not care about baseball anymore. Worse, their kids strongly dislike watching baseball. I haven’t gone to a game in years even though our family used to have season tickets. At work no one talks about baseball anymore. come to think of it, are games every on TV anymore? No one I know even watches them on TV. Anyway, thanks to the Castellinis, the Reds will become the 4th or 5th most popular team here. Behind Xavier Basketball, FC Cincy, Bengals, maybe UC teams.” -[deleted] Photo: Anders Saling
Dark Charge Day When: Dec. 2 Where: Braxton Brewing, Covington What: Block party and beer release including live entertainment. Who: Braxton Brewing Company Why: So many Dark Charge variants featuring cozy, seasonal flavors. Photo: Provided by Braxton Brewing Co.

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...