WEDNESDAY 05 EVENT: Pup Arf Yappy Hour Make happy hour even more happy by bringing your pupper. The Secret Life of Pets is Washington Park’s Summer Cinema series movie of the week (9-11 p.m.), and the park is adding to the dog-themed fun with a free art station from Happen, Inc. where your doggo can unleash their inner “Pugcasso” by making paw print art (5-7 p.m.). The park’s bar will also be serving drink specials for the event. 5-11 p.m. Wednesday. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, washingtonpark.org. Photo: facebook.com/WashingtonParkOTR
WEDNESDAY 05 ONSTAGE: Cincinnati Fringe Festival The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is in full swing with plenty of kinda weird arts and theater. Read reviews here. Through June 15. $15 single show tickets. Various venues, Over-the-Rhine, cincyfringe.com Photo: Dandy Darkly // Paul Corning Jr.
WEDNESDAY 05 MUSIC: Todd Rundgren Todd Rundgren brings his The Individualist tour to the Taft Theatre. 8 p.m. Wednesday. $29.50-$75. Taft Theatre, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, tafttheatre.org. Photo: Lynn Goldsmith
THURSDAY 06 EVENT: Mamma Mia! Song-Along Here we go again! Join the Mount Adams Civic Association for a Mamma Mia! sing-along and free film screening in Eden Park. There will be pre-show music from Real Live Humans, so don’t be afraid to sing your heart out. MamaBear’s Mac mac and cheese food truck, Graeter’s ice cream and raffle prizes will also be on-site. Music starts at 7 p.m.; movie starts at dusk Friday. Free admission. Seasongood Pavilion, 950 Eden Park Drive, Eden Park, mtadamscincy.org. Photo: Mt. Adams Civic Association
THURSDAY 06 COMEDY: Raanan Hershberg “My first paid gig was at a prison in Kentucky,” comedian Raanan Hershberg tells an audience. “It was for about 200 inmates.” It didn’t go as well as he hoped. “There’s nothing more discouraging as a comedian than to be performing and watching a couple inmates walk out. Where are you going? You know in your heart they’re going back to their cell. There’s not another room with midnight bowling or a movie. Through Sunday. $8-$14. Go Bananas, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, gobananascomedy.com. Photo: raananhershberg.com
FRIDAY 07 EVENT: Prince’s Birthday Party at Longfellow It’s been a little over three years since we lost musical icon Prince, but his legacy lives on. Longfellow and its Other Room are throwing a party to celebrate the purple one’s birthday and remember the magic he shared with the world. On Friday, the bar will host an evening filled with purple beer and music. DJs Big Perm and Dearly Beloved will be spinning Prince and Prince-related music throughout the evening. One can assume thematic clothing is encouraged. 9 p.m. Friday. Free admission. Longfellow, 1233 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/longfellowcinti. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
FRIDAY 07 EVENT: Schwabenfest Party like a German with the Cincinnati Donauschwaben Society. Enjoy authentic bier, music and food while taking in traditional dance performances from the Donauschwaben groups. Oktoberfest-style chicken dinners will be available on Friday, and you can come back on Saturday to try some roasted ox as well. 6 p.m.-midnight Friday; 1 p.m.-midnight Saturday. $3 admission; free 12 and under. Donauschwaben Reception Hall, 4290 Dry Ridge Road, Colerain, cincydonau.com. Photo: Provided by Schwabenfest
FRIDAY 07 EVENT: Beyond Black Rock Fire up your summer at the Beyond Black Rock fundraiser on the first day of the second phase of No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man exhibit at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Get a first look at new room-sized art installations, mutant vehicles, creative costuming, films and jewelry made for or inspired by Black Rock City, Nevada — home of the annual Burning Man gathering. The fundraiser features music from DJ Dayna and Swampthang; performances from Pones, Forealism Tribe and Elevated Aerials, with painted bodies by artist Aryn Fox; food from La Soupe, Forno Osteria+Bar, UDF and the Terrace Caf?; and beer from Fifty West and Platform Beer Company, with cocktails available. The dress code is “radical self-expression.” Proceeds benefit the CAM. 7-11 p.m. Friday. $75-$125. Cincinnati Art Museum. 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
FRIDAY 07 EVENT: Blooms in the Taprooms Blooms and beer can’t succ. Teachers from OTR plant shop Gia & the Blooms will be on hand to show guests the techniques of successful succulent potting and maintenance. The ticket price includes succulents, pebbles, soil, a glass terrarium and guidance through the process, plus a pint of Plum Saison, infused with lemon myrtle and butterfly pea flower. 5-8 p.m. Friday. $45-$65. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, rhinegeist.com. Photo: Gia & The Blooms
FRIDAY 07 EVENT: National Donut Day on Fountain Square National Donut Day is June 7 and several Cincinnati-area bakeries and the Salvation Army in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are celebrating by giving away free donuts on Fountain Square. Participating bakeries include: Schmidt Bakery, Holtman’s Donuts, Busken Bakery, Regina Bakery, Servatii Pastry, Harrison Home Bakery, Wyoming Pastry Shop, North College Hill Bakery, Bakery Hill at the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State, Marcella’s Doughnuts & Bakery, Graeter’s, The Bean Haus Bakery & Cafe, Jupiter Coffee & Donuts, Bonnie Lynn Bakery and Bonomini Bakery. Noon-1 p.m. Friday. Free. Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine streets, Downtown, myfountainsquare.com. Photo: Provided
FRIDAY 07 MUSIC: Frank Iero and the Future Violents Former My Chemical Romance member Frank Iero heads to Bogart’s with his band, the Future Violents. 7 p.m. doors Friday. $20. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, bogarts.com. Photo: Mitchell Wojcik
FRIDAY 07 EVENT: SprinkAle Release National Donut Day is June 7 and Rivertown Brewery has collaborated with the Butler County Donut Trail and Holtman’s Donuts on a special beer named SprinkAle, an imperial white ale. The first pint of SprinkAle will be poured at 4 p.m. June 7 at the Rivertown Brewery and Barrel House in Monroe, the same time a limited amount of cans will go on sale. And if you’re enjoying your pint in the taproom, your glass rim will come adorned with a special, sprinkled Holtman’s Donuts donut hole (while supplies last). 4-11 p.m. Friday. Free admission. Rivertown Brewery and Barrel House, 6550 Hamilton Lebanon Road, Monroe, rivertownbrewery.com. Photo: Holtman’s Donuts
SATURDAY 08 EVENT: Pineapple Day Party Millennials rejoice: This generation’s favorite tropical fruit (avocados out; pineapples in) is front and center at this breezy summer event. Aimed at “celebrating the waviness and free-spiritedness in all of us,” the party features DJs from diverse pop-up experience collective Meraki Haus inside and local entrepreneurs outside. Most importantly, there’s no dress code but pineapple and island attire is encouraged. Special deals like bottomless mimosas and food surprises are available for early birds. Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Revel OTR Urban Winery, 111 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/merakihaus. Photo: Louis Rideout / Instagram/@callmerideout
SATURDAY 08 EVENT: The O.F.F. Market Get your weekend “O.F.F.” to a great start at Oakley’s monthly fancy flea market. Browse art, food, clothes, trinkets and more, all while supporting independent local creators. You can complement your local shopping with a local beer from MadTree Brewing, where the event is held. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Madtree Brewing Barrel Warehouse, 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, theoffmarket.org. Photo: O.F.F. Facebook
SATURDAY 08 FILM: Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero In the early- to mid-’90s, Brainiac seemed to be on the verge of becoming Ohio’s next band to explode on a massive scale when things took a tragic turn. The innovative group’s albums on labels Grass and Touch and Go — as well as one of the most explosive live shows of any act from their generation — had already made them superstars in the Indie and underground music worlds. The documentary film project Brainiac: Transmissions After Zero tells the compelling story of the Dayton-spawned quartet, which was on the brink of wider major-label exposure when its brilliant and mesmerizing frontperson, Tim Taylor, died in a car accident in 1997. After a crowd-funding campaign that was boosted by Trent Reznor and Mark Hamill’s social media support, Transmissions After Zero (which includes interviews with peers and fans like Steve Albini, Melissa Auf der Maur, Fred Armisen, The National’s Matt Berninger, Wayne Coyne, Jim O’Rourke, Cedric Bixler-Zavala and many others) premiered at South By Southwest in Texas and has since screened at film fests and theaters across the country. Directed by filmmaker Eric Mahoney (a former Dayton musician who’s now based in Brooklyn), Transmissions After Zero gets a premiere this weekend in Cincinnati, where Brainiac played many shows, particularly early on in its career. Mahoney will be checking in at the local premiere via Skype for a Q&A session about the film. 7 p.m. Saturday. $15. Esquire Theatre, 320 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, esquiretheatre.com Photo: Touch and Go Records
SATURDAY 08 ART: The Uncanny Valleyat Wave Pool The “uncanny valley” is a term used to describe the unsettling feeling you get when looking at a robot or computer-generated image that resembles a human so closely that it grosses you out or scares you just a little. Like those computer games where you can’t tell if it’s an actual human on the screen for a split second. Wave Pool’s The Uncanny Valley explores this feeling of unease with curator-in-residence David Corns, who has taken the work of artists, fabricators, musicians, designers and architects to ask: “Can (we) use the effect of uncanniness to address current issues of everyday life, whether they be social, political, or economic, to unveil something new that would otherwise go unnoticed or be unattainable by other means?” Instead of being repulsed or fetishizing otherness, can this valley reveal the “hybridity” and “ambiguity” of the world? Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Through July 27. Free admission. Wave Pool, 2940 Colerain Ave., Camp Washington, wavepoolgallery.org.
SATURDAY 08 MUSIC: SummitFest Country music superstar Lee Brice and Tyler Farr take the stage at Summit Park. This family-friendly festival includes food vendors, a beer and whiskey garden and a night’s worth of fun for kids and adults. 2-11 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash, blueashevents.com. Photo: Lee Brice / leebrice.com
SATURDAY 08 EVENT: Zinecinnati This inaugural festival is dedicated to small, independent, self-publishing and alternative comics and zines. Artists from Cincinnati and beyond will exhibit their prints. Bring a food pantry donation and get a free event poster and button. Noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. The Mockbee, 2260 Central Parkway, Brighton, zinecinnati.com. Photo: Provided
SUNDAY 09 EVENT: Second Sunday on Main Now in its 14th year, Second Sunday on Main continues to bring Main Street merchants, vendors, food trucks and more to the neighborhood for one of the city’s most eclectic street festivals. This month, SSOM kicks of Pride Month with a themed celebration. Watch as artist KC Hamant adorns Main Street with a chalk garden, enjoy Madcap Puppets’ performance of The Wizard of Oz and browse the food selections while listening to live music from local bands Blossom Hall, Jess Lamb and The Factory and Tracy Walker. There will also be “drag races” (featuring local drag queens), the Missed OTR Pageant, a Big Bike Race, Fringe Festival previews, a Pet Wants Water Bark for dogs (with a wading pool and hydrant sprayer) and a biergarten lounge curated by Queen City Vignette. In addition, check out Gone But Not Forgotten, a multi-panel display featuring candid photos, ephemera and a map of closed Cincinnati gay and lesbian bars. Noon- 5 p.m. Sunday. Free. Main St., between 12th and Liberty, Over-the-Rhine, secondsundayonmain.org. Photo: Second Sunday on Main
SUNDAY 09 EVENT: NKY Pride The 10th-annual NKY Pride takes over Covington with a parade and festival. The parade leaves from Covington Landing at 1 p.m., winds around the neighborhood, stops in front of the judges’ table at Braxton Brewing Co., and ends in Goebel Park for the PrideFest party. PrideFest will feature live music, vendors, beer from Braxton and Bircus, parade awards, a kids’ zone and more. Continue the party at Hotel Covington afterwards with host Sarah Jessica Darker. 1 p.m. parade; 1-5 p.m. PrideFest; 6 p.m. after party Sunday. Free admission. Covington, nkypride.org. Photo: CityBeat
SUNDAY 09 EVENT: Concours d’Elegance With a theme of Midcentury Modern American style, this nationally recognized automobile event displays motorcycles and cars from the time period between 1948 to 1965. The 42nd annual Concours d’Elegance will feature displays of Asian tuner cars, the 100th anniversary of Bentley and 95 years of MG, bringing something to the table for car aficionados of all makes and models. In addition to autos, there will also be a craft beer garden and brunch (requires an additional ticket). 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. $30 adult; $15 student with ID; free 12 and under. Ault Park, 3600 Observatory Ave., Mount Lookout, ohioconcours.com. Photo:
SUNDAY 09 EVENT: Opera in the Park Celebrate the start of Cincinnati Opera’s 99th season with a little music in the park. Bring a blanket, lawn chair and your opera glasses to enjoy the Cincinnati Opera Chorus and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as they perform selections from the 2019 season including The Marriage of Figaro, Ariadne auf Naxos, Romeo and Juliet and Porgy and Bess plus Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story and more. 7:30-9:30 p.m. Sunday. Free admission. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincinnatiopera.org. Photo:
TUESDAY 11 ONSTAGE: Cats The record-breaking musical Cats is touring North America with an updated stage show. The feline musical tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gather for an annual ball to decide which cat will be reborn. This tour includes an original score by Andrew Lloyd Webber — including “Memories,” obviously — as well as the original costume design by John Napier, but with brand new choreography and lighting for a new generation. Through June 16. $30-$140. Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown, cincinnatiarts.org. Photo: Aronoff Center