This fall, hundreds of small, local venues will be hosting events across the Greater Cincinnati area — from stand-up comedy and gallery exhibitions to hardcore shows and anarcho-puppetry.
There’s a good chance that something you’ll want to see or be a part of is happening in the next few months. Perhaps you’ll catch a life-changing play, or take in a breathtaking light show; maybe you’ll mosh your brains out, or sit and listen to quiet acoustics. However you choose to engage with art, you’re almost guaranteed an opportunity to do so this fall. Â
So, to help ring in the new season, as the leaves begin to slowly change color and the temperatures hopefully begin to drop, here is a brief calendar of events to keep your eye on until the snow starts to fall.
Studio Kroner
130 West Court Street
Sep. 3 – Sep. 26: Curator and artist Devan Horton brings together a team of six regional women artists to present “Soft Edges,” a re-imagining of the line between art and craft, domesticity and labor. The exhibition will feature the works of Sara Torgison (ceramics and fiber arts), Erica Fitzgerald (broom-making and functional sculpture), Ciara LeRoy (embroidery and up-cycled textiles), Talcon Quinn (basketry and hides), and Celeste Malvar-Stewart (silk textiles and garment work).
The event is not ticketed, but for more information, visit the studio and gallery’s website, studiokroner.com.
Caffè Vivace | Jazz Lounge
975 East McMillan Street
Sep. 16, 2026: The Blue Wisp Big Band will be celebrating their 46th year of playing big band jazz music in the Cincinnati area. Founded in 1980 by local musicians John Von Ohlen and Don Johnson, the band now features sixteen regular members; including the likes of composer Brent Gallagher on the tenor sax, and UC Jazz Studies professor Kim Pensyl on the trumpet.
Tickets cost $18, and are available at caffevivace.com.Â
Manifest Gallery
2727 Woodburn Avenue
Sep. 24 – Oct. 23: “THE SWEEP OF TIME: Beyond the Horizon” will usher in Manifest Gallery’s 23rd season. The photographic and mixed-media show will contend with themes of “time as subject, symbol, or environment,” and, “distance, duration, memory, or continuity,” according to the gallery’s website.
On Sep. 23, a special preview of the exhibit will be held, tickets to which will be available through the gallery’s Eventbrite page.
The Comet
4579 Hamilton Avenue
Oct. 1 and Oct. 2: Stand-up comedians Matt Banwart (Oct. 1) and Amy Miller (Oct. 2) will perform as part of the beloved Northside bar’s regular Comedy at the Comet series. Banwart, whose work has been featured at prestigious comedy festivals like Madison Comedy Week and Floodwater Festival, will be headlining a lineup of local comedians from 7 to 9 p.m. on the 1st. Miller, who was one of Comedy Central’s lauded “Up Next” comics and featured on Last Comic Standing, will headline two lineups; from 7 to 9 p.m. and then from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m.Â
Early bird tickets cost $10.00, general tickets cost $15, and day-of tickets cost $20.00. To get your early bird tickets now, visit the bar’s website, cometbar.com.Â
The Wicked Pickle
123 Railroad AvenueÂ
Oct. 17: Local indie alt rock band White Lighter will perform at the Wicked Pickle bar and grill in Loveland, right off the bike trail. The band, made up of Ethan Qureshi (guitar), Hallie Menkhaus (bass), Ben Jervis (vocals) and CityBeat’s own Christian LeDuc (drums),will be on stage from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
The event is not ticketed, but for more information, visit the bar’s website, wickedpickleloveland.com.Â
Disclaimer: LINK Media Community Editor Christian LeDuc is a member of the band White Lighter. Reporters and contributors make their own independent decisions about what events to include in articles.
The Sanctuary
2110 St Michael StreetÂ
Oct. 24 and Oct. 25: The acclaimed traveling performance troupe Bread and Puppet will return to Cincinnati for a two-day, three-performance stay at the Sanctuary as part of their 2027 “The Upside Down World Circus” tour. On Oct. 24, two performances will be held at 3 and 7 p.m., while one performance will be held at 3 p.m. on Oct. 25. Following the puppet-play, art and literature will be sold, and homemade bread distributed to the audience.Â
Tickets cost $20 — though no one is turned away due to lack of money — and are available at the troupe’s website, breadandpuppet.org.Â
ARTclectic Gallery
6249 Stewart Avenue
Nov. 12, 2026: A multimedia exhibition opening will be held featuring local artists including Deedee Bernhardt, Ken Landon Buck, Cathy Fiorelli, Chris Krupinski, Tom Stead, Dana Olsen, Priya Rama, Trish Weeks, and other Cincinnati-based artists. The opening will be from 5 to 8 p.m.Â
RSVPs can be made at the gallery’s website, artclecticgallery.com.