FRIDAY 28
IRL Gallery, a new contemporary art gallery on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine with a mission of “blurring the experience between viewing art in real life and seeing documentation online,” will host its first exhibition this Final Friday with a group show exploring the idea and practice of translation through digital means. Featured artists include Josh Anderson (Cincinnati), Ryan Duffin (New York City), Thorben Eggers (Düsseldorf, Germany) and Sol Hashemi (New York City). Opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday. Through Nov. 16. Free admission. IRL Gallery, 1319 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, irl.gallery.
HALLOWEEN: ART AFTER DARK: INTO THE HALLOW’S NIGHT
The Cincinnati Art Museum, reportedly the second-most-haunted museum in the country, offers an authentic Halloween celebration after dark. The ghostly evening will include live music from DJ DIAMOND, dance performances by Pones, Inc., food from Red Sesame and free tours of the exhibit Van Gogh: Into the Undergrowth. Who knows, maybe the ghost of Van Gogh will be there to check out the exhibit himself? 5-9 p.m. Friday. Free. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
HALLOWEEN: HALLOWEVE BREW BASH AT AULT PARK
Slip into your scariest costume to sip local craft beers and dance the night away. Food trucks and local brews from the likes of Rhinegeist, Fifty West and Braxton will be on hand, accompanied by live music and ghoulish garb. Each ticket includes 10 tastings, and additional full pours are only $5. The event is coordinated and sponsored by the Ault Park Advisory Council, and all proceeds benefit the park. 6-10 p.m. Friday. $20. Ault Park, 3600 Observatory Circle, Hyde Park, aultparkac.org.
HALLOWEEN: HAUNTED MAZE AT DARKNESS BREWING
They don’t call themselves Darkness Brewing for nothing. This weekend the Bellevue brewery hosts a haunted maze through their front lounge, with food trucks, tarot readings, live music and pours of their new beer, Witch Head, a red IPA. Costumes welcome. 6 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Free admission. Darkness Brewing, 224 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, Ky., facebook.com/darknessbrewing.
HALLOWEEN: RHINEGEIST HALLOWEEN PARTY
Rhinegeist gets in the spirit with a party featuring DJ Matt Joy spinning creepy tunes, food from Gomez Salsa and the Boozy Bakery and seasonal brews. At 10 p.m., those in costume (Ken Bone? Barb from Stranger Things?) get to strut their stuff down the runway for a costume contest. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday. Free admission. Rhinegeist, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/events/1743739275890002.
SATURDAY 29
Rocky LaPorte was supposed to be on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon back on Sept. 23. “About four days before I was supposed to be on, I got bumped,” he says. “They told me they were putting on the girl that won America’s Got Talent. The one that plays the ukulele.” LaPorte takes it all in stride though. “This is the only business that could happen in,” he says. “The first time I auditioned for Last Comic Standing I lost to a stripper, and the next year I lost to a guy in a gorilla suit.” On Saturday, LaPorte will feature for Ron White at JACK Casino. 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday. General admission sold out; VIP packages available. JACK Casino, 1000 Broadway St., Pendleton, jackentertainment.com.
HALLOWEEN: REAL WITCHES OF NORTHSIDE
Bring your broom, black hats and wicked boots for the Real Witches of Northside celebration at Urban Artifact. Witches, warlocks and magical dogs are welcome to dance by the light of the moon. This family-friendly event in the beer garden includes hourly broom performances. One dollar from every pint of either of Urban’s two pickle beers sold — Pickle Gose and Spicy Pickle — will benefit the Sarah Cole Education Foundation, established by the family of Sarah Cole, owner of restaurant Tickle Pickle who was killed by a car in Northside earlier this year. Children must be accompanied by adults. Includes after-party and silent auction from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. 8 p.m.-10 p.m. Saturday. Free admission. Urban Artifact, 1660 Blue Rock St., Northside, artifactbeer.com.
HALLOWEEN: THE OTHER RHINE
Know Theatre is presenting the perfect artsy Halloween event for anyone looking for something beyond the predictable haunted house outing. It’s billed as a special tour of an abandoned brewery, utilizing the dark corridors and darkened stairwells of the Mockbee in the heart of Cincinnati’s Brewery District. Apparently, sometimes buildings are abandoned for a reason. Inspired by New York’s hit immersive theater experience, Sleep No More, and the classic horror writing of H.P. Lovecraft, the one-hour walking tour is the work of Hit the Lights! Theatre Co. — actors and others who are largely products of the theater program at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music — which created the 2014 Fringe Festival hit, Dungeon. 7, 8 and 9 p.m. Saturday-Monday. $35. The Mockbee, 2260 Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine, 513-300-5669, knowtheatre.com.
HALLOWEEN: AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HAUNTED HOTEL PARTY
Welcome to the Hotel Cortez — er, Covington. The hotel’s inaugural Halloween party channels American Horror Story, taking a page from the show’s hotel-themed Season 5 (unfortunately minus Lady Gaga and Evan Peters). The bash includes $3 specialty cocktails, music by DJ Druskii and a costume contest with prizes for best male, best female and best group. The best part? Admission is complimentary. Thankfully, the party doesn’t coincide with the blood moon, but watch out for the Butcher just in case. 9 p.m.-midnight Saturday. Free admission. Hotel Covington, 638 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky., facebook.com/thehotelcovington.
HALLOWEEN: HALLOWEEN GALA
Halloween offers the opportunity to be someone new, silly, scary or creative, but this year’s Halloween also gives you a chance to support children across Cincinnati. The Halloween Gala is a benefit for the Children’s Dyslexia Centers of Cincinnati. After entry (and a free drink), the Halloween Gala is full of non-stop entertainment. The Cincinnati Civic Orchestra will begin the evening with carefully selected themed music in the auditorium, followed by appetizers prepared by students from the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State. Party band The Naked Karate Girls will keep you dancing all night. 6 p.m. Saturday. $50. Cincinnati Masonic Center, 317 E. Fifth St., Downtown, halloweengala.org.
SUNDAY 30
HALLOWEEN: PUMPKIN DAYS AT HIDDEN VALLEY FRUIT FARM
Pet a pig, pick a pumpkin and sip some fresh-pressed apple cider. This historical family farm hosts Fall Fun Days Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 23, with Pumpkin Days taking over Oct. 29 and 30. Book a hayride and meet some friendly barnyard animals, including a pair of llamas with fabulous toothy underbites. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. Free admission. Hidden Valley Fruit Farm, 5474 State Route 48, Lebanon, hiddenvalleyfruitfarm.com.
HALLOWEEN: THE GREAT PUMPKIN FEST AT KINGS ISLAND
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the classic animated special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. What better place to celebrate than Kings Island’s Peanuts-themed Planet Snoopy? This light-fright event preludes Halloween Haunt Saturdays and Sundays throughout October, featuring treat-or-treating, live themed shows, a petting farm and more. Discover ingredients used in spells and potions at Lucy’s Witches Kitchen, converse with a talking pumpkin named Patch and create a masterpiece at Woodstock’s Coloring Station. Noon-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. Tickets start at $39.99. Kings Island, 6300 Kings Island Drive, Mason, visitkingsisland.com.
HALLOWEEN: HALLZOOWEEN
Halloween at the Cincinnati Zoo is “always hairy, never scary.” Expect special animal encounters, treat-or-treat stations, a “scare-ousel” and more throughout the grounds. Take a magical ride aboard the Hogwarts Express — keep an eye out for Hedwig —and stop by Phil Dalton’s Theater of Illusion show at 1 and 3 p.m. daily. Polar bears, elephants and many other animals will receive pumpkins as a special Halloween treat; a complete schedule of other animal enrichment activities is available online. Be on the lookout for one of two golden Frisch’s Big Boy statues hidden each day of HallZOOween — the keen visitors who find them will receive $150 worth of zoo merchandise. Come dressed in costume and get a little wild. Noon-5 p.m. select weekends through Oct. 30. Free with zoo admission: $18 adults; $13 children and seniors. Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.
TV: THE WALKING DEAD
Last week’s premiere was head- and heartbreaking; we’re on to something completely different this season. Enter the Kingdom — this idyllic community has people, crops, shelter and a tiger-taming leader called King Ezekiel. Could it be a new home for Morgan and Carol? 9 p.m. Sunday, AMC.
