10 Things To Do in Cincinnati This Week (Oct. 9-15)

THURSDAY 10

EVENT: BLINK
In its inaugural 2017 run, BLINK Cincinnati was one of the largest and most innovative light and art events in the nation, transforming city blocks all the way from The Banks to the edges of Over-the-Rhine into a glowing, pulsing wonderscape. For four days, Cincinnatians could feast their eyes on large-scale projection mapping, light-based sculptures and installations, a parade, murals and performances. If you missed it in 2017, don’t fret: BLINK is back for a second run Oct. 10-13, 2019 — this time stretching across the Roebling Bridge and into Covington, Kentucky. This year’s fest will span 30 blocks, feature those same beloved large-scale light and art events, and also include a live performance from AltRock act Grouplove. To mark the expansion across the Ohio River, BLINK also plans to illuminate the Roebling, bathing it in “beautiful color, light and sound.” Oct. 10-13. Free. More info at blinkcincinnati.com
Photo: Provided

THURSDAY 10

EVENT: Zoo Brew
Time to party with the animals during Zoo Brew, part of the Cincinnati Zoo’s Toast to the Wild Series, which raises funds and awareness for the Lindner Center for the Conservation & Research of Endangered Wildlife. Zoo Brew is bigger than ever this year, with expanded hours, a larger layout and more tickets. Admission includes 12 drink samples and a welcome drink, a commemorative glass, food available for purchase, animal encounters and access to animal habitats, live music from Randy Houser and the Mama Said String Band and bonus beer samples throughout the event from participating breweries. Rain or shine. 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10. $50; $30 designated driver; discounts for members. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, 3400 Vine St., Avondale, cincinnatizoo.org.
Photo: Facebook.com/CincinnatiZoo

FRIDAY 11

EVENT: Cincinnati Coffee Festival
The third-annual Cincinnati Coffee Festival returns to the Queen City and has moved from OTR’s Music hall to a larger venue, taking over the Grand Ballroom at downtown’s Duke Energy Convention Center. The event will kick off with a Trade Day on Friday, which is reserved for coffee shop owners, baristas and enthusiasts interested in learning more about the coffee world. The rest of the weekend will be open to the public, hosting 60 different vendors including coffee and tea shops, bakeries, pastry shops and chocolatiers. In addition to a larger venue, this year’s event will have a few other new features. The inaugural Coffee Olympics will host a variety of fun competitions where guests can cheer on their favorite coffee shops. There will also be a casual presentation and conversation hub called Campfire Coffee. The Latte Art Throwdown will return to the festival this year, where baristas can compete for the title of top latte artist, and attendees who want to practice latte art can participate in Latte Art in Action. There will also be coffee-related demonstrations, live music and a larger Art of Coffee gallery, which features various artworks. 12:30-6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13. $10 Trade Day; $12.50 advance general admission; $15 day of; $20 advance VIP (includes early admission and a swag bag); $25 day of VIP. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Downtown, cincinnaticoffeefestival.com.
Photo: Provided

FRIDAY 11

FILM: Horror Film Fest: An Evening of Vampires at the Cincinnati Art Museum
It’s spooky season and the Cincinnati Art Museum is taking cinematic advantage by hosting an evening of vampire-centric film screenings. The triple feature includes a screening of Let the Right One In, a poetic and tender Swedish story about a bullied 12-year-old who befriends the vampire next door; A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, a pulpy Iranian vampire Western that the director says is like “Sergio Leone and David Lynch had an Iranian Rock & Roll baby, and then Nosferatu came and babysat for them;” and Nosferatu the Vampyre, Warner Herzog’s homage to the classic silent film. Seating is first-come, first-served and there is a cash bar. Screenings take place in the Fath Auditorium.5-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams, cincinnatiartmuseum.org.
Photo: Facebook.com/Events/CincinnatiHorrorFest

FRIDAY 11

EVENT: Wellness Your Way Festival
Kroger is bringing its Wellness Your Way Festival back to the Duke Energy Convention Center with a big ol’ roster of health and fitness celebs, wellness experts and Jewel, the singer-songwriter and fest co-founder. The stated goal of Wellness Your Way is that it is “a life-altering weekend experience to kick-start your journey to a healthy lifestyle.” Held Oct. 11-13, the convention center will be broken into different zones focused on things like cooking, education, fitness, nutrition, etc. Celebrities slated to appear include Jewel, social media man Perez Hilton, P90X founder Tony Horton, nutritionist and TODAY Show correspondent Joy Bauer and more. In addition to wellness-focused events, there will also be a musical competition that invites undiscovered artists to perform in front of a panel of judges (including Jewel), and a Bee-U-Tique Expo in collaboration with the Queen Bee Half Marathon expo. Fest starts at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11; Saturday, Oct. 12; Sunday, Oct. 13. $10 per day; $25 three-day pass; $35 three-day VIP. Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, wellnessyourwayfestival.com.
Photo: Provided

SATURDAY 12

SPORTS: Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones kick off hockey season with their first face off against the Wheeling Nailers. And not only is it the first home game of the season, it’s also the first dollar dog and dollar beer night. That’s right: Fans can get $1 John Morrell hot dogs, $1 Donatos pizza, $1 soda and $1 beer (like cans of Miller High Life and PBR; not craft drafts). It’s the perfect night to start perfecting your beer-can-pyramid-building skills and drunkenly shouting “fight” at different people on the ice. The first 5,000 fans will also get a free Cyclones calendar. 7:30 p.m. puck drop Saturday, Oct. 12. Tickets start at $18. U.S. Bank Arena, 100 Broadway St., Downtown, cycloneshockey.com
Photo: Jesse Fox

SUNDAY 13

EVENT: eat.play.give.
The de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation is hosting its 16th-annual SIDS awareness brunch event — eat.play.give. — at the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State. It’s a chance for attendees to eat and drink their way through food stations crafted by chefs from restaurants and epicurean destinations including Boca, Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey, Fausto, Karrikin Spirits Co., Orchids at Palm Court, Mita’s and more. There will also be cocktails from Molly Wellmann, wine, a silent auction, kids’ activities and live entertainment. Jean-Robert de Cavel and his wife, Annette, started their foundation after losing four-month-old daughter Tatiana to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in 2002. Since then, they have raised funds for SIDS research and education, most recently donating a $11,500 grant to local Cradle Cincinnati, dedicated to reducing infant mortality. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13. $75 adult; $45 young adult (12-20); $25 child (5-12). Midwest Culinary Institute, 3520 Central Parkway, Clifton, eatplaygive.net.
Photo: Provided by the de Cavel Family SIDS Foundation

SUNDAY 13

EVENT: Second Sunday on Main
Second Sunday on Main coincides with the final evening of BLINK so the party is being extended into the evening hours. During the day, check out live music and a biergarten lounge. In the evening, there will be more live music from Brooklynn Rae, Chelsea Ford and The Trouble, Knotts and In the Pines, plus vendors and more fun. Noon-4 p.m. and 6-11 p.m. with biergarten hours noon-11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13. Free admission. Main Street between 12th and Liberty streets, Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/otrssom.
Photo: Mitchell Parton

MONDAY 14

EVENT: Cincinnati Taco Week
Taco Tuesday is taking over the whole dang week during CityBeat’s Cincinnati Taco Week, seven days of $2 tacos from area eateries and taquerias including Agave & Rye, B&A Street Kitchen, Frida 602, Lalo, Los Potrillos, Lucius Q, Taqueria Mercado and more. Each location will be serving a special (or several special) Taco Week tacos. These creative and/or classic options will frequently be complemented by an el Jimador tequila special. Check with each restaurant and make sure to print out a Taco Week passport; get your passport stamped at three or more restaurants and you’ll be entered to win a contest. Guests must purchase three or more tacos. Oct. 14-20. Get more info at cincytacoweek.com.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

TUESDAY 15

MUSIC: Macy Gray
Clifton’s Ludlow Garage shut down a couple of months ago for a summer-long renovation project that ups the capacity from 300 to 500-plus people. The venue’s reopening was delayed, however, causing singer Macy Gray’s September show at the club (the intended “grand reopening” event) to be postponed. A Canton, Ohio native, Gray’s jazzy voice — a perfectly soulful blend of silky flow and earthy rasp — first charmed most listeners in 1999 with her huge hit “I Try,” off of her debut album, On How Life Is. Since then, Gray has acted in films, collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world (from Natalie Cole and Dolly Parton to Justin Timberlake and Ariana Grande) and released nine more albums, including a full-album cover of Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book; her first official Jazz LP, Stripped; and Ruby, which drew praise from critics when it was released last year. 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15. $45-$80. Ludlow Garage, 342 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, ludlowgaragecincinnati.com.
Photo: Giuliano Bekor