Vote Today in CityBeat's Best of Cincinnati 2023

10 Things to Do in Cincinnati This Weekend (Dec. 16-18)

By CityBeat Staff

It’s beginning to look a lot like the holiday season in Cincinnati.

If you want to fully embrace the holiday fervor, there is no shortage of things to do in Cincinnati this weekend. Holly jolly nonsense isn’t the only kind of fun to be had, however, and if you’d like to find even more activities every day of the week, visit CityBeat’s events calendar, where you can see what's coming up and add your own public events.

Scroll down to view images

Photo: Tim Mossholder, Unsplash

Santamania 2022 at Mockbee

6 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17
Have yourself a punk rock little Christmas at the Mockbee this weekend as Santamania returns. Nearly 40 bands are slated to take three different stages in the venue for an overwhelming flurry of alternative underground music Friday and Saturday. Local favorites Tweens, Vacation, Fruit Loops, Slutbomb, Leggy and so, so many more are slated to take the stage over the two-night event. The show describes itself as a “wild-ass holly jolly Jingle Ball” that features some of the city’s most interesting musicians, so find a designated reindeer to get there and back safely, because shit’s about to get festive. 6 p.m. Dec. 16 and 17. The Mockbee, 2260 Central Pkwy., Brighton, facebook.com/events.

Photo: facebook.com/DollyParton

Dolly Parton-Inspired Disco at Bogart’s

8 p.m. Dec. 16
American music would be a lot less interesting without Dolly Parton’s massive influence, so what better way to celebrate the country-western star than a disco dance party? If you’ve been working 9 to 5 this holiday season (or more) and need to unwind, this is your time to show the world that you’ll always love Dolly. It’s probably not a good idea to attend this event if your name is Jolene, though. 8 p.m. Dec. 16. Bogart’s, 2621 Vine St., Corryville, livenation.com.

Photo: cycloneshockey.com

Cyclones vs. Komets: Star Wars Night

6:30 p.m. Dec. 16
Hockey is known for being a violent sport, but at least the players don’t have lightsabers to bloody up the ice when a brawl breaks out. Fans can expect to see stormtroopers, Jedi knights, Sith lords and maybe even a few droids during the Cincinnati Cyclones' Star Wars Night. Take advantage of the “Star Wars Night Skyline Chili Family 4-Pack,” and every ticket gets a lightsaber and cheese coney coupon. Who wouldn’t want to see a Wookie throw back a few hamburgers and wash them down with $5 craft drafts? Don’t like local beer? May the Coors be with you. 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16. Heritage Bank Center, 100 Broadway St., Downtown, cycloneshockey.com.

Photo: OTR Kennel Club

10th Annual OTR RailDog Parade

4 p.m. Dec. 17
If you love parading around with your pup, join other Cincinnati dogs in the 10th annual OTR RailDog Parade, hosted by the OTR Kennel Club. Start with drinks at the dog-friendly Queen City Radio. The parade will step off there at 4 p.m. and will wind around Washington Park’s Winter Market and through Over-the-Rhine before heading back to the bar. An awards presentation will follow in QCR's beer garden. 4 p.m. Dec. 17. Queen City Radio, 222 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/events.

Photo: contemporaryartscenter.org

Social Therapy: Broken Mirror Project at CAC

1 p.m. Dec. 17
From the event’s posting on the CityBeat events calendar: “Spoken word artist, motivational speaker, and community organizer Desirae 'The Silent Poet' Hosley has created a community called Social Therapy where adults and young adults come together to bridge the social gap in the new, pandemic-world through writing and storytelling. In this iteration, Social Therapy: Broken Mirror Project, we will uplift personal narratives and creative expression to connect and create journals using broken mirrors as a metaphor for how we define ourselves. A multi-generational space for collective reflection, writing, and sharing, the series will run over the course of six sessions throughout three months, on first and third Saturdays.” 1 p.m. Dec. 17. Contemporary Arts Center, 44 E. 6th St., Downtown, contemporaryartscenter.org.

Photo: KoolShooters, Pexels

Black Santa at Cincinnati Art Museum

Noon-4 p.m. Dec. 17
If Christmas is about unity, then representation is a vital facet of the holiday. With that in mind, the Cincinnati Art Museum is hosting Black Santa, presented by The Voice of Black Cincinnati. Kids of all ages can meet Santa and tell him what they want for Christmas this year. Parents can take a photo themselves or “a photo will be taken by the Voice of Black Cincinnati’s photographer and shared on their Facebook page” for free, according to a post on the CityBeat events calendar. Noon-4 p.m. Dec. 17. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Dr., Eden Park, thevoiceofblackcincinnati.com.

Photo: David Berkowitz, Flickr Creative Commons

“Deck the Hall” at the Reds Hall of Fame

12:30-3 p.m. Dec. 17
From the Cincinnati Reds newsletter: “Celebrate the holiday season on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum presented by Dinsmore. It’s the annual 'Deck the Hall' event with holiday fun all day long, including an “Ugly Holiday Sweater” contest, autograph signing with Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman from 1:30 to 3 p.m.” 12:30-3 p.m. Dec. 17. Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown, mlb.com/reds/hall-of-fame.

Photo: Screengrab of Video from Robert White

Rockwern Academy Hanukkah Lights Display

6-8 p.m. Dec. 18-22 and Dec. 24
Cincinnati's first drive-thru Hanukkah light display is back for a second year. Let it Glow returns to Rockwern Academy in Kenwood Dec. 18-22 and Dec. 24. "So much of Hanukkah is about light. The holiday is known as the 'festival of lights,' and it comes at the darkest time of the year," Rockwern's head of school, Rabbi Laura Baum, tells CityBeat. This year's display, located in the school's parking lot, will feature Hanukkah-themed inflatables, lights and student photos and artwork, Baum says. Attendees can access a soundtrack of Hanukkah music at rockwernacademy.org/glow or via a QR code to accompany the 3-7-minute drive. 6-8 p.m. Dec. 18-22 and Dec. 24. Rockwern Academy, 8401 Montgomery Road, Kenwood, rockwernacademy.org/glow.

Photo: Mikki Schaffner Photography

Every Christmas Story Ever Told at Cincy Shakes

Runs through Dec. 31
If you’re anything like CityBeat staff writers, most Christmas celebrations all blur into one incoherent half-memory of awkward family interactions and bad holiday movies. That vibe is celebrated in the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!), in which “what begins as another annual production of A Christmas Carol, soon devolves into a slightly irreverent look at all of our favorite “Beloved Holiday Classics” including pop culture favorites like It’s a Wonderful Life, Rudolph, Charlie Brown and more,” according to the show’s website. This is a fun take on holiday tropes but is not recommended for anyone who hasn’t had the truth of Santa Claus fully revealed (aka young kids). Runs through Dec. 31. The Otto M. Budig Theater, 1195 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, cincyshakes.com.

Photo: Mikki Schaffner Photography

A Christmas Carol at Covedale Center for the Performing Arts

8 p.m. Dec. 16-17; 2 p.m. Dec. 18
Since this beloved holiday show won't be performed at Playhouse in the Park this year while the theater arranges a brand new script, set and production, give A Christmas Carol at Covedale Center for the Performing Arts a chance to fill the yuletide void. Miserly old Ebenezer Scrooge gets haunted so thoroughly he turns from exploitative capitalist to full-blown socialist — a true Christmas miracle. 8 p.m. Dec. 16-17; 2 p.m. Dec. 18. Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Ave., West Price Hill, cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.