Downtown and Over–the–Rhine Events
Friday, Nov. 30 – Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018
For more events, visit www.downtowncincinnati.com.
Santa in Carew Tower
Friday and Saturday, noon – 8 p.m.
Sunday, noon – 6 p.m.
Carew Tower, Fifth and Vine Streets
Downtown’s favorite Santa is back!
FREE! Bring your own camera for photos with downtown’s only Santa in a festive North Pole setting on the first floor of the Carew Tower Arcade.
Holiday hours: Fridays and Saturdays, to Dec. 22, 12–8 p.m.; Sundays, to Dec. 23, 12–6 p.m. and Monday, Dec 24, 12–5 p.m.
RedsFest
Friday, Nov. 30, 3 – 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
www.mlb.com/reds/fans/redsfest/
Redsfest is the official annual winter warm-up of the Cincinnati Reds. This event features games and activities for kids of all ages, including interaction with past, current, and future stars of the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2019, join the Reds for a season-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of baseball’s first professional team, the 1869 Red Stockings. Kick off the celebration at Redsfest, where you can see the 15 throwback uniforms the Reds will wear throughout the season, pick up commemorative 150th Anniversary merchandise and more.
Interactive programs include
- Batting Cages
- Speed Pitch
- Carnival Games
- Basketball Court
- Inflatable Alley
- Mascot Meeting Rooms
- Reds Heads Fun Zone presented by Cincinnati Children’s
- Player Story Time
- Kids-Themed Musical Performances
- Rosie at the Bat Performances
On the Main Stage, you’ll find Kids-Only Press Conference presented by Kroger, Redsfest Cooking Show with Chef Gary Davis presented by DNC Sportservice, St. Elizabeth RCF Equipment Drive, Force: Baseball Science with Ken Freeman, Cincinnati Ballet, Reds Jeopardy and performances by DJs and bands.
Proceeds from the event benefit the Reds Community Fund which is been dedicated to improving the lives of youth through its baseball and softball-themed outreach efforts.
Cincideutsch Christkindlmarkt 2018
Friday, Nov. 30, 5 –10pm
Saturday, Dec. 1, noon–10pm
Fountain Square
cincideutsch.com/cincideutschChristkindlmarkt2018.php
Don’t miss the seventh annual Cincideutsch Christkindlmarkt, an authentic German Christmas market. Enjoy Glühwein, a traditional hot-spiced wine made with the Cincideutsch secret-recipe, as well as hot chocolate, sweets and baked goods, and Christian Moerlein beer. Check out the half-timbered houses where you can shop for handcrafted gifts and seasonal decorations.
Vendors include
- Ultimate Almonds – Serving candied almonds, pretzels, and funnel cakes
- HomeMade Memories by Tina – Handmade jewelry, crochet, and ornaments
- Potters On The Square – Hand-crafted ceramic ornaments and giftware
- Haas Stein Haus – Handmade and painted German beer steins
- Lu Lu’s Suds – Homemade goat milk soap and beauty items
- Angel’s Rest Animal Society – Beaded Jewelry, paintings made by dogs, resin art, and sea glass ornaments
- Rex and his Friends – Rex’s Winning Day, children’s picture book by local author Mary Neville about Rex, a wiener dog who wants to run in the Annual Wiener Dog Race
- The Natural Wick – Soy candles, shampoo bars, goat milk and shea butter soaps and lotion
The Cincideutsch Christkindlmarkt is funded through gifts from Christian Moerlein Brewing Co., UBS Financial Services, and Seemless Printing.
UnSilent Night
Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, 5 – 8 p.m.
Washington Park Gazebo
1230 Elm St.
Unsilent Night is an original composition by Phil Kline, written specifically to be heard outdoors in the month of December. It takes the form of a street promenade in which the audience becomes the performer. Each participant gets one of four tracks of music in the form of a cassette, CD, or Mp3. Together all four tracks comprise Unsilent Night. The fact that the participants play different "parts" simultaneously helps create the special sound of the piece. Participants carry boomboxes, or anything that amplifies music, and simultaneously start playing the music. They then walk a carefully chosen route through their city’s streets, creating a unique mobile sound sculpture which is different from every listener’s perspective.
5 – 6 p.m. – Drinks and revelry on The Porch at Washington Park
6 p.m. – Unsilent Night begins at the Washington Park Gazebo
6:45 – 8 p.m. – Unsilent Night ends at Washington Park Gazebo with post-walk drinks and revelry
Rain date – Saturday, December 1
Cincinnati Saengerfest
Friday, Nov. 30, 7 – 11 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 1, 7 – 11 p.m.
Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St.
www.americanlegacytours.com/saengerfest
Christmas Saengerfest 2018 is a Christmas tradition in its seventh year. For 2018, seven amazing venues will host vignette performances from 21 different groups. Performances begin at the top of the hour, beginning at 7 p.m. and ending with the last performance of the night at 10 p.m. each night. A fleet of luxury shuttles will be available between performances to transport you between the different performance locations. No other event offers the opportunity to sample four different performances in four different locations in the same night.
The King of the Bootleggers, George Remus Bourbon tasting bar will be located on the entrance level at Memorial Hall. Stop by to learn about this amazing bourbon and get a specially crafted cocktail.
The Over-The-Rhine Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a silent auction on the entrance level of Memorial Hall across from the Bourbon tasting. Stop by and get your Christmas shopping finished early while supporting a great cause.
Christian Moerlein Tap room will host the Queen City Concert Band both nights of Saengerfest. The Moerlein tap room not only has an amazing selection of beers but also a great menu of food options as well.
Northern Row brewery and distillery will be open during Saengerfest 2018 with drinks available during the event.
Choirs include JourneyMen (grades 4 – 8), Mason Chorale, Oak Hills Band/Jazz Lab Band
Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Delta Kings, Southern Gateway Chorus, May Festival Community Chorus Ensemble, and YPCC.
Findlay Market Holiday Market
Saturday, Dec. 1, 8 a.m.– 6 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Findlay Market, 1801 Race St.
www.findlaymarket.org/events/holiday-market
Local artisans and craft vendors set up shop at the Market for a weekend filled with holiday cheer, gift shopping, and seasonal food and drink. The Holiday Market is the best place in town to find the perfect local gift for everyone on your list while enjoying holiday entertainment by local choirs and musicians, food demos and samples, and maybe even a surprise visit by Santa Claus and an elf or two.
The streetcar will be FREE on Dec. 1, so take advantage and to head to Findlay Market for all of your holiday needs!
ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE:
Kid’s Holiday Gift Making Station – All Day
8–10 a.m.: Holiday Music
10 a.m.–12 p.m.: Elf Stilt Balloon Artist
12–1 p.m.: Holiday Music
1–2 p.m.: YPCC: Young Professionals Choral Collective
2–6 p.m.: Holiday Music
10 a.m. –12 p.m.: Chris Comer Trio
12–1:30 p.m.: Kid's Holiday Gift Making Station
1–2 p.m.: YPCC: Young Professionals Choral Collective
2–3 p.m.: Holiday Harpist
3–4 p.m.: Holiday Music
Holiday Market Bar with Bourbon Cider and Vodka Cranberry with seasonal garnish and beer from
Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. Special holiday market vendors including Baby Red Pepper Co.
Bright Oak Designs, Carriage House, GiGi’s Kitchen, M. Hopple & Co., Soul Sidekick Studio and
Wildey Flower Farm.
Crafty Supermarket Holiday Show
Saturday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on
Music Hall Ballroom. 1241 Elm St.
craftysupermarket.com/holiday-show/
The Crafty Supermarket Holiday Show brings more than 100 makers from all over the Midwest to Music Hall again for another fun day of buying handmade and supporting local and regional makers.
More than 6,000 shoppers are expected for this holiday edition of Crafty Supermarket with special features including maker demo tables, live DJ, delicious food from Adesso Coffee, Cheese N Chong, Dojo Gelato, Eli’s BBQ, Macaron Bar and The Screaming Goat. A few sponsor tables will also be set up, featuring many of local arts and maker organizations.
The first 100 shoppers of the day get a free tote with swag screen printed by DIY Printing.
If you prefer to leisurely peruse all our vendors’ wares, come in the afternoon! Things will slow down after 4 p.m., and the vendors are well-stocked so you don’t have to worry about missing the good stuff!
Crafty Supermarket is an indie craft show of metropolitan proportions in the heart of Cincinnati, Ohio. Our juried show features crafters, artists and makers from all over North America and draws shoppers from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and beyond. Founded in 2009, Crafty Supermarket is a great day of crafty shopping where consumers get to meet their makers!
Macy’s Downtown Dazzle: Holiday Magic
Saturday, Dec. 1, 5:30 – 7 p.m.
Fountain Square, Fifth and Vine Streets
See Santa and his friends rappel down the side of the Huntington Bank Center to the Fountain Place rooftop, followed by a spectacular fireworks display!
Before the show begins, hear performances by the Cincinnati Boy Choir and MCCS Chorale Ensemble at Macy’s, with the host for the evening Victoria Morgan, the Sue & Bill Friedlander Artistic Director at the Cincinnati Ballet, beginning at 5:30 p.m. She will be joined by special guests The Nutcracker and Fiona the Hippo!
The rappel begins at 6:30 p.m. Then can enjoy Story Time with Mrs. Claus on the first floor inside Carew Tower at 7 p.m., following the fireworks.
All day Saturday, take a Comfort & Joyride while you’re downtown. The Cincinnati Belle Connector is FREE on Saturdays, through Dec. 15.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: Twelfth Night
Through Dec. 8
The Otto M. Budig Theater, 1195 Elm St.
Twelfth Night is one of the Bard’s most lively, lovely, and lyrical comedies and this production features a fresh and creative new take! The play combines a shipwreck, a cross-dressed Lady, a lovelorn Lord, a fickle Countess, a drunken uncle, a flamboyant fop, an uptight servant, a mischievous clown, a protective pirate and an identical twin- all forming a delightfully and deliciously twisted knot that only Shakespeare can untie. Westworld meets Shakespeare in this wild wild West comedy set in 1850’s San Francisco for a creative and comical take on Twelfth Night.
This is the first production of Twelfth Night in CSC’s beautiful new building, so the design was inspired by the bare wood of the new theatre, which suggests the wood of both an old saloon and a wharf of San Francisco Bay at the height of the Gold Rush. Cary Davenport has created some beautiful and fun songs, setting Shakespeare’s lyrics to original music inspired by the period.
Alice in Wonderland
Now through Dec.30
Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, 1127 Vine St.
Ain’t no party like a Wonderland tea party! Ignite your sense of adventure by joining the ever-curious Alice and her bubbly friends this holiday season as Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) presents the return of one of its most popular and cherished family-friendly musicals Alice in Wonderland. Based on the adored, imaginative tale by Lewis Carroll, the fantastical classic receives a sassy, contemporary spin by local creative team Joseph McDonough (playwright) and David Kisor (composer and lyricist). Featuring an updated score along with ETC’s hallmark of exuberant, colorful costumes, it is sure to be a sweet holiday treat for the entire family.
This year’s Alice in Wonderland is the fifth time it will have appeared onstage and also marks the 20th anniversary of when ETC first commissioned and produced it in 1998 (subsequently presented in 2003, 2008, and 2012).
An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas Starring Evan Tyrone Martin
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.
Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut St.
www.cincinnatiarts.org/events/detail/nkc
Warm up your holiday season with the Artists Lounge Live production of An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas starring Evan Tyrone Martin.
Chicago sensation Evan Tyrone Martin (Jesus Christ Superstar, Side Show, Oklahoma) warmly resonates the velvety vocal style of musical legend Nat King Cole. Chicago Tribune calls the Award-nominated Martin “Destined for Stardom: One of the Hot New Faces of Chicago Theatre.” Martin intimately relates Cole’s personal journey, while presenting a festive cocktail of hits including L-O-V-E, Mona Lisa, The Christmas Song, and All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.