Enjoy this list of the best local events and things to do this weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio. This list includes Christmas and holiday events, fun shows, tours, family friendly things to do, and more weekend events.
All event details were accurate at the time of this posting but event details do occasionally change. You should always double check with the event source before you head out the door.
Things to Do This Weekend in Cincinnati, November 22-24:
Holiday Events Open this Weekend:
🌲Holidays on the Farm, Parky’s Farm
🌲Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt
🌲Festival of Lights, Cincinnati Zoo
🌲Deck the Y’Alls Lightfest
Find more Christmas in Cincinnati events and happenings here
FRIDAY, NOV. 29:
Santa arrives at Cincinnati Museum Center! Santa will make his Holiday Junction debut on Friday and he is scheduled to arrive via helicopter! The fun should start around noon (more details to come) with Santa landing and then heading inside for some jolly fun in the Rotunda.
Duke Energy’s Light Up the Square, the annual tree lighting celebration, is back! Festivities will begin at 6pm with live music and a special appearance by Santa Claus with a dazzling fireworks display. The Fountain Square Ice Rink will be open (no reservations needed and skates are included with admission) as will the Fountain Square Bar and the ice rink’s concession stand.
Head to Indiana for the Metamora Old Fashioned Christmas Walk, opens for the season on Friday.
Winterfest at Kings Island opens for the season on Nov. 29.
The Coca-Cola Caravan is making a stop at Summit Park on Friday, 5-8pm. Take a photo with Santa atop his magical new throne, and get your photo as a printed postcard, or a digital one you can personalize and send instantly. Fill out your postcards and slot them into the Magic Mailbox to send them to friends and family anywhere in the US for free! This free event will also feature a reindeer encounter, samples of Coca-Cola and Skyline, and Nanny Belle’s treats and cocoa available for purchase.
Head to downtown Milford for Hometown for the Holidays, November 29 – December 1. Visit with Santa, enjoy strolling carolers (Fri. and Sat.), a tree lighting (Fri.), take a ride in an Antique Fire Truck (Friday and Sat., 11am-4pm weather permitting), and more! Check their site for details and specific event times.
Jingle Jams (at Washington Park) is a merry mix of live holiday music, great drinks, and festive vibes. This seasonal event on the Porch kicks off on November 29 with music from Meaghan Richardson, 4-7pm.
The Madcap Puppets present The Nutcracker, a free family fun show at Montgomery Quarter Park on Friday, 3-4pm.
SATURDAY, NOV. 30:
Downtown Dazzle is happening at Fountain Square, 6-8pm. See Santa rappel from a Cincinnati skyrise and wait with anticipation for the sky to fill with a fabulous fireworks display! Come early and stay late – Saturdays at the Square are full of festive fun. Enjoy a drink or hot cocoa at Fountain Square’s Bar or make a holiday memory at the UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank! Ice skating admission is walk-up only, no reservations required.
Crafty Supermarket will be at Music Hall on Saturday, 11am-5pm. This indie juried show features crafters, artists, and makers from all over North America and draws shoppers from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and beyond.
Main Street is the place to be this Holiday Season! Get into the holiday spirit with Merry Movies on Main at Ziegler Park. This week’s featured holiday movie is Home Alone and will show at the park from 5 to 7pm. Be sure to leave some time to see the Shillito Elves (1312 and 1324 Main Street) and the nearby Main Street Pop-Up Holiday Market too (1312 Main St.).
Head to downtown Milford for Hometown for the Holidays, November 29 – December 1. Visit with Santa, enjoy strolling carolers (Fri. and Sat.), take a ride in an Antique Fire Truck (Friday and Sat., 11am-4pm weather permitting), and more! Check their site for details and specific event times.
Witness Santa being rescued by a CFD Ladder Truck at the Cincinnati Fire Museum, noon. Watching the rescue outside at noon is free! Join in the fun afterwards for hot chocolate, snacks, and the opportunity to sit on Santa’s lap inside for the cost of admission to the Fire Museum.
The City of Lebanon is offering free Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides around Downtown Lebanon, 1-8pm. Rides start and end in front of the City Building.
It’s time for the Westside Holiday Market, Saturday, 12-5pm. It’s National Small Business Saturday, and they’re transforming Westwood Town Hall into the ultimate holiday shopping HQ! With over 120 local businesses, this indoor/outdoor event is the perfect place to find unique gifts and festive cheer.
Deerfield Township is having a Holiday Lights Event on Saturday, 5-7pm. The event, held at Deerfield Towne Center, includes: iceless skating rink (with ice skates), candy cane playland, a hot cocoa bar, mechanical reindeer, polar bear slide, snow axe throwing, music, and more. The tree lighting is a 6pm.
SUNDAY, DEC. 1:
Head to downtown Milford for Hometown for the Holidays, November 29 – December 1. Visit with Santa, enjoy strolling carolers (Fri. and Sat.), take a ride in an Antique Fire Truck (Friday and Sat., 11am-4pm weather permitting), and more! Check their site for details and specific event times.
Taft Museum of Art hosts a Free Holiday Family Fun Day, 10am-4pm. These special days offer a new experience each time you visit. Music, art-making, and gallery engagements throughout the day are sure to inspire your young creators. Celebrate the holiday season and explore their special exhibitions Posing Beauty in African American Culture and Resilience: New Ceramic Works by Terri Kern with festive art activities, food and drinks specials in the Café, family tours, and musical guests.
Performing Arts:
Broadway in Cincinnati: Funny Girl, Nov. 19-Dec. 1
Playhouse in the Park: A Christmas Carol, Nov. 22-Dec. 29
Playhouse in the Park: The Second City Anniversary Show, Oct. 24-Dec. 22
Ensemble Theatre: Alice in Wonderland, Nov. 23-Dec.30
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: Twelfth Night, Nov. 15-Dec.7
Tours Offered This Weekend (check for TDay weekend):
Take a free Public Tour of the Cincinnati Art Museum, offered on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. No need to register – meet in the lobby.
Union Terminal Rotunda Tours are offered by Heritage Program docents at Cincinnati Museum Center on Fridays – Sundays. During a 45-minute tour of the 1933 train station, docents explain the architecture, construction and art of one of the finest examples of the Art Deco style. Hear details about the world-famous mosaic murals. These limited capacity public tours are first come, first served and will depend on availability. Tours are free; there is a charge to park.
Rookwood Pottery offers Behind the Scenes Tours of Rookwood on most Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets required.
Take a tour with Cincinnati Food Tours and savor some local food and culture. Times vary, but tasting tours are offered weekly at Findlay Market and in other delicious neighborhoods. Information and reservations at www.cincinnatifoodtours.com.
Special Exhibitions and Season-Long Events:
Holiday Junction featuring the Duke Energy Trains at Cincinnati Museum Center, Nov. 9 – Jan. 6, 2025
Cincinnati Art Museum: Discovering Ansel Adams, now thru Jan. 19, 2025
Krohn Conservatory: Solstice Glow, Nov. 2, 2024 – Jan. 5, 2025
NOTE: The Contemporary Arts Center, 21C Museum Hotel, and the Weston Art Gallery (events listed below) are all within walking distance of one another. Make a day of it!
Contemporary Arts Center: Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project (thru Jan. 5), Kahill Robert Irving: Ground Water from screen Falls Street (thru Dec. 30), Barbara Probst: Subjective Evidence (thru Feb. 9), Terra Futura (thru Feb. 10)
21C Museum Hotel Galleries: Queen City of the West (thru Dec.), Revival (thru Sept., 2025), and FotoFocus Biennial, backstories (thru Sept., 2025)
Weston Art Gallery: Richard W. James: No True Scotsman (Nov. 15-Jan.19), Julie Byrne: My Boat (Nov. 15-Jan.19), Pamela Hignite: Memory Keepers (Nov. 15-Jan. 19)
Root for the Home Team!
Cincinnati Bengals (home): Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1pm, shown on CBS/Paramount +
University of Cincinnati (home): UC vs. TCU, Saturday, 6pm
All events were accurate at the time of this posting but things do happen and events do occasionally get canceled or postponed. You should always double check with the event source before you head out the door. Links for each event are provided so that you can be sure the date is still accurate before you head out.
