Best Things to Do This Weekend in Cincinnati

Enjoy this list of the best local events and things to do this weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio. This list includes weekend events, festivals, shows, family friendly things to do, and more.

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, April 26-28

FRIDAY, APRIL 26:

Art After Dark will be at the Cincinnati Art Museum on Friday, 5-9pm. Immerse yourself in a blossoming paradise and celebrate the return of Art in Bloom! Enjoy music from DJ Arie, performances from the dance collective Pones, cash bars, food for purchase from J’s Fish Tacos & the Terrace Café, a flower bar, and photobooth provided by Framester. This month’s Art After Dark celebrates the biennial event Art in Bloom, featuring artistic floral interpretations of the museum’s collection. Nearly 60 arrangements from floral artists will be displayed throughout the museum’s galleries. Parking is limited. Please arrive early or consider using a rideshare service. This is a free admission event.

Art in Bloom will be happening all weekend (April 26-28) at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The museum will once again blossom with the vibrant colors of spring as we celebrate the revival of Art in Bloom. See the creative floral displays inspired by fine art, take part in special programs and events, enjoy family-friendly activities, and much more! See site (link above) for all the details.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27:

Asian Food Fest will be on the Court Street Plaza this Saturday (11am-10pm) and Sunday (11am-8pm). Enjoy all sorts of Asian foods plus more than 100 performers and entertainers across the two-day event!

Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park’s annual Art & Earth Day, a day focused on creativity and conservation, is happening on Saturday,12-5pm.

There’s a Plant Swap happening at Municipal Brew Works on Saturday and Sunday, 12-5pm. Bring pest-free, labeled house or garden plants and/or rooted cuttings in soil or water to trade and swap. Use containers you’re willing to part with and bring bags or boxes to carry your new green friends home this spring!

Head to Summit Park for the 2024 Greater Cincinnati Earth Day Festival on Saturday, 12-5pm. This year’s theme is “Plant vs. Plastic”. Learn all about the ways that plastic impacts our planet. Enjoy live music, local food trucks, and animal encounters among Greater Cincinnati area leaders in sustainability and environmental awareness.

There’s a Spring Sip and Shop Market happening on Saturday at the Oakley Kitchen, 11am-4pm. Shop from a curated selection of local artisans to find handmade gifts and beautiful blooms. Enjoy delicious bites from Oakley Kitchen while you shop.

Take an Evening Lantern Hike on Saturday, 8:30-9:30pm. Head to MetroParks of Butler County’s Harbin Park where you’ll take an evening hike in the forest as the stars come out. This is a free event and registration is NOT required.

It’s National Independent Bookstore Day and Joseph-Beth Booksellers is here to celebrate!

Arbor Day at Smale Park is happening on Saturday, 11am-5pm. They’ll be handing out free trees to commemorate Tree Planting Day and they’ll have a naturalist talking about the importance of trees when it comes to water.

SUNDAY, APRIL 28:

There’s an Eagle Nest Watch happening at Winton Woods, 4-6pm. This free drop-in event will allow you to (hopefully) observe the bald eagle pair as they nest for a second year at Winton Lake. Interpreters will be available to answer questions as well as give the history of the current breeding pair of eagles. Parking will be available at the disc golf course and guests can walk down to the Adventure Outpost boat launch for the best viewing opportunities. To find the event on the Great Parks site, click the link above and then click on April 28 when you see their calendar.

Tours Offered This 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. Double check with them about their tour times this weekend. They have another event going on that’s sold out and the times may be the same.

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.

This Weekend’s Performing Arts Offerings:

Broadway in Cincinnati: Six (April 23-May 5)
Ensemble Theatre: The Match Game (April 13-May 5)
Playhouse in the Park: The Chosen (April 13-May 12)
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company: Much Ado About Nothing (April 12-May 5)
The Children’s Theatre: Finding Nemo Jr. (April 20-29)

Special Exhibitions and Season-Long Events:

Cincinnati Art Museum: Accessible Expressions Ohio, opened Friday, March 29
One of the most accessible and diverse art presentations ever displayed at the museum, Accessible Expressions Ohio is a juried statewide art exhibition by Ohio artists, of all ages, with disabilities.

Cincinnati Art Museum: Whitfield Lovell: Passages, now thru May 26 (tickets required)
Whitfield Lovell: Passages urges viewers to contemplate the ordinary lives and extraordinary journeys of the African American experience, while raising universal questions about identity, memory, and America’s collective heritage. More than 80 evocative multisensory installations, conté crayon drawings, and assemblages comprise this most comprehensive exhibition of the artist’s work to date.

Cincinnati Museum Center: Pompeii: The Exhibition, now thru July 28 (tickets required)
Find out more about our visit to this exhibit here.

Taft Museum of Art:
Trading Places: The Rijksmuseum Lends Rare Painting to the Taft Museum of Art, now thru June 16
African Modernism in America, now thru May 19
A Breath of Fresh Air: Nature Inspires Rarely Seen Works, now thru May 19

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: This is Me | Promoting and Analyzing Social Justice Through Children’s Media (April 24-28). As part of a UC honors course, students explored social justice topics (diversity, equity, and inclusion), child development, graphic design, museum studies, communication, and media studies.

21C Museum Hotel Galleries: The SuperNatural (thru Sept.) and Queen City of the West (thru Dec.)

Weston Art Gallery: A New World: Ohio Women to Watch 2023, April 5 – June 9

Root for the Home Team!

Cincinnati Reds (away): Reds vs. Texas Rangers. Friday at 8:05pm, Saturday at 4:05pm, and Sunday at 2:35pm. All three games will be broadcast on WLW 700 (radio).

FC Cincinnati (home): Cincinnati vs Colorado, Saturday, 7:30pm.

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.