Christmas will be here before you know it. Make sure to get in some festive fun the last weekend before the big day. From seasonal plays such as “A Christmas Carol,” “The Nutcracker” and “Hot Chocolate” to Christmas-themed train displays at Heritage Village Museum and Liberty Center, you have plenty of options to spread some good, old-fashioned Christmas cheer.
Yuletide Village closes after this weekend, offering holiday merriment with some Renaissance flare. It’s also the last weekend to see Scuba Santa (and put in a good word before his busiest day of the year) at Newport Aquarium. If you haven’t been to one of these events this year, stop by and have a jolly ol’ time.
Finish up your holiday shopping list (or procrastinate a few days more), then head to one of these top 10 events around Cincinnati this weekend.
Have an event you’d like us to know about? Submit it online at cincinnati.com/events, and we’ll tell the world about it. Head to that same site to peruse our full calendar of events.
1. ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Playhouse in the Park
Follow Ebenezer Scrooge, a greedy curmudgeon, as he learns from the errors of his ways and tries to change his fate one ghostly Christmas Eve night.
Details: 7 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, The Rouse Theatre, 962 Mount Adams Circle, Mount Adams. Runs through Dec. 28. cincyplay.com.
2. ‘The Nutcracker’ at Music Hall
Take a trip to the Land of Sweets by seeing one of Cincinnati Ballet’s performances of this timeless classic. Enjoy Tchaikovsky’s iconic score performed live by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Performance times vary each week. Runs Dec. 18-28. cincinnatiarts.org.
3. ‘Hamilton’ at Aronoff Center
If you haven’t heard of this epic musical, have you been living under a rock? Follow the rise of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and his legacy, shaping the course of the U.S. Expect a unique blend of hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. Performance times vary by week. Runs Dec. 16-Jan. 4. cincinnatiarts.org.
4. Renaissance Park’s Yuletide Village
Yuletide Village closes after this weekend, so make sure you stop by while you have the chance. Enjoy festive shows, shop a marketplace for classic wooden toys, warm up with spiced apple cider, travel through the Rivers of Lights and Gum Drop Alley, and avoid Krampus!
Details: 5-9 p.m. Friday, 3-9 p.m. Saturday, 10542 E. State Route 73, Waynesville. Runs every weekend Nov. 28-Dec. 20. yuletidevillage.com.
5. Train Days at Heritage Village Museum
In these large model train displays, watch trains chug past villages, mountains and through tunnels. Enjoy hands-on activities such as learning morse code, calling the “North Pole hotline,” bargaining with complimentary trading cards and snacking on sweets such as cookies and hot chocolate from the “Candy Factory.”
Details: Opens Wednesday, continues 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-3 p.m. Sunday, Heritage Village Museum, 11500 Lebanon Road, Sharonville. $5 per person, members and ages 4-under free. Runs Dec. 17-Jan. 4. Closed Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1. heritagevillagecincinnati.org.
6. Scuba Santa at Newport Aquarium
It’s the final weekend for the Scuba Santa event at Newport Aquarium. If you haven’t went already, watch as Santa swims with sharks, rays, schools of fish and a sea turtle. See the aquarium bedecked in holiday lights sure to get you in the holiday spirit.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Newport Aquarium, 1 Aquarium Way, Newport. Runs Nov. 28-Dec. 24. newportaquarium.com.
7. ‘Hot Chocolate’ at Aronoff Center
For a unique spin on the timeless classic, see Cincinnati’s first and only African American Nutcracker experience at David Choate’s “Hot Chocolate.” This show features an all-Black cast of ballet, hip-hop and contemporary dancers that will transport you to a winter wonderland filled with sugar plums and holiday magic.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown. cincinnatiarts.org.
8. Chris Isaak at Hard Rock Casino
Chris Isaak is coming to Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati. Catch him play hits such as “Wicked Game,” “Blue Hotel,” “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” and “Somebody’s Crying” live.
Details: 8 p.m. Friday, Hard Rock Casino Cincinnati, 1000 Broadway St., Pendleton. casino.hardrock.com.
9. Final Friday (adjusted for the holidays!)
Browse and buy art directly from the artists on Final Friday. There are more than 250 studios over four buildings, and shops will host artists. The artists of the month are Nancy and Bruce Neville in Studio 611A.
Details: 5-9 p.m. Friday, Pendleton Art Center, 1310 Pendleton St., Pendleton. Valet parking is $10. Free admission. pendletonartcenter.com.
10. Cincy GCMRA train display at Liberty Center
At the Liberty Center Mall this Christmastime, see a wide variety of trains operating on three scale miles of track. Members sign up to run their trains, so no two days are exactly the same.
Details: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday, Liberty Center, 7100 Foundry Row, Liberty Township. Runs Dec. 16-28. cincygcmra.org.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top 10 things to do in Cincinnati this weekend, Dec. 19-21
Reporting by Caroline Ritzie, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
