COVINGTON, Ky. – Lots to celebrate and enjoy in The Cov this weekend.
Austinburg Park … cool art shows … a local take on World Labyrinth Day … Kentucky Derby events … a bourbon bar turns 13 and is having a party … a musical and cocktail experience ... great live music … bingo … trivia … yoga … wine tasting … an art workshop … a Cinco de Mayo weekend celebration … and more.
Get ready for some really big fun in The Cov on Saturday at the Austinburg Park Grand Reopening.
The event will unveil an array of upgrades to the park, like … new sidewalks … repaved basketball courts with new goals and lines … a driveway and parking facility … new playground equipment … a seating area for the FC Cincinnati soccer mini pitch … a new shelter house … an informational kiosk … a new dog park … pickleball courts … and a landscape makeover with new flower beds, raised beds, and additional trees.
Special appearances by FC Cincinnati’s Gary the Lion, DJ Pizza Boy Jaws, FREE food and drinks, games, giveaways, and just all kinds of fun for the whole family.
Ever notice how much cool art there is in Covington? Sweeping murals on buildings … bold designs inside an underpass (and you almost forget that you’re walking through an underpass at all) … an inviting bench, illuminated with a prism of rich hues … an alien watching you stroll.
We could go on and on, but the point is creativity flourishes in The Cov. And what do you bet the talented artists who created all that cool art felt the first stirrings of creativity in their youth? Lucky for us they stayed the course.
On Saturday, you can encourage young creatives to do the same when you attend the Covington Creative Youth Art Show & Market. It takes place on the grassy patch of land across from Artmarkit and Olla. Lots of young artists will be there with their handmade goods for you to appreciate – and perhaps purchase.
The Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar is a bona fide teenager, and – even better – they get to celebrate their birthday on Derby Day.
Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar Turns 13 at OKBB will feature a fire pit and cornhole on the patio … hot dogs (rumors swirl about empanadas) … cake (of course, maybe even candles) … once-a-year pour specials … dueling house-made mint juleps … and a Derby viewing with a split-the-pot winning to benefit Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank (because, you know, give back on your birthday is a good karma kind of thing to do).
World Labyrinth Day on Saturday is an event that invites people from around the globe to walk in community along a labyrinth, an ancient meandering path used for a variety of practices like mindfulness, mediation, and spiritual focusing.
You can step in motion with the rest of the world at 1 p.m. at The Hellmann Creative Center parking lot, where they’ve installed a temporary labyrinth for the World Labyrinth Day Walk.
Plan to stick around for a special World Labyrinth Day Workshop, where you’ll create your own finger labyrinth.
Get your fancy chapeau out of the box, put a shine on the mint julep cups, and get ready to place your bets, because the 151st running of the Kentucky Derby happens on Saturday.
In the event that you prefer to don your swank Derby duds and sip your mint juleps closer to home, you’ll find plenty of Derby fun to be had in The Cov.
Here are some Derby Day celebrations that we found, but please point out others we might have missed.
There’s … Derby Day Watch Party at Smoke Justis ... Derby Day at The Firehouse … 151st Kentucky Derby Party at Braxton Brewing Co. … Kentucky Derby Day at The Standard ... and Kentucky Derby Party at Revival Bottle Shop.
Cincinnati Rocktails: A Celebration of Music in The Queen City at The Carnegie on Saturday is a celebration of the famous founders of American popular music and their Cincinnati connections with a wild night of music, storytelling, and signature cocktails.
Queen City Cabaret and The Carnegie join forces with mixologists and authors of "Cincinnati Rocktails: An Amped Up Spin on Mixology," Kristen Kreft and Mayalou Banatwala, for a journey through the music of Queen City-connected artists such as James Brown, Rosemary Clooney, The Isley Brothers, Nina Simone, and more.
Tonight: Alex Poteet at Smoke Justis.
Friday: Jump ‘America’s Van Halen Experience’ at Madison Theater … Kevin Sparks Trio at Juniper’s … Leroy Ellington at Smoke Justis … Marvel Years with Dru Omar and Arnld Plmr at Galaxie
Saturday: Resonance Theory Presents: The Abyss, featuring Torcha with Special Guest Rotten at The Rooftop at The Madison Theater … Terry Harper Presents: Revocation with Valdrin and Gnawing Void at Madison Live … Benny The Butcher at Madison Theater … Angie Coyle Quartet at Juniper’s … David Miller at Smoke Justis … Wax Future at Galaxie.
Sunday: Stephen Stanley “Trustfall” Tour at Madison Live.
Tonight: Wine Tasting at Crafts & Vines … Disco Bingo at Galaxie … Music Bingo on The Rooftop at Braxton Brewing Co. … The DANCE Party at Galaxie.
Friday: Remus Repeal Series 8 Tasting at Smoke Justis.
Saturday: Covington Farmers Market at 600 Block of Washington Street … Bag Charm Workshop at Handzy Shop + Studio … Scarlet Begonia’s Flower Truck at Braxton Brewing Co. … Featured Artist Open House – A Celebration of Local Artistry and Creativity at Purple Paisley, Local Artisan Shop … Cinco de Mayo Weekend at Olla.
Sunday: Trivia Sunday at West Sixth Covington Haus … Yoga with Cats at Purrfect Day Cat Café … Cinco de Mayo Weekend at Olla.
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