Cleveland Oktoberfest, Cleveland National Air Show, Cleveland Taco Fest & other Labor Day Weekend fun

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Entertainment | Music | Events

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Cleveland Oktoberfest

The annual end-of-summer party is back, with beer and bands, food (tons of food!) and so much more. Stroll through the myriad of vendors, quaff beer from the local breweries competing for bragging rights in the annual microbrew competition, watch wiener-dog races, sip a Jägermeiser, clap for your favorite masskrugstemmen (stein-holding) competitor and of course cheer as the glockenspiel sounds. Multiple tribute bands are slated to perform. It’s a great people-watching event, too, with German attire welcomed. And don’t forget Carl Jara and his amazing sand-sculpting skills. General admission is $18, with VIP and other ticket levels offered.

(And it’s back the following weekend, too: 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, Sept. 6, and noon to midnight Saturday, Sept. 7) Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, 19201 E. Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights. clevelandoktoberfest.com

Cleveland National Air Show

The annual Labor Day weekend event draws 60,000 to 100,000 to downtown Cleveland to see the precision-flying teams in the air and aircraft and activities on the ground. The show features military demonstrations, parachuting and gravity-defying aerobatics, plus a jet truck will race a plane down a runway. This year, the Navy Blue Angels will soar through the skies. Note: Advance ticket sales only. Admission is $40 (seating options include reserved box seats, sponsor boxes, barnstormer club and flight-deck loge, ranging from $45 to $175). Gates are open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31; Sunday, Sept. 1; Monday, Sept. 2 Burke Lakefront Airport, 1501 N. Marginal Road, Cleveland. clevelandairshow.com

Mitski

Indie artist Mitski, known for her emotionally naked lyrics, saw her stripped-down 2023 album “This Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” make several best-of-the-year lists. She headlines a show with opener Lamp, which fuses a bunch of different styles into their songs. Prices vary. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) Tuesday, Sept. 3. Jacobs Pavilion, 2014 Sycamore St., Cleveland. jacobspavilion.com and axs.com

Fairy Tales and Fables: Illustration and Storytelling in Art

Featuring more than 50 rarely seen artworks, the Cleveland Museum of Art exhibition traces how book illustration evolved over 200 years after the onset of industrialization in the 19th century. Free. Now through Sept. 8. 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland. DETAILS

Made in Ohio Art & Craft Festival

Ohio artisans, local restaurants and all that Hale Farm & Village has to offer will be displayed for a day at the juried show. More than 190 Ohio-based vendors create unique products - jewelry, tapestry, woodwork, handblown glass, soaps, lotions, spices, teas, textiles and others. Local wines and beers will be available along with food vendors. Ohio musicians, magicians and storytellers also will perform. Cost is $12 (free for WRHS members, $6 for ages 3-12). 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30 to Sunday, Sept. 1. Hale Farm & Village, 2686 Oak Hill Road, Peninsula. madeinohiofestival.org

Play ball!

We’re in the homestretch for the baseball season. All five area professional teams are at home:

Baseball Sculptures

Joey – an artistically inclined dog – will unveil “Baseball Sculptures” at an exhibit to raise money for the Cleveland Animal Protection League. The event includes concessions, raffles to win one of Joey’s artistic pieces, projections and music by the Baker’s Basement. Tickets are $20 and include a hot dog (meat and veggie options), one beverage (beer, wine, soda, water), baseball snacks (peanuts, Cracker Jacks and popcorn) and artist meet-and-greet. Afterward you can go to Progressive Field or find a place to watch the Pittsburgh-Cleveland game, which starts at 6:10 p.m. (Note: No pets allowed at the center.) 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. The Sculpture Center, 12210 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. eventbrite.com

Asian Lantern Festival

The seventh festival, originally scheduled to end Aug. 25, has been extended. Attractions include a 50-foot-tall pagoda, walk-through tunnels and immersive areas, including the Blooming Gardens. A drive-through option is available. New this year: Swan Voyage, which allows guests to see displays from paddleboats. Swan Voyage tickets are $15. Festival advance discounted tickets are $24 with four-packs and discounts for members available. Individual same-day tickets can be purchased for $27 until 9:30 p.m. Drive-through tickets are $55 per vehicle ($45, members). 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays to Saturday, Sept. 14. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland. clevelandmetroparks.com/zoo

Hungarian Festival

Experience a day of Hungarian culture at Ohio’s largest Hungarian festival. Presented by the American Hungarian Friends of Scouting, the 68th festival includes ethnic food, live music, folk dancers, folk-dance lessons, folk art and crafts, live animal show, kids’ activities, book fair, folk art and crafts and souvenirs. Enjoy lángos (fried dough) as you take in the sights and sounds. Proceeds benefit the activities of the nearly 250 Hungarian boy and girl scouts in Northeast Ohio. Admission is $10 (free for kids under 10). Parking is free. No coolers and no pets. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. German Central Park, 7863 York Road, Parma. csbk.org/en

College football

If you consider yourself a college football fan but only watch Ohio State – c’mon! A pair of Division II HBCUs, Benedict College and Virginia State University, will tangle in the fifth Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. Both teams are coming off solid seasons. Prices vary. 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2121 George Halas Dr. NW, Canton. mpv.tickets.com

‘Sense and Sensibility’

Broadview Heights Spotlights Theater presents a playful, humorous adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel. It follows a pair of different sisters after their father’s sudden death. Set in gossipy late 18th-century England. Tickets are $17 ($15, seniors and students). 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday, Aug. 31. Broadview Heights Spotlights Theater, 9543 Broadview Road, Broadview Heights. broadview-heights-spotlights.org

Faculty exhibition of art

The annual faculty exhibition of work at Cleveland Institute of Art kicks off a five-week run. The tradition dates more than 100 years. It’s a celebration of art, design and their makers. The public can view new, original and innovative works by more than 60 of CIA’s renowned art and design faculty. Saturday, Aug. 31. CIA, Reinberger Gallery, 11610 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. 800-223-4700. cia.edu

Cinematheque films

Cleveland Institute of Arts has a few movies coming up (prices vary):

Evening hike

Fall migration is almost here. Naturalist Justin Willard will lead anevening hike seeking swifts, nighthawks and other migrating nighttime creatures. Expect natural terrain with one staircase over two miles. 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve, 8701 Lakeshore Blvd., Lakefront Administration Building parking lot, Cleveland. clevelandmetroparks.com

Learn to kayak

Learn basic paddling skills. Paddle up to a mile in flatwater and dream of the Olympics. A steep hill leads to beach access. It’s for 12 and older (those 12 to 17 must have a registered and participating adult). $35. 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Mill Stream Run Reservation, Wallace Lake. clevelandmetroparks.com

Cleveland: Erie haunted ghost crawl

Explore haunted sites on this history-packed tour of downtown Cleveland. 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. 101 W. Superior Ave., Cleveland. facebook.com

FOOD & DRINK

Cleveland Taco Fest

The fest will include more than 35 food vendors and include music, lucha-libre wrestling, daily contests (hot-pepper challenge and timed taco-eating anyone?) artisan vendors, kids zone with bounce houses and more. Wash down a taco or two with a tequila-sampling experience. Festival staples like deep-fried candy bars and barbecue will be available. At-the-gate admission is$10 (free for those under 10 plus military, police and fire). Jacobs Pavilion, 2014 Sycamore St., Cleveland. tacofestcle.com

Akron Pizza Fest

For two days, eat pizza in downtown Akron and vote on your favorites. Seven pizzerias are vying for several awards. Live music, kids activities, cornhole and more will be offered. Free. 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30; 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31. Lock 3’s temporary festival site on Bowery Street, between S. Main and W. Center streets behind Akron Civic Theatre. akronpizzafest.com

Kamm’s Corners Farmers Market

The season’s winding down, but there’s still a weekly offering of local produce, treats and artisan products. The West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development’s market is like a mini fest, with live music, family activities, chef demos, healthy-living programming and more. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. 16906 Albers Ave., Cleveland. westparkkamms.org/market

Old Brooklyn Farmers Market

More than 20 vendors sell fresh produce, baked goods, dry goods, honey, meat and more. It includes family-friendly activities, community resources, live music, art, cooking demos and a beer garden. Remember: The season winds down in September. 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. 4272 Pearl Road, Cleveland. 216-459-1000, ext. 206. oldbrooklyn.com/market

TV & MOVIES'

"Adam Sandler: Love You"

Adam Sandler has the feels in his new Netflix special "Adam Sandler: Love You" featuring his standup and trademark comedy songs. It's directed by Josh Safdie who — with his brother Benny — co-directed Sandler in the 2019 movie "Uncut Gems." "Love You" is Sandler's first comedy special since 2018. It premiered Tuesday on Netflix. DETAILS

"Only Murders in the Building"

Charles, Oliver and Mabel (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) head to Los Angeles in season four of "Only Murders in the Building," because their podcast is being turned into a film. Their Hollywood life is interrupted when another murder occurs, meaning the trio has a new case to cover. Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis and Eva Longoria join the cast. "Only Murders in the Building" premiered Tuesday on Hulu. DETAILS

"The Fall Guy"

"The Fall Guy" is finally coming to Peacock, where it will be streaming starting Friday, Aug. 30, alongside an "extended cut" version. It might not have reached the blockbuster heights the studio dreamed about during its theatrical run, but it's pure delight: A comedy, action, romance that soars thanks to the charisma of its stars. Based on the 1980s Lee Majors television series (he gets a cameo), the film features Ryan Gosling as a stunt man, Emily Blunt as his director and dream girl, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as an egotistical movie star and "Ted Lasso's" Hannah Waddingham as a Diet Coke slurping producer. READ MORE

"The Watchers"

Ishana Night Shyamalan's thriller, "The Watchers," in which Dakota Fanning plays an artist stranded in western Ireland where mysterious creatures lurk and stalk in the night, begins streaming on MAX on Friday, Aug. 30. DETAILS

" Kinds of Kindness"

Emma Stone gives a performance (and interpretive dance) worth watching in " Kinds of Kindness," her latest collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos fresh on the heels of her Oscar-winning turn in "Poor Things." The film, streaming on Hulu on Friday, Aug. 30, is a triptych with a big ensemble cast including Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons (who won a prize for his performance at Cannes), Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, Mamoudou Athie and Joe Alwyn. Jocelyn Noveck, in her Associated Press review, described it as "a meditation on our free will and the ways we willingly forfeit it to others — in the workplace, at home, and in religion." Noveck wrote that the "Stone-Lanthimos pairing… is continuing to nurture an aspect of Stone's talents that increasingly sets her apart: Her fearlessness and the obvious joy she derives from it." DETAILS

"Sasquatch Sunset"

Somehow the Yorgos Lanthimos film is not the most eccentric new streaming offering this week. That title goes to "Sasquatch Sunset," Nathan and David Zellner's experimental film about a family of sasquatches just living their lives. Starring an essentially unrecognizable Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough (in addition to Nathan Zellner), this Sundance curiosity begins streaming on Paramount+ this week. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy wrote that it is "a bewildering 90-minute, narrator-less and wordless experiment that's as audacious as it is infuriating. It's not clear if everyone was high making it or we should be while watching it." DETAILS

"Terminator Zero"

A new animated series in the "Terminator" universe comes to Netflix on Thursday. It follows new characters voiced by "House of the Dragon" actor Sonoya Mizuno, Timothy Olyphant, André Holland Rosario Dawson and Ann Dowd. DETAILS

"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"

— Season two of "The House of the Dragon" has aired in its entirety on HBO and if your fantasy itch still needs to be scratched, "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" returns for its second season Thursday on Prime Video. The story is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, prior to the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." DETAILS

MUSIC

John Legend

If you're into a slower change of pace, check out John Legend, who releases his first children's album, "My Favorite Dream," on Friday, Aug. 30. It's produced by the chamber pop polymath Sufjan Stevens and centers on universal themes like love, safety, family and dreams across nine original tracks, two covers, a solo piano track and three bonus covers of Fisher-Price songs. DETAILS

Squeeze

Some of the catchiest songs of the ’80s came from this English band. Tempted to see them live? Tickets start at $50. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1. MGM Northfield Park, center stage, 10777 Northfield Road, Northfield. ticketmaster.com

Howard Jones and ABC

Go back to the 1980s and enjoy a synth-pop night with co-headliners Howard Jones and pop band ABC, with Haircut 100 opening. 7 p.m. Saturday Aug. 31. TempleLive Cleveland Masonic, 3615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. livenation.com

Glen Hansard

The Irish singer-songwriter (The Frames, The Swell Season) brings his indie rock-folk sounds to town for a show at the Agora. $45 to $89.50. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) Sunday, Sept. 1. 5000 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. agoracleveland.com

Sheroes

Sheroes - an all-female band spearheaded by pianist, composer and arranger Monika Herzig – performs and commemorates the band’s 10th anniversary. Admission is $20 (advance), $25 (day of show). 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30. Bop Stop at the Music Settlement, 2920 Detroit Ave., Cleveland. themusicsettlement.org

Elefante

The Grammy-nominated alternative band from Mexico performs an all-ages, standing-room only show. 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29. Beachland Ballroom and Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. tickeri.com

Sarah Jarosz

The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter brings her American-bluegrass sounds to Cleveland on her Polaroid Lovers tour. Viv & Riley open. Admission: $35 (bar seats), $45 (reserved), $50 (VIP). 6 p.m. (doors), 7:30 p.m. (show) Wednesday, Sept. 4. Music Box Supper Club, 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland. musicboxcle.com

BigBabyGucci

BigBabyGucci just dropped Baby 5, and his tour is headed to Cleveland on an eight-stop tour. It’s BBG’s first time playing Cleveland and the last stop on the Baby 5 tour. The show includes WhiteRoseMoxie, MDMA, Illest Villains, CarterClouud, Public Chase and DJ Sleazus Christ. Cost is $20 ($25, day of show). 7:30 p.m. (doors), 8:30 p.m. (show) Saturday, Aug. 31. Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland. beachlandballroom.com

House of Blues shows

House of Blues in downtown Cleveland has several performers scheduled. 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. houseofblues.com:

Zedd

DJ and dance producer Zedd is back with an album after nearly a decade, "Telos." The first single is the appropriately titled "Out of Time" featuring Bea Miller, a dreamy tune with atmospheric strings that builds into a dancefloor banger. Zedd has revealed that he started writing "Out Of Time" way back in 2015 but was never able to finish it. That changed with Bea — "her voice added an emotional depth that completed the song. 'Out Of Time' really encapsulates the DNA of the Telos album, which is why I chose it to be the song that introduces this new era," he says. DETAILS

"K-Pop Idols"

Get ready for a blast of K-pop — on your television. Apple TV+ has the six part documentary "K-Pop Idols," a behind-the-scenes look at the highly competitive reality of K-pop stardom, starting Friday, Aug. 30. It features Jessi, CRAVITY and BLACKSWAN as they learn choreography and pull everything together to seize the stage. Producers say the series "follows the superstars through trials and triumphs, breaking down cultural and musical barriers in K-pop with passion, creativity and determination as they chase their dreams." DETAILS

RZA

RZA takes a sharp turn as a classical composer with the album "A Ballet Through Mud." The composition made its debut in the form of a ballet last year, performed by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Composed and scored by the Wu-Tang Clan star, the piece mirrors his journey from growing up in the projects in New York City to famous artist, "weaving in tales of love, loss, exploration, Buddhist monks, and a journey 'through mud.'" RZA says he began the project early in the pandemic after rediscovering notebooks full of lyrics he had written as a teenager. "The inspiration for 'A Ballet Through Mud' comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal — love, exploration, and adventure," he says. DETAILS

Entertainment | Music | Events

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