The unofficial start of summer
After a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 31st Parade the Circle steps off on Wade Oval at noon on Saturday. Cleveland artist Héctor Castellanos Lara is the lead artist of the parade, which includes giant puppets and colorful costumes under the theme “Transformation.”
The art of ink
The Alter-Ethos Tattoo, Music & Arts Festival lands in Cleveland on Saturday at 4 p.m. Along with food, vendors, music and immersive art, you can see live fire performances and live painting. It's at Mulberry's in the Flats. Anyone wishing to be inked during the convention must be over 18 with a valid ID.
Wearing the green in Summit County
Everyone is Irish this weekend in Cuyahoga Falls during the 2023 Riverfront Irish Festival. Starting Friday at 5 p.m., the festival continues through Sunday with Celtic food and vendors. Admission is free and live music includes more than a dozen performers, including several pipe and drum bands.
Life’s essentials in Hudson
Do you like cheese, wine and chocolate? Hudson’s Case-Barlow Farm is hosting its first Cheese, Wine and Chocolate Festival on Saturday, from 5-9 p.m., in conjunction with Taste CLE. The terrain is mostly still grass, dating back to the days when it was a working farm, so bring comfortable shoes, an empty stomach and a designated driver.
Akron Art Walk and social justice
Downtown Akron's quarterly celebration of the arts returns this Friday from 5–9 p.m. The theme for this free event is "Be the Change: Social Justice and the Arts." Visitors can experience live music, galleries, pop-up vendors and even a Queer Market featuring work for sale by LGBTQIA+ artists.
In addition, Serve the People Akron has organized “The Art of an Akron Uprising" in a space next to the Akron Art Museum. The interactive pop-up exhibition was influenced by the killing of Jayland Walker. Organizers want people to "leave a piece of themselves with the exhibition, and take a piece for themselves."
