This weekend, hop on a trolly at SPARX City Hop and visit events throughout downtown, Ohio City and Tremont, explore small business and local music at Heights Music Hop, get inspired at Creative Mornings, celebrate LGBT progress at The 23rd Annual LGBT Community Center Garden Party, create a masterpiece at CMA’s annual Chalk Festival and more.

Heights Music Hop
Saturday September 19th. 1 - 11 pm
20 locations in Cleveland Heights
Free

Hop from coffee shop to bar to bakery at the third annual Heights Music Hop! The event features acts ranging from jazz and soul to rock and hip hop in many unexpected locations on the East Side. 

“By booking bands in 20 venues up and down Lee Road in one night, it allows us to highlight these establishments as well as shine a light on the incredible local music scene in Northeast Ohio,” says Justin Markert, one of the event founders.

The event invites visitors to explore local restaurants, bars and bakeries and also features performances at Heights Arts gallery and Heights Library. The day will conclude with a mood elevating soul performance by The Admirables at 11 pm at The Bottlehouse Brewery.

“Everyone knows how great places like the Cedar Lee Theatre and Dobama Theater are, but the entire district is bustling with great restaurants and bars that boast different cuisines and cultures, not just 10 versions of the same bar,” Markert says.

Music Hop started out as an event created to coincide with Cleveland Beer Week and has grown into a stand-alone festival. Markert is also the music programmer behind Brite Winter Festival and owner of record label and online arts website, Cellar Door Cleveland.

Musical acts include: Oldboy, Morgan Mecaskey, By Light We Loom, Noon, Meridian, Ageless Males, Banging Fragiles, Trepanning Trio, Elegie, Common Ave, Joshua Jesty, Root Bottle, Maura Rogers, Megan Zurkey, Jason Patrick Meyers, Shawn and Shelby, Rebekah Jean, Bill Lestock, Afi Scruggs and many more. View the music schedule here.

New Wave Rave GEIGHTIES
Friday, September 18th. 9 pm - 2 am
Mahalls 13200 Madison Ave.
$5

Dance in the name of all the ‘80s divas who made dance music provocative and timeless as DJs Himiko Gogo, Party Sweat, & D Rock kick out their favorites from the pop & underground worlds.

SPARX City Hop
Saturday, September 19th. 11 am - 6 pm
Downtown, Tremont & Ohio City
Free

Hop on a trolly and create your own adventure! Start your day at the SPARX Main Hub, under the chandelier in Playhouse Square and then chose one of three trolley routes to sites across downtown, Tremont and Ohio City, which provide tours of Cleveland including its historic theaters.

“Downtown Cleveland is experiencing one of the largest investment cycles in history, with billions in public and private investment happening right now,” says Joe Marinucci, president and CEO of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. “SPARX gives our residents – friends, neighbors and family – a great way to experience what the national buzz is all about.”

Registration Open: CreativeMornings CLE : Sep 18th
Friday September 18th. 8:30 - 10 am
Hub 55 1361 E 55th.
Free

Do you enjoy breakfast and bold ideas? Check out Creative Mornings. CreativeMornings’ combines complimentary coffee and breakfast with a lecture by local creatives. In a similar vein as TED Talks, each month’s lecture revolves around a global theme and is recorded and shared on the Creative Mornings website.

This month’s global theme is empathy and will be hosted by Kate Snow, associate director of Zygote Press. Zygote Press is a successful and longstanding print making studio located in Cleveland that provides a professional space and resources for artists to produce work. Snow will speaking about art created through empathy, when an artist is asked to step outside of their own personal experiences and see from somebody else’s perspective. The event is free but please, register online.

2015 Chalk Festival
Saturday, September 19th. 11 am - 5 pm
11150 East Blvd. Cleveland Museum of Art
Large square (3 x 4 ft.) and 24-color box of chalk: $16
Small square (2 x 3 ft.) and 12-color box of chalk: $8

Watch the walkways of CMA transform into a colorful canvas. Visit the galleries and leave your mark on this 25-year-old tradition. More info here.

The 23rd Annual LGBT Community Center Garden Party
Sunday, September 20th. 1 pm
Hunting Valley Estate
$135 buy tickets

Celebrate LGBT progress with great food and inspiring entertainment on the picturesque Hunting Valley Estate. “We are thrilled to commemorate 40 years of progress with a glorious day of amazing food, great company and award winning entertainment at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland’s 23rd Garden Party!” says Phyllis Harris, executive director.

Emmy Award winning actress and comedian Judy Gold and award-winning Broadway singer Klea Blackhurst are scheduled to appear. Adjunct professor of law at Columbia University Law School, Roberta Kaplan also will be giving a speech. Kaplan is a powerhouse corporate litigator who helped to strike down a crucial section of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which resulted in nationwide marriage equality. All proceeds from the Garden Party will be MATCHED by the Maltz Family Foundation to benefit the Facility Endowment Fund.

Tremont Art & Cultural Festival 2015
Saturday, September 19th.
Lincoln Park 1050 Starkweather Ave.
Free

It’s the 17th annual Tremont Arts & Cultural Festival! Enjoy artisans, music and dance on four stages. Shop the farmers market and enjoy a special performance by Belly Dancing Troupe Shabaana performing for their 14th year at the festival. Full schedule here.

Upcycle Parts Shop - Upcycle Dance Party
Dance Your Parts Off!
Saturday September 19th
7-11 pm
$25 / $30 at the door