Fall in Cleveland promises lots of things to do: trips to Patterson Fruit Farm, Metroparks leaf-watching expeditions, and a general uptick in orders of gourd-flavored beverages, for instance. We also hope to see the Cavs start strong, the Indians finish strong, and -- is there another team in The Land? Whatever gets you most excited about autumn, we’ll keep your calendar full with these exciting CLE activities, ranging from beer fests and live music to spooky roller coasters and live Double Dare.
Ride bikes and drink beer at NEOCycle Fest
September 7
Edgewater Park
Billed as “the nation’s largest urban cycling festival,” NEOCycle Fest brings live music, beer, and a variety of bicycle races to the shores of Lake Erie.
Cost: $5 and up for race admission/registration
Set sail with Kon Tiki Supper Club
September 10
Ohio City
This five-course meal at Porco, Cleveland’s favorite tiki bar, will feature food from the Caribbean and a tasting education in world-renowned Plantation Rum.
Cost: $90
Ride spooky coasters at Halloweekends
September 14 - October 28
Cedar Point
Perhaps the greatest amusement park in the world, Cedar Point offers haunted houses, pumpkin parades, dancing skeleton parties, and other after-dark scares in its late season, which runs on weekends through October 28.
Cost: $45 and up
Scare yourself at Playhouse Square
September 15 - October 7
Playhouse Square
The Woman in Black might be best-known for its Harry Potter-starring film adaptation, but Susan Hill’s creepy haunted house story started out as a play, which you can see for yourself at the Allen Theatre.
Cost: Tickets start at $25
Celebrate internationally at One World Day
September 16
Cultural Gardens
Take a day to celebrate Cleveland’s Cultural Gardens along MLK Boulevard and all the various countries they represent. The celebration will feature a global flag parade, a naturalization ceremony, and multicultural eats galore.
Cost: Free
Go batsh*t with Ozzy
September 16
Blossom
Founding father of metal Ozzy Osbourne continues to ride out his aging rocker status with the No More Tours 2 tour, with openers Stone Sour. Guess that was false advertising on the first one?
Cost: $24 and up
Go nuts with Matt & Kim
September 20
Gateway District
The duo that made rap-rock cool again (kinda?) fight through injuries to bring their high-energy live show to Cleveland in support of their new album, Almost Everyday.
Cost: $30 before fees
Get equalized at In Training
September 22
Ohio City
Dance into autumn at In Training: September Equalization, a dance party with international DJs hosted in the new digs of indie bookstore Guide to Kulchur.
Cost: $8-10 donation
Get beardy with Father John Misty
September 22
The Agora
Indie rocker Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, will play the newly renovated Agora Theatre to support his new album God’s Favorite Customer. Bonus points if you drink every time you see a lumberjack beard. (Just kidding. Seriously, it’s not safe.)
Cost: $35 and up
Roam West 25th and beyond at the OHC Street Festival
September 23
Ohio City
If you like roving puppets from the Cleveland Museum of Art, street theatre performances from Cleveland Public Theatre, and stein hoisting competitions at West Side Market, hit up the Ohio City Street Festival to celebrate the things that make the neighborhood -- and the city -- so great.
Cost: Free
Embrace your bookish side with Outlandish Press
September 23
Lakewood
Celebrate the opening of the West Side’s newest small press with a night of poetry and music at the opening of their brick-and-mortar store.
Cost: Free, but BYOB
Celebrate creativity at Ingenuity Fest
September 28
Saint Clair Superior
Take the spirit of Cleveland Flea, then add loads of interactive art and a somewhat steampunk aesthetic: That’s this year's Ingenuity Fest, with its theme of FuturePast.
Cost: $5 for a day, $10 for the weekend
Rock your body with Justin Timberlake
October 2
The Q
The current world leader in the Pop Stars: Former Boy Bands Division, Justin Timberlake will rock Cleveland’s collective body on his Man of the Woods tour.
Cost: Tickets start at $35
Get cultured at the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest
October 3 - 7
Chagrin Falls
A perfect fall companion piece to CIFF, the Chagrin Documentary Film Festival screens true stories from around the world in the scenic hamlet of Chagrin Falls from October 3-7.
Cost: Tickets start at $10
Get "Irresponsible" with Kevin Hart
October 4
The Q
Kevin Hart is probably one of the biggest comics in the world right now, and in October, the grown little man will take his high-energy show to the Q as part of his Irresponsible Tour.
Cost: Tickets start at $59 before fees
Explore the world of Grindhouse at Cinema Wasteland
October 5
Strongsville
Celebrate zombies, slashers, and killer Martians at the Cinema Wasteland Movie and Memorabilia Expo in the Strongsville Holiday Inn. Classics from the drive-in era of sci-fi and horror will be screened in 16mm all weekend long.
Cost: $20 for single-day, $40 for a weekend pass
Get spooked at the Zoo
October 12 - 28
Old Brooklyn
Cleveland Metroparks’ Boo at the Zoo, running on weekends through October 28, offers trick-or-treating, hay rides, and a Monster Mash dance party for the kiddos, plus all those cool animals.
Cost: $14 at the box office
Rock all day at Studio-A-Rama
October 13
Uptown
Every year, cool college station WRUW brings Cleveland Studio-a-Rama: a free, all-day rock concert celebrating Cleveland and the University Circle neighborhood. Past headliners have included Guided by Voices and Sweet Spirit.
Cost: Free
Get hyped for the Cavs season opener
October 17
Any Cleveland sports bar
Watch with bated breath as the Cavs embark on their first season without King James since Lebron’s 2014 return to the city. Can Frye and Love carry the team? We shall see.
Cost: The price of a beer at any sports bar
Watch big-screen terror from your car
October 19
North Ridgeville
Cleveland’s last great drive-in hosts its annual Retro Halloween Weekend on its double screens; four movies will be kid-friendly, and four will be grown-ups only. You decide!
Cost: TBD
Get your weird on at the Witches Ball
October 20
Stockyard
Head to Sachsenheim, Cleveland’s coolest old-school beer hall, for a spooky evening of dancing, psychics, and a whole lot of witch costumes.
Cost: $20 in advance
Parade with some spookily dressed pooches
October 20
Lakewood
The only thing scary about Lakewood’s Spooky Pooch Parade (now in its 11th year) is how darn cute the dogs are going to be in their costumes.
Cost: $10 registration for dogs; free for humans
Headbang at Mushroomhead Halloween
October 27
The Agora
Hometown metalheads Mushroomhead bring their music (which used to scare the heck out of your correspondent when he heard it on 92.3 XTreme Radio) back to the Agora to celebrate Halloween in The Land.
Cost: $30 before fees
Witch out at the Halloween Flea Market
October 28
Edgewater
Head to cool Cleveland punk bar Now That’s Class for classic horror VHSs and DVDs, costumes, jewelry, and other Halloween wares, along with some Goth Yoga.
Cost: Free to attend; $11.09 for Goth Yoga
Get grossed out with Gwar
October 30
House of Blues
Scary bands must love Cleveland; Gwar brings their famously fake-gory stage show to the House of Blues the day before All Hallow’s Eve.
Cost: $25 before fees
Hear the people sing at Playhouse Square
October 30
Playhouse Square
All the theater kids you’ve ever known will head to Connor Palace for Les Miserables, everyone’s favorite three hours of revolutionary French misery.
Cost: Tickets run from $10-$110
Live your childhood dreams at Jurassic Quest
November 2
I-X Center
Roving exhibition Jurassic Quest brings walking (animatronic) dinosaurs to the I-X Center. The event claims to have doubled in size since last year, so prepare yourself for twice the prehistoric fun.
Cost: Tickets start at $20
Take it sleazy with Adam DeVine
November 4
Masonic Cleveland
Tell your fellow Workaholics fans “S’Go!” to see modern-day everyman Adam DeVine’s comedy stylings on his Weird Life tour.
Cost: Tickets start at $25
Get into some Whiskey Business
November 9
RED Space
Get an early start on being wrecked through the holidays with Cleveland SCENE’s Whiskey Business. The cost of admission gets you 10 drink tickets with which to sample a bevy of bourbons, ryes, and whiskeys from all over North America.
Cost: Starts at $40 for early birds
Take the midnight train to Northfield with Gladys Knight
November 10
Hard Rock Rocksino
Ranked among Rolling Stone's “100 Greatest Voices of All Time,” Gladys Knight is R&B royalty. Pay your respects when she and the Pips play the Northfield Hard Rock Rocksino.
Cost: $53.50+ before fees
Say happy birthday to Die Hard
November 11
Cedar Lee
Arguably the greatest action movie ever made turns 30 this year, and we’ll be quoting along to Bruce Willis’ badass delivery at the Cedar Lee.
Cost: About $10 for adults
Get slimed at Double Dare Live
November 11
PlayHouse Square
Dive deep into your '90s nostalgia with Double Dare Live, a road-show version of Nickelodeon’s slimiest game show (with original host Marc Summers).
Cost: Tickets start at $29
Join (or watch) the circus
November 15
The Q
It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve seen it: Cirque du Soleil is a breathtaking viewing experience, and their Corteo show (which originally premiered in 2005) is no exception.
Cost: Tickets start at $45 before fees
Rock Local with Welshly Arms
November 24
House of Blues
Local boys (and girl) made good Welshly Arms close out their international tour supporting their new album, "No Place Is Home," right where it all started.
Cost: $20+ before fees
Get Hobo Fabulous with Craig Ferguson
November 29
The Agora
Everyone’s favorite Scottish-American comic brings his brogue to the Agora on his Hobo Fabulous Tour.
Cost: $45 before fees
Sign up here for our daily Cleveland email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun in town.