Events

FutureHeights invites Clevelanders to experience the rhythm and heart of Cleveland Heights at its annual Music Hop, a three-day celebration of live music, local businesses, and community connection, scheduled to take place the weekend of Sept. 19th-21st, 2025. Launched in 2013 and now celebrating its 13th year, the festival has evolved into a premier celebration of the community’s diversity and authenticity. This year’s Hop spans four of the city’s most iconic commercial districts. It will begin Friday afternoon and evening with performances in the Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood. On Saturday, the music will kick off in the morning at the Noble Road Library, travel through the Cedar Lee District, and end on Sunday in Coventry Village. This year’s event promises something to enjoy for all ages with family friendly and community activities. The full schedule will be posted at www.futureheights.org/musichop.   Friday, 9/19 | 5 pm – 10 pm | Cedar-Fairmount, with a special kick-off performance at Luna Bakery & Cafe from 1:00-3:00 pm! Saturday 9/20 | 10 am – Noon | Noble Gardeners’ Market at Noble Road Branch of Heights Libraries Saturday 9/20 | 5pm  – 10 pm | Cedar-Lee Sunday 9/21 |  Noon – 5 pm | Coventry

Saturday’s AWBA events start at the Martin L. King, Jr. Branch of the Cleveland Public Library with an opening keynote and complimentary refreshments, followed by a series of rich conversations and readings featuring past AWBA winners and jurors—leading writers who have fundamentally shaped how we think about race relations and cultural diversity.

The Chalk Festival features sidewalk artistry by professional chalk artists and local community groups, families, and individuals, all using the CMA’s south plaza and walkways that wind through the Fine Arts Garden and down to Wade Lagoon as a colorful canvas. The Chalk Festival is a modern expression of a Renaissance tradition from 16th-century Italy in which artists copied paintings of the Madonna by Raphael and his contemporaries using chalk on the plazas outside cathedrals. Everyone can participate at the Chalk Festival! To chalk your own square, purchase a square of pavement (chalk pastels included) at the registration tent: $15 small square (includes a 12-count set of chalk pastels), $20 large square (includes a 24-count set of chalk pastels). The CMA reserves the right to cover any work that contains a political message, hate speech, or other content that may be inappropriate for a family-friendly program. Major support is provided by Akron Children’s.

This year’s celebration will feature the highly anticipated reveal of For Those Who Call Here Home—a new outdoor community space designed to celebrate identity, creativity, and belonging. As part of this unveiling, Transformative Art Fund awardee Jordan Wong (WONGFACE) will debut five public art installations that will shape AsiaTown’s landscape for years to come. The festival will also include cultural performances, lantern activities, and food vendors offering traditional mooncakes and local favorites. The event is free and open to the public. Event Details: Date: Saturday, September 27, 2025 Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Location: AsiaTown Pop-up Park, 3236 Payne Ave, Cleveland, OH Admission: Free and open to the public

We kick off our season welcoming the terrific trumpet talent, Terell Stafford. Called “one of the great players of our time” by McCoy Tyner, Stafford is an incredibly gifted and versatile player and equally inventive writer. In addition to his own projects, he has appeared with Tyner, Diana Krall, the Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band, Matt Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson and many others. For tickets and more information, please go to: https://clevelandjazz.org

9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque “Faust” With The Silent Light

Join Cleveland City Councilman Brian Kazy and members of Cleveland City Council to honor legendary hip-hop group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony with the third annual Music Keynote to the City on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Union Home Mortgage Plaza. The free event will take place on Sunday, September 28, 2025, at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Union Home Mortgage Plaza beginning at 3 pm. A special performance by the group will follow the recognition ceremony. Tickets to the event are required and are free with RSVP. Get tickets here. PARKING: Paid meters and parking lots are available around the museum on East 9th St., Erieside Ave., Alfred Lerner Way (in front of FirstEnergy Stadium) and at the Great Lakes Science Center. You can also use these links to park in other downtown lots, reserve your parking spot in advance or to take public transportation. All sales final, tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded after purchase unless the performance is canceled.

Connie Chung, pioneer journalist and author, will be in conversation with Margaret W. Wong, Esq., prominent immigration rights attorney. Their conversation will focus on Chung’s life, career, and the New York Times bestseller, Connie: A Memoir. The event will be followed by a book signing by Connie Chung (her memoir will be available to purchase at the event, courtesy of Mac’s Backs – Books on Coventry). Registration is required at https://bit.ly/4nc2Ccs. This is a free event.

The Neurodiverse Culture Festival is proud to announce its 3rd annual celebration of community, creativity, and inclusion. Taking place on October 18, 2025, this groundbreaking festival is designed by neurodivergent people with the goal of uplifting neurodivergent voices through performance, dialogue, and shared experience. Neurodiversity means minds of all kinds, and that means everyone’s invited. Because together, we’re unsinkable! Held at Hiram House Camp in Chagrin Falls, the festival will feature: ● Live music performances by neurodivergent artists ● Neurodiverse Marketplace: shop for cool stuff from neurodivergent vendors and small businesses! ● Slideshow & Tell: excited people give PowerPoint presentations about stuff they're really into. (Sign up to be a presenter at NDculturefest.com/SST) ● PLUS: D&D, art, science, food trucks, animals, and more!

Rock Solid Gala 2025: Annual Benefit for Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, Future Theme: Cleveland is a Music City Sat, October 18, 2025 | 6:00 PM Treelawn Music Hall | 15335 Waterloo Rd, Cleveland, OH 44110   Cleveland-area music lovers, leaders, advocates, and visionaries are invited to an electrifying evening supporting the local music community at Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, Future’s (CR:PPF) 4th annual Rock Solid Gala. The nonprofit, led by Beachland Ballroom co-owner Cindy Barber, has been serving the local music community and helping to fuel Cleveland’s music ecosystem since 2012 as the only organization in Northeast Ohio bringing vital support and economic opportunities to original music makers of all genres. Rock Solid Gala is CR:PPF’s biggest event of the year and will feature the best local bands and artists, amazing food, exciting raffles and auctions, guest speakers, and more. Guests will also have the unique opportunity to bid on private house concerts with local bands and artists leading the way in the Cleveland music scene. Proceeds from the fundraiser will support CR:PPF’s programs and initiatives, which include community concerts, music industry workshops, mental health- and wellness-centered programming, a music incubator and accelerator program, the Cleveland Rocks Shop, archival efforts, […]