Events

The Lake Erie Folk Festival is our love letter to traditional music in Northeast Ohio. Created and produced by the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association, and now in partnership with WRUW-FM, Lake Erie Folk Festival is back on Valentine’s Day - Saturday February 14th on the Case Western Reserve University Campus.  Lake Erie Folk Festival has become Northeast Ohio's largest winter gathering of the region’s traditional music community, drawing visitors from five counties and three states to Greater Cleveland in the otherwise dark days of February. Visitors come for the great music, the sharing and learning and to be part of a vibrant community.  LEFF features a host of accessible offerings, including all-day jam sessions playing all kinds of traditional music, free community concerts throughout the afternoon, a whole series of workshops to suit a wide range of musical interests, all topped off with a remarkable line-up of national and local bands sharing the stage in the festival’s always-popular evening concert.  There will be music for all ages and abilities -- young musicians and those new to the music are all welcome. All daytime festival events take place from 1:00-6:00pm in Thwing Center, and are free and open to all.  […]

On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Ohio will officially launch Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison—a yearlong, statewide celebration honoring the life, work, and legacy of Toni Morrison—with a kickoff event at The Columbus Foundation. The celebration will open on Toni Morrison Day, Wednesday, Feb. 18, with a kickoff event at The Columbus Foundation at 5 p.m. featuring a conversation between Namwali Serpell and Hanif Abdurraqib. Inspired by Serpell’s new book On Morrison, the conversation will explore Morrison’s lasting influence and why her work continues to matter today. The kickoff event will be live-streamed, opening the conversation to audiences across Ohio and beyond. Register for the livestream at https://bit.ly/OhioCelebratesToniMorrisonKickoff. The Cleveland Kickoff — On Feb. 18, 2026 at 7 p.m. at Karamu House featuring readings and an open mic (this event follows the livestream of the Columbus event) About Toni Morrison and her Ohio Connections  Born in Lorain, Ohio on February 18, 1931, Toni Morrison became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize. Her eleven novels trace American history through the Black experience—from A Mercy in the 1680s to God Help the Child in the early 2000s—offering readers a journey through time and truth. Her debut novel, The Bluest […]

Cleveland State University’s (CSU) Department of Theatre and Dance will host its spring dance concert Feb. 20–22 at Playhouse Square’s Allen Theatre. A celebration of form, motion and creative collaboration, the concert offers a fresh perspective on contemporary dance in Cleveland. Under the direction of Michele Ainza, CSU director of dance, the concert will feature performances by the CSU Dance Company and include original works choreographed by students, faculty and guest artists. CSU’s School of Music will perform the opening piece, “Set and Reset,” with musical direction by Katalin La Favre. In alignment with CSU’s mission, the annual concert centers around student learning opportunities while bridging ties with the community. Students are active participants in the creative process of choreography, performance and production. Tickets are $5–$20 and can be purchased at playhousesquare.org, by calling 216-241-6000 or in person at the State Theatre Ticket Office. Walk-up tickets are also available one hour before showtime at the Allen Theatre Complex. Visit csuohio.edu/theatredance for more details.

The Darl Center for the Arts has announced its next stage production, Conscience, a play by Joe DiPietro centering on the political rivalry between Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. The play, based on true events, focuses on Smith, a trailblazer in American politics who remained a voice of reason amid the Red Scare. “After a successful west coast run, we are thrilled to welcome our friends, RKP Productions from Anchorage, Alaska, to the Darl Center,” says the arts center executive director, Darl Schaaff. “The play is often quite funny and always insightful and increasingly relevant.” Tickets are $35. The dates and times of the one-weekend-only event are as follows: February 27, 7:30 p.m. February 28, 1:30 pm and 7:30 p.m. March 1, 1:30 p.m.