10 Things to Do in Cleveland This Weekend

Friday, September 25: Night Market Cleveland -

Night markets, originating in Asia as illegal “ghost markets” that bustled through the evening and vanished before daybreak, have begun taking major North American cities by storm. Rows of glowing vendor booths light up the night, music fills the air, art is sold to passersby and, most importantly, xiaochi, or small eats and street food, are served up as fast bites throughout the fleeting bazaar. On the last Friday of every month, Night Market Cleveland (nightmarketcle.com) has popped up from 5 to 11 p.m. on the Rockwell Ave. block at East 21st St. Emperor’s dim sum will be served as quick takeaways, along with snacky fare from other nearby restaurants, such as pad Thai, pineapple buns, lo mein and bubble tea.?But don’t be surprised if the food comes to you first. A fleet of carts outfitted with birch-topped counters and wheels from Ohio City Bike Co-Op was constructed to rove the crowd. Expect longstanding neighborhood favorite Koko Bakery to zip by offering some of their most popular pastries. The night market is using this opportunity to show all the ways St. Clair Superior and AsiaTown are growing. 21st St. and Rockwell. (Nikki Delamotte, courtesy photo)

Friday, September 25: Badfish -

The legacy of ska-punk act Sublime lives on with Badfish, a popular tribute act that pays homage to the late, great Bradley Nowell and Sublime. The band headlines Fall Badfish 2015, a two-night stand at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park that includes performances by a slew of other like-minded bands. The music starts tonight at 7 and Badfish performs tomorrow night too. Campers can stick around through Sunday if they want. Tickets are $55 to $75. (Niesel, photo via Facebook)

Friday, September 25: Fall Season Opening Night -

MOCA Cleveland officially opens its Fall 2015 exhibitions with a free Fall Season Opening Night Party from 7 to 10 p.m. today. MOCA’s new exhibitions include Nevet Yitzhak’s OFF THE RULING CLASS , Fatima Al Qadiri’s Chinas of the Mind and Do Ho Suh’s self-titled exhibition. The evening begins with a special artist talk with Do Ho Suh at 7 p.m., followed by music and mingling from 8 to 10 p.m. Throughout the night, guests are invited to the third floor to create artwork inspired by MOCA Cleveland’s Fall 2015 exhibitions. The shows remain on view through Jan. 10. (Usmani, courtesy photo)

Saturday, September 26: FireFish Festival -

James Levin (Cleveland Public Theatre, IngenuityFest, Cleveland World Festival) has been busy preparing for another community-based festival. The inaugural FireFish Festival plans to transform Lorain’s Broadway Avenue into a playground of art, music, dance and more. The festival aims to present art experiences in unexpected places. Organizers imagine, “Opera on a fire truck, art installations lighting up storefronts, fire dancing on rooftops, ballet in an alley or cabaret in an abandoned building – anything is possible at FireFish!” Highlights include Alley Opera with Great Lakes Light Opera, a giant fish sculpture that comes to life breathing fire, fire performers, the world premiere of Cleveland Cabaret Project and Dana Depew’s Asterisk on Broadway pop-up art gallery. It all takes place from 4 to 10 p.m. today. Free. (Usmani, courtesy photo)

Saturday, September 26: Cleveland Vegan Dinner -

A Lakewood restaurant that specializes in vegan food, Cleveland Vegan has been a nice addition to the local restaurant scene since opening earlier this year. Tonight at 4, 6 and 8, the restaurant hosts Cleveland Vegan Dinner Night, a five-course "plant perfect" meal. The menu hasn't been announced yet but expect to find "creative and nutrient-rich" food on it as all menu items will follow the "plant perfect" way of eating. Tickets are $35. (Niesel, photo via Facebook)

Saturday, September 26: ArtNEO Benefit -

This year’s ARTneo Annual Benefit honors Case Western Reserve University’s Dr. Henry Adams. The benefit is in conjunction with an exhibition curated by Adams in ARTneo’s main gallery. Dr. Adams is the Professor of American Art at CWRU. He has written more than 300 scholarly and popular articles and more than a dozen books and exhibition catalogues. Honoring Henry Adams, ARTneo’s Annual Benefit takes place at ARTneo’s beautiful, new location, on the ramp (lower) level of 78th Street Studios this Saturday, Sept. 26 from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $75 and include a silent auction, heavy hors d’oeuvres and a complimentary cocktail. (Usmani, photo via Facebook)

Saturday, September 26: WWE Live -

Back in the '80s, the WWE (then known as WWF) helped catapult wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Randy "Macho Man" Savage to fame. Recently, WWE stars such as the Rock and John Cena (who had a cameo in the recent Amy Schumer film Trainwreck) have become household names. Tonight's WWE Live event that takes place at 7:30 p.m. at the Q features bouts between Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, and Randy Orton and Sheamus. Tickets start at $20. (Niesel. photo via Wikimedia)

Sunday, September 27: Ohio City Street Festival -

Need another excuse to visit Ohio City? How about the Ohio City Street Festival which is slated to take over the Market District of the west side neighborhood today from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ohio City vendors will spill out into the streets to showcase a variety of local goods and activities including a Mitchell's Ice Cream eating contest, beer gardens featuring brews from Great Lakes, Platform, and Market Garden Brewery, and a dunking booth for soaking your favorite Ohio City friend. Live entertainment such as music, dance, and art is on the docket and the West Side Market is also planning a rare Sunday opening as part of the event with select hours and vendors. (Alaina Nutile, photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Sunday, September 27: Toxic Burlesque -

Carmen M'Knoxide & Co., the folks behind Toxic Burlesque, kick off their fourth season tonight at Brothers Lounge with their Fabulous Fall Edition. Carmen M'Knoxide, Rubi~Nesque, Chelsea Daring plus eight others will perform. Celebrity comedian James Pequignot will MC the event. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $10. (Niesel, photo via Facebook)

Sunday, September 27: Violins of Hope -

A concert by The Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst is the opening event of Violins of Hope Cleveland, a unique community collaboration of seven Cleveland cultural institutions. Violins of Hope focuses on a collection of stringed instruments played during the Holocaust that have been painstakingly and lovingly restored by Israeli master violin maker Amnon Weinstein. The September 27 concert, part of a broad spectrum of programming running through December, will mark the opening of the first phase of the Milton and Tamar Maltz Performing Arts Center at the Temple – Tifereth Israel at Case Western Reserve University. During the concert, musicians from The Cleveland Orchestra will play instruments that will be showcased in the upcoming exhibit at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. The concert begins at 2:45 p.m. Tickets are sold out, but the concert will be broadcast live by ideastream on WVIZ/PBS television and WCLV Classical 104.9 FM radio, along with live internet streaming online at WVIZ.ideastream.org. (Courtesy photo)