Whip out your phone out and get your thumbs moving, because you'll want to mark your calendar with tons of cool events happening across Northeast Ohio this summer.
Or you could just write them down with a magic marker, but that might ruin your phone's screen.
Festivals and food
It’s a non-stop party in Northeast Ohio with festivals all summer.
Pride fests happen in Cleveland (June 7), Warren (June 21) and Akron (Aug. 23). Juneteenth (June 19) is being celebrated in a big way in Cleveland, Akron, Canton and all week in Youngstown.
Akron marks its bicentennial with events all summer, including the inaugural Sojourner Truth Day (May 29), a Kenmore neighborhood block party (June 7), the Heart of Akron fest (July 3-4), a historical drama about the city (July 31) and festivals saluting Akron’s immigrant communities: The Kirat Cultural Festival (June 1), Summit County Italian-American Festival (July 10-12) and African American Festival (July 18-20).
To the north, in Cleveland, it’s Parade the Circle on June 14. On the water, Blazing Paddles is back July 19.
And in between, chronologically and longitudinally, it’s a touch of Harry Potter when Wizardly Weekend returns to Kent, July 18-19.
Food is a huge part of summer, with Cleveland’s Burger Week (June 23-29), Garlic Festival (August 24-25) and Taco Fest (Aug. 29-Sept. 1), plus Oktoberfest in Berea (Aug. 29-Sept. 1 and Sept. 5-6). Or hear a presentation about restaurants of the past with the author of “Lost Restaurants of Downtown Cleveland” at the Parma Heights Library, June 19.
Summer tunes
There’s music everywhere this summer with Reggae Fest (May 24-25) in Cleveland, Apollo’s Fire’s “¡HISPANIA! A Voyage from Spain to the Americas” (May 27-28 and June 5-9) at multiple venues, ChamberFest (June 11-28) throughout Cuyahoga County, Piano Cleveland’s Piano Days (July 20-Aug. 2), the Tri-C Jazz Fest (July 26-28) at Playhouse Square and Akron’s PorchROKR (Aug. 16).
The Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Music Festival opens July 3-4 with a Salute to America, and closes with another salute, to Dolly Parton (Sept. 7).
Cities have you covered — except the ears — for weekly music, too. On Wednesdays, visit Cleveland's Public Square or Downtown Wooster’s Wednesdays on Walnut. On the water, Wednesdays through Saturdays are musical at Cleveland Metroparks.
On Fridays, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gets live and local, or head to Lorain for Rockin’ On the River.
Saturdays meld pianists with science in a partnership between Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Close the weekend with a Sunday night concert at Downtown Hudson’s bandstand.
If you prefer accompaniment with your music, NCCAkron offers a free class on June 2 with 2024 Knight Choreography Prize recipient Shamel Pitts. DanceCleveland's Community Dance Day is July 26 at Playhouse Square.
Watch and see
Northeast Ohio is rich in museums, and there's two new ones waiting to be discovered. The Akron History Center opened just in time for the city's bicentennial. Peg's Foundation and Gallery in Hudson has an exclusive Salvador Dalí exhibition opening June 12.
Early summer is also the time to visit one of the few “dark parks,” optimized for nighttime astronomy, in the Midwest: Observatory Park in Montville. If conditions are clear, view the sky show through the Oberle telescope on May 24-25 and June 13, 14, 27 and 28.
There's history on view at the main branch of the Cleveland Public Library with "Echoes of Industry," opening May 30. The oil paintings of Angelina Patterson trace Cleveland's industrial legacy.
The International Women's Air & Space Museum hosts its second annual Murder Mystery at the Museum on May 31. It's set in 1929 and inspired by the Cleveland Air Races.
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens’ Father’s Day car show is June 12, while the National Packard Museum in Warren holds its annual show on July 26.
There are three exhibitions at the Kent State University Museum, two covering textile art: “John Paul Morabito: Madonna dei Femminellə” closes June 22 and "Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson: Micro/Macro" closes Aug. 3. And if you missed it last summer, the fashion of screen legend Katharine Hepburn runs through Sept. 28.
All eyes are on Canton in late summer for the Pro Football Hall of Fame festival, July 20-Aug. 3. It culminates with the enshrinement ceremony, which this year includes Kent State University alumnus Antonio Gates.
If you missed seeing the real dinosaurs millions of years ago, the Akron Zoo has you covered with Dinotrek, a tour of animatronic dinos through Sept. 14.
Going to the theater
If you’re excited for theater beyond the new “Superman” film, opening July 11, there’s plenty to do in Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is bringing back its planetarium show inspired by Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” May 24-Aug. 31.
Radio on the Lake Theatre presents live radio plays for a Sci-Fi Summer, including "The Day The Earth Stood Still" and "War of the Worlds." Shows are June 12, July 10 and Aug. 14 at Negative Space Art Gallery in Cleveland.
From June 12-29, “Golden Flame Invitation” is at Cleveland Public Theatre, mixing song, poetry and “fierce physicality.” At the Akron Civic Theatre, All-City Musical presents “Newsies: The Broadway Musical” June 14-15. A month later, July 16-19, the BorderLight Theatre Festival is back in Downtown Cleveland.
Playhouse Square closes its 2024-25 season with "Kimberly Akimbo," July 15-Aug. 3, before prepping for one of two productions that launces its national tour from Cleveland: "The Notebook" opens Sept. 6.
