Free events in Dayton

Chess Club Night is an upcoming entertainment listing at Blind Bob’s Bar in Dayton. The listed price is Free. Use the official event link for current details before you go.

Offered by Immortal Tree Qigong. Each hour-long Tai Chi & Qigong session will start with breathing exercises, warm up, and... \n

Join us at Whisperz Speakeasy for a wonderful night full of music, dancing, and wine. We\'re pouring amazing boutique wines... \n

The official bar trivia experience from America\'s Favorite Quiz Show is coming to Dayton! Visit us Wednesdays at North Sea... \n

Written by Eugene Ionesco and translated by Donald Watson September 9 - 11 Performance Schedule September 9 • 1 PM September 10... \n

Student Orientation Session for incoming students: We will review all the essential information to ensure a successful start, including Academic... \n

Join The Unit for an exciting bootcamp workout that will take you through RiverScape in a whole new way. Whether... \n

Join us for a meaningful conversation with local immigrants who will share their unique journeys and experiences. Together, we’ll explore... \n

THE HOT TODDIES JAZZ BAND are a fun-loving hot jazz & swing band from NYC. They have an eclectic mix of styles perfect for dancing, lindy hop, and good times! Since May 2022 the band has maintained a weekly residency at the prominent Manhattan nightclub, Somewhere Nowhere, and built it into one of the most popular jazz nights in New York City, averaging over 300 people each night year-round. Playing to mixed crowds of swing dancers, jazz fans, and large numbers of 20-30 year olds (curious about jazz via social media), the band developed a unique & high energy approach to performing… as guitarist Justin Poindexter describes, “a hard-swinging chemistry and spirited repertoire developed between our core group of musicians…” Founded in 2018, the band quickly became one of the top swing bands on the scene in NYC, the birthplace of the dance. In Summer 2023 they headlined the beloved outdoor swing dance at Lincoln Center in front of over 2,000 people during “Summer for the City” (formerly Midsummer Night Swing ). This was also the release of their debut full length album, that was praised by critics, on Jazz Charts for 3 weeks (hitting #11 on the NACC Top 30), and playing on over 50 radio stations nationwide. Their 2021 debut EP “Quarantine Tracks” featured wacky music videos for “Dunkin Bagel” and “Five O’clock Coffee” – both hitting over 100k views on social media. Their new album “Triple Step” will be released on all platforms on September 20th, and available on CD, cassette, and vinyl. Sharing their love of this music and connecting with swing communities and dancers everywhere is part of what inspires the band. This year the band toured extensively across the US, driving nearly 5,000 miles to play for swing dances in Austin, Santa Fe, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rochester, Denver, Washington DC, San Antonio, Fort Worth; and at festivals such as Levitt Pavilion Dayton in Ohio, Green Box in Colorado, Hudson River Park in Manhattan, Cornell University, and headlined Linco

Looking for a place to work out, swim, get active and connect with your community? Come experience the YMCA of... \n

Written by Eugene Ionesco and translated by Donald Watson September 9 - 11 Performance Schedule September 9 • 1 PM September 10... \n

Joanne Shaw Taylor was discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics at the age of 16, quickly earning a spot on tour with his supergroup, D.U.P., and launching a remarkable career. Celebrated for her extraordinary guitar skills, Joanne has garnered acclaim from notables like Jimmy Cliff, Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Wonder, and Annie Lennox. By her 30s, she became one of the most sought-after guitarists in rock. Joanne released her debut album, White Sugar , in 2009 on Ruf Records, showcasing her distinct soulful voice and advanced songwriting. She followed with critically acclaimed albums like Diamonds In The Dirt (2010) and Almost Always Never (2012), which included the UK radio hit “Soul Station.” Her subsequent albums, The Dirty Truth and Wild , continued to build her reputation, leading to a performance on BBC’s “Later with Jools Holland.” Her career milestone came with Reckless Heart (2019), which broke into the UK Top 20 Album Chart, followed by The Blues Album (2021), produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Charts. Her next album, Blues From The Heart Live , also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Album chart in 2022. Her 2024 release, Heavy Soul , also produced by Kevin Shirley, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Blues Album chart. It has been celebrated for its fusion of contemporary soul-pop and traditional blues roots, praised for its powerful lyrics and soul-stirring melodies. This album marks a significant evolution in her career, showcasing her growth as an artist and solidifying her status as a dynamic force in the blues-rock world. Now, Joanne is celebrating the release of her highly anticipated 10th studio album, Black & Gold , which also debuted at #2 on the Billboard Blues Album chart. Produced by Kevin Shirley, the album blends blues-rock with influences from Americana, indie rock, and retro ’80s pop, further redefining the boundaries of the genre and marking a bold new chapter in Joanne’s prolific career.

The Italian Fall Festa returns to Bella Villa Hall & Grounds in Kettering, Ohio, September 11–13, celebrating 49 Years of Italian Tradition. Hosted by the John Pirelli Lodge #1633 of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America and sponsored by the Società di Mutuo Soccorso Italiana, the Italian Fall Festa has welcomed generations of families for nearly five decades with delicious Italian food, outstanding entertainment, heritage, and warm Italian hospitality. Guests can enjoy a wide variety of Italian specialties prepared by lodge members and volunteers, including calzones, cannoli, sfingi, meatball sandwiches, Italian beef, muffaletta, pizza, pasta fagioli, gelato, Italian ice, homemade cakes, cookies, and many other Italian favorites. Festival weekend kicks off Friday with the popular Friday Lunch-to-Go, available from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Advance ordering is available online and by phone. Throughout the weekend, visitors can enjoy live performances by Ray Massa, Aaron Caruso, and Happy Days, watch bocce, browse Italian merchandise, and visit the Heritage Booth to explore Italian genealogy and place a pin on the map of Italy showing their family's ancestral hometown. Sunday's festivities begin with the Meatball Madness 5K Run/Walk before another full day of festival activities. Admission is free. Free parking and continuous shuttle service are available from Reynolds & Reynolds. All food, beverage, and merchandise booths accept cash and credit cards. For complete information, entertainment schedules, Friday Lunch-to-Go ordering, race registration, and more, visit www.italianfallfesta.com. Festival Hours • Friday, September 11: 6:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. • Saturday, September 12: 12:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m. • Sunday, September 13: 12:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

The Cincinnati-based Latin music ensemble Son Del Caribe is widely acknowledged by both dancers and listeners as the top salsa band in Ohio. The band’s exciting, energetic, eclectic and very danceable pan-Caribbean, pan-American sound includes salsa and other styles of Latin dance music such as merengue, cumbia, son, bomba, plena, and bachata. Son Del Caribe has been the band accompanist of big artists, who have been awarded the prestigious Grammy in Latin Music, Lalo Rodriguez and Andy Montanez. Locally, this talented ensemble has participated in concerts with international musical bands such as Grupo Niche and Puerto Rican Power. Son Del Caribe is led by the versatile trombonist Jaime Morales, a top salsa musician from Puerto Rico who has played alongside such Latin music legends as Eddie Santiago, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and many others. Son Del Caribe performs regularly at universities, Latin dance clubs, concerts, community events and music festivals in Cincinnati, Dayton and throughout the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana tri-state area.

A free 21+ Bar Sports mixer at Two Social on September 13, September 20, and September 27. September 13 games: Beer Pong, 300 Darts, Jenga, and Uno.

Join us on the lawn for an uplifting evening of music and community featuring the UD Adult Music Program, New Horizons, and the Dayton Celebration Chorus. 🎶✨ Part of the PNC Community Series, this special evening celebrates lifelong learning, creativity, and the power of music to bring people together. Based at the University of Dayton, the UD New Horizons Music Program creates opportunities for adults of all experience levels to begin or continue their musical journeys in a welcoming and supportive environment. Alongside them, the Dayton Celebration Chorus brings rich harmonies, joyful performances, and contagious energy that fills the lawn with connection and spirit. Together, these ensembles remind us that music belongs to everyone and that it’s never too late to learn, grow, create, and share in the joy of live performance. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets, enjoy local food trucks, and spend an evening celebrating community and music in downtown Dayton. Everyone is welcome on the lawn. Part of the PNC Community Series. Special thanks to PNC for supporting free community programming and helping make arts experiences accessible for all. THIS IS AT THE LEVITT PAVILION BUT IT WAS NOT AN OPTION WHEN SELECTING THE VENUE

Join us this year as we celebrate Jazz Fest, part of the Amplified Series sponsored by the City of Dayton. Jazz Amplified Lineup: 5:45 p.m. SaxTone Arrington 6:45 p.m. Nasty Nati Brass Band 8 p.m. Lao Tizer Band Ft Elliott Yamin Photo taken in Los Angeles on 04/24/24 Lao Tizer Band Ft Elliott Yamin – “ Jazz Group of the Year” nominee, The Lao Tizer Band feat Elliott Yamin , make their return to Levitt Pavilion Dayton on Saturday, September 19th in support of their new album & video release AMPLIFY . The new release is a major evolution for the group and includes 5 new original vocals and 4 new original instrumentals. The project was recorded and filmed all LIVE at legendary EastWest Studios in Hollywood with simultaneous 7-camera video shoot and a legendary cast of musicians. Please join us as the group takes you on a high-energy musical ride through a variety of flavors and styles with an all-star cast of musicians. Nasty Nati Brass Band – The Nasty Nati Brass Band (NNBB), founded in 2012 and led by Trumpeter Mike Wade, consists of a nine-member ensemble of brass, saxophones and drums. Many of the songs they cover are Jazz, Blues, R&B and Rock rearranged and orchestrated to give it their own ‘Nasty Nati’ style. The band’s inspiration is from a long tradition of Brass Bands from New Orleans, as well as marching bands from historically Black colleges and R&B funk Bands such as Earth Wind and Fire, Chuck Brown and others. SaxTone Arrington – Dayton saxophonist Anthony “SaxTone” Arrington is known for blending jazz and R&B through soulful live performances that connect deeply with audiences. A performer with Dayton roots and a passion for live music, SaxTone has shared his sound throughout the region while also performing with the legendary Zapp Band.

This free evening of live music celebrates jazz in all its forms with a lineup full of groove, soul, improvisation, and high-energy performances that bring the community together through rhythm and connection. 🎵 Jazz Amplified Lineup: 5:45 PM – SaxTone Arrington 6:45 PM – Nasty Nati Brass Band 8 PM – Lao Tizer Band featuring Elliott Yamin Headlining the evening, the Lao Tizer Band featuring Elliott Yamin returns to Levitt Pavilion Dayton with their newest project, AMPLIFY. Known for dynamic live performances and genre-crossing sound, the group blends jazz, funk, soul, and contemporary influences into an electrifying concert experience led by an all-star cast of musicians. Cincinnati’s Nasty Nati Brass Band brings bold brass energy inspired by New Orleans traditions, HBCU marching bands, funk, jazz, and R&B, while Dayton’s own SaxTone Arrington opens the evening with soulful saxophone performances blending jazz and R&B. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets, enjoy local food trucks, and spend a summer evening surrounded by music, movement, and community in downtown Dayton. Everyone is welcome on the lawn. Part of the Amplified Series sponsored by the City of Dayton. Special thanks to the City of Dayton, Dayton Water, Dayton International Airport, and Lion for helping make free live music possible for our community. THIS IS AT THE LEVITT PAVILION AND THE VENUE WOULD NOT COME UP WHEN SEARCHED

Join Rosewood Gallery and Dayton Metro Libraries in a lively discussion about a current book featuring art and/or artists as central elements. Enjoy light refreshments and the company of fellow art and book lovers at our quarterly events. This quarter, we’re reading V.E. Schwab’s “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,” a story of art, immortality and a changing world. Books are made available for checkout at the Dayton Metro Library’s Kettering Wilmington-Stroop branch. Gallery Book Club is free and open to the public, ages 16+.

The Contemporary Dayton is proud to present Stacy Kranitz: Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down, the culmination of a landmark multi-year project that challenges long-held stereotypes of Appalachia by Pulitzer Prize–winning photographer Stacy Kranitz. Featuring more than 40 photographs drawn from historical archives, Kranitz’s own images, historical texts, installations, and an accompanying film, the exhibition examines how Appalachia has been represented—and misrepresented—across generations. Together, these works reveal a region shaped by myth, exploitation, resilience, and the uneasy tension between representation and reality. The exhibition’s title references the gospel song “Ain’t No Grave,” made famous by Johnny Cash, evoking the resilience and resistance that run throughout the project. Recipient of the prestigious Images Vevey Book Award, Kranitz has published a companion monograph, available for purchase in The Contemporary Dayton’s CoSHOP. Born in Kentucky and based in the Appalachian Mountains of eastern Tennessee, Kranitz is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among many other awards. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is held in numerous public collections. Stacy Kranitz: Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down is part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View. Now in its eighth iteration, the Biennial activates over 70 exhibitions at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky.

The Contemporary Dayton is proud to present Ella Kraimer: Appearances, a world-premiere exhibition of large-scale photographs. Kraimer transforms herself into a cast of fictional personas through striking self-portraits, using secondhand garments gathered from thrift stores across the country. Layered with irony, humor, and cultural critique, she explores the blurred boundaries between authenticity and performance, memory and invention, self and society. Previously viewed only as a digital project, Appearances reflects on life in an age of social media, image culture, and spectacle. Inspired by childhood memories of paper dolls, Kraimer fragments and reconstructs her own likeness through costume, collage, and assemblage. At once playful and provocative, Appearances invites viewers to reconsider not only the images we create, but the stories they tell about who we are. Kraimer spent her formative years in Berlin, Germany and is now based in New Bremen, Ohio. She earned a BA in Design and Visual Communication from the University of Europe for Applied Sciences, Berlin, and an MA in Visual and Media Anthropology from HMKW University of Applied Sciences for Media, Communication, and Management, Berlin. Ella Kraimer: Appearances is part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial: The Long View. Now in its eighth iteration, the Biennial activates over 70 exhibitions at museums, galleries, universities, and public spaces throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky.

This yearly fundraiser sale features a vintage room of beautifully aged items, homemade baked goods, a delicious home cooked lunch, Christmas and jewelry rooms, and, of course, 30+ unique vendors and artisans offering quality items. 100% of proceeds go to hunger missions. There's something here for everyone! This is a great opportunity to do some Christmas shopping while helping those that need it the most! Please join us for this festive, seasonal and charitable event!