Downtown Dayton Partnership

Jellyfish Terrarium Workshop
2026-08-01 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Now and Zen DIY Studio, 121 E. Third St., Dayton, OH, 45402
Join us for a splash of creativity as you craft your very own whimsical floating jellyfish terrarium! Pick from a treasure trove of vessels and delightful urchin/air plant ‘jellyfish’ to make your artistic vision come alive. Let the creativity flow! Workshop Includes: Approximately 12″ x 5″ glass vessel Hanging ‘Jellyfish’ Up to 3 bags of sand A variety of shells, stones, moss and other embellishments Appropriate for ages 5 years to adult. Questions? Text us at 937-813-7122 “Sip & Create” We have partnered with our business neighbor, Joui Wine, to offer you a glass of wine to sip and enjoy while creating your terrarium at Now and Zen. Add to your fun…and ‘Order your wine sip below! Note: Registration fees are non-refundable, however, they may be used toward future workshops. https://www.shopnowandzen.com/open-workshop

Collab Fest
2026-08-01 12:00 - 16:00 | The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH, 45405, United States
Join us at the official kickoff party for Miami Valley Craft Beer Week, only at the Dayton Art Institute! The DAI is proud to host Collab Fest, a craft beer festival featuring products from 14 local craft breweries and 13 never-before-poured collaboration beers. At Collab Fest, local Dayton breweries are teaming up to create exclusive collaboration beers available for one day only. These special brews are made just for the event, so if you don’t taste them at Collab Fest, you won’t get another chance! Enjoy the day in the cool comfort of the DAI’s historic Gothic Cloister.
Tickets: $40 per person through July 5, and $50 after that date.
A $25 designated driver ticket is also available.
Tickets include 14 beer samples, bottled water, light snacks provided by Kohler Catering and admission to the museum. A commemorative tasting glass is also provided.
Tickets: https://dai.ticketapp.org/portal/product/134/events

DLCA Performance: School Of Rock — Young Actors Edition
2026-08-01 13:00, 2026-08-01 17:00 | PNC Arts Annex, 46 N. Ludlow St., Dayton, OH, 45402
“Rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme… You better get me to school on time!”
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s SCHOOL OF ROCK — YOUNG ACTORS EDITION is a dynamic, one-hour version of the musical based on the hit movie, designed especially for young performers. The musical follows Dewey Finn, a failed wannabe rock star who decides to earn a little extra cash by posing as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. There, he transforms a class of straight-A students into a guitar-shredding, bass-slapping, mind-blowing rock band. But can he get them to the Battle of the Bands without their parents—or the school’s headmistress—finding out?
There are three performances for this show: Friday evening, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday evening.

Community Workshop with Niki Johnson
2026-08-01 13:00 - 15:00 | The Contemporary Dayton, 25 W. Fourth St., Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
A community-building workshop where participants use paper and other materials to create collage elements for a forthcoming public artwork.

Art in the City Event
A community-building workshop where participants use paper and other materials to create collage elements for a forthcoming public artwork by Niki Johnson. The workshop emphasizes that democracy is not abstract—it is built, sustained, and strengthened by each of us, right where we live.
Led by Niki Johnson.
FREE and open to all.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-workshop-with-niki-johnson-tickets-1986130948131?aff=oddtdtcreator

Art in the City 2026 Kickoff Festival
2026-08-01 13:00 - 19:00 | Downtown Dayton
On the first day of August, we’ll kick off the celebration with art of all kinds featured in several hot spots throughout downtown. Offerings will include a variety of Dayton’s best artistic talent – from painting and drawing to spoken word poetry and dance. The event’s art hot spots and their highlights will include:

The Dayton Arcade
– Artist Trading Card Exchange hands-on experience (Grant winner)
– Dayton Sewing Collaborative hands-on experience (Grant winner)
– Dayton Performing Arts Alliance Instrument Petting Zoo hands-on experience (Grant winner)
– Patch Lab hands-on experience (Grant winner)
– TDS (Tornadic Debris Signature) interactive felt installation (Grant winner)
– The Contemporary Dayton gallery and activities
– Music from DPAA String Quartet and Dayton Opera
– Art in the City Juried Art Show & Art Show Vendors
– North Arcade shops

Levitt Pavilion Dayton
– Art demonstrations and hands-on activities
– Aerial arts
– Henna and face painting
– Crazy Craig juggling, Slam the Clown, Dan the Magician, Troupe Roja Middle Eastern Dance, The Bubble Woman, hula hooping
– Other roving performers
– Rock Fest (5:30-9:30 p.m.)

RiverScape MetroPark
– Live music on stage
– Interactive mural hands-on experience by Deja Fletch (Grant winner)
– Fabric of Dayton hands-on experience by Joy Johnson (Grant winner)
– Face painting
– Otherworld Productions Aerial Arts
– Art demonstrations

The Oregon District
– Car show and fashion photo shoot
– Art demonstrations and hands-on activities
– Artisan vendors
– Roving performers
– Live music and DJ sets on outdoor stages and inside bars (1-11 p.m.)
– Clash Dayton’s Summerween Anniversary Party (Yellow Cab Tavern, 6 p.m.)

K12 Gallery & TEJAS
– Fiber mural project in both indoor and outdoor spaces
– Art classes
Chalk the Block – Chalk Artist Zones
See sidewalk chalk murals come to life!
– Outside of the Dayton Convention Center (22 E. Fifth St.)
– Outside of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center (136 N. St. Clair St.)

Watch this space for more details!

Rock Fest w/ Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
2026-08-01 17:30 | Levitt Pavilion Dayton, 134 S. Main St., Dayton, OH, 45402
August 1 @ 5:30 PM

Free Admission

/

Series:

Amplified Series sponsored by City of Dayton

Genre:

Rock

Join us this year as we celebrate Rock Fest, part of the Amplified Series sponsored by the City of Dayton.
Rock Amplified Lineup:

5:30 p.m. The Boxcar Suite
6:45 p.m. Spoils
8 p.m. Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys – Since forming in 1988 in Southern California, Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys have become one of the world’s most beloved Americana/Roots acts, drawing from the deep musical waters that flow just beneath the surface of Rock & Roll’s fertile soil. A childhood passion for Country, Doo-Wop, and Rhythm & Blues 45s led Sandy (born Robert Williams) to pursue a singing career as a teenager, beginning a life in music that continues decades later. And as his personal record collection continues to grow (75,000 and counting), so does the depth of the musical influences that stream through his songwriting and singing style. A critically acclaimed tribute to Tex-Mex hero Freddy Fender, released at the beginning of the 2020 lockdown, points the way forward for Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys as they continue on a path of musical growth. After nearly 35 years on the road, and more than two dozen releases to their credit, they remain key figures on the ever-changing Americana circuit, both on record and in live appearances.
Spoils – Spoils is a Cincinnati-based indie rock band with a sound that feels raw, melodic, and full of movement. Their music blends guitar-driven energy with emotional vocals and a DIY spirit, creating songs that feel both personal and alive.
Rooted in the independent music scene, Spoils brings an honest, no-frills approach to their sound. Their live set invites listeners into something immediate and real, with the kind of energy that fits perfectly on a summer night of free music in downtown Dayton.
Bring a chair or blanket, find your spot on the lawn, and get ready to discover a Cincinnati band bringing fresh indie rock energy to the Levitt stage.
The Boxcar Suite – The Boxcar Suite is a Cincinnati-based indie rock project known for melodic guitar work and introspective songwriting. Their music leans atmospheric and reflective, pairing layered instrumentation with a steady, understated energy.
With a DIY approach and a focus on mood and tone, The Boxcar Suite creates songs that invite you to listen in and connect—perfect for discovering something new together on a summer night.

Clash Summerween Anniversary Party
2026-08-01 18:00 | Yellow Cab Tavern, 700 E 4th St, Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
It’s Summerween!!! Clash is turning 15 and we would love it if you can celebrate with us! Join us on Saturday, August 1st at Yellow Cab Tavern from 6pm through the witching hour for a spooky b-day celebration unlike any other! Music will kick off with an all vinyl set by GenErik! He will create a vibe perfect for when we will host a live photoshoot with spooky cars paired with spooky babes!
While that is going on you can shop from many ghostly vendors and dark artists outside under the big tent and inside the gallery where you will find a dark arts show! We can’t have a Halloween party without sexy-spooky performances!! Make sure you have your drink and you are ready to watch right at dusk when Ethera heats up the night with their mesmerizing fire act and gets everyone ready for Halloween themed burlesque performances by Aurora Maur, Lily Datura, Cinnamon Spell and Zinnia Butterfly! Once their acts are over the dance party begins with dark alternative dance music by Mike Guidone and Matt Freeman! Think of it as another month with a bonus Sanctuary!

Fighters for Freedom: William H. Johnson Picturing Justice
2026-08-02 | The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH, 45405, United States
June 27–September 13, 2026, Gallery 120
William H. Johnson (1901–1970) painted the Fighters for Freedom series in the mid-1940s as tribute to African American activists, scientists, teachers and performers as well as international leaders working to bring peace to the world. It was his last body of work. This landmark exhibition brings together—for the first time since 1946—34 paintings featured in the series, drawn from the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM). This nationally traveling exhibition is accompanied by a scholarly, full-color exhibition catalog.
Of the series, SAAM states: “The exhibition illuminates the extraordinary life and contributions of Johnson, an artist associated with the Harlem Renaissance but whose practice spanned several continents, as well as the contributions of historical figures he depicted. Some of his Fighters—Marian Anderson, George Washington Carver, Mohandas Gandhi, and Harriet Tubman—are familiar figures; others—Nannie Helen Burroughs and William Grant Still, among them—are less well-known individuals whose achievements have been eclipsed over time. Johnson celebrates their accomplishments even as he acknowledges the realities of racism, oppression and sometimes violence they faced and overcame. Johnson clues viewers to significant episodes in the Fighters lives by punctuating each portrait with tiny buildings, flags and vignettes that give insight into their stories. Using a colorful palette to create evocative scenes and craft important narratives, he suggests that the pursuit of freedom is an ongoing, interconnected struggle, with moments of both triumph and tragedy.”

Captivating Clay: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Horvitz Collection
2026-08-02 | The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH, 45405, United States
April 13, 2024–January 3, 2027, Gallery 106
Today, Japanese ceramic artists are building on centuries of tradition and taking the art in dynamic and new directions. They are exploring the potential of clay to create both functional and abstract sculptural forms with an incredible range of surface textures and decoration. The aesthetic sensibilities are varied, from rough and imperfect to detailed and refined, but all show a mastery of the craft.
Drawn from the renowned collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz—including recent gifts from them to the museum—this exhibition presents more than thirty artworks spanning eight decades. Traditionally a craft restricted to men, in recent years women have become some of the leading voices in the field and several examples are included.
Artists range from innovative pioneers in the twentieth century, several designated as Living National Treasures in Japan, to emerging, younger artists. Interspersed are examples from the DAI’s collection of historic Japanese ceramics. Across 2,000 years, these speak to the long history of the art in the island nation and their continued inspiration for artists today.

Exploring Feminism
2026-08-02 | The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH, 45405, United States
February 7, 2026–January 31, 2027, Gallery 118
Feminism feels like a loaded term that, when presented to people, often triggers a gut reaction that it is positive or negative. But what actually is feminism? Presenting feminist artwork from the newly acquired Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection, this three-part, rotating exhibition will demystify the origins, history and commitments of the feminist movement.
Often discussed in terms of waves, feminism has signified struggles for a range of causes at varying moments in time. Through Exploring Feminism, guests may become better acquainted with cycles of protest, self-expression and community-building for a movement that has continued to change and adapt to include more and different constituents within its umbrella of “feminists.”
No bras will be burned (and, in fact, never were) for this new exhibition featuring regional, national and international artists working in all manner of media.

All the World’s a Stage
2026-08-02 | The Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park N, Dayton, OH, 45405, United States
May 16–August 9, 2026, Gallery 117
Across cultures, the performing arts—drama, dance, music—have entertained and educated, bringing people together in communal spaces to celebrate and question what it means to be human. Along the way, visual arts have depicted performers and performances, commemorating and giving semi-permanent form to temporal acts, from records of sacred rituals to portraits of leading actors.
At the same time, performance extends beyond the stage to the world, becoming a metaphor for our lives and how we interact with others. As we form our individual identities, we play a variety of roles in a range of social settings at different points in life, all while we serve as the audience of others. Drawing together a range of artworks from the DAI collection, this exhibition shines a spotlight on performers across the ages and how they, in turn, may shape the ways we act.

Future Is Now X Museum Group Exhibition
2026-08-02, 2026-08-03, 2026-08-04 | 118 N. Jefferson St., 118 N. Jefferson St., Dayton, OH, 45402
Future Is Now X Museum presents its inaugural Group Exhibition, an eight-day multimedia event uniting 154 visual artists, live musicians, DJ performers, and digital innovators at 118 N. Jefferson St. and 40 N. Ludlow St. in downtown Dayton. Running July 31 through August 7, 2026, the exhibition is curator Kimyon Huggins’ first Dayton production since leaving for New York City in 1998, channeling thirty years of practice at the intersection of art, music, and technology back into the city where it began. Born from the FUTUREISNOWX Sunday livestream series launched in October 2020, Edition 01 brings together physical works, curated video installations from 250+ archived broadcasts, site-specific murals created live during the exhibition, and one weekend of DJ and live performance. Painters and muralists paint large-scale works on site throughout the eight days, documented by stop-motion video and streamed globally at futureisnowx.com.
Keynote: Al Díaz — Co-Creator of SAMO© with Jean-Michel Basquiat
Al Díaz is one of the first artists featured on FUTUREISNOWX and serves as keynote speaker for Edition 01. Co-creator of the SAMO© campaign with Jean-Michel Basquiat (1978–80), Díaz is a pioneering graffiti writer whose current practice transforms MTA subway signage letters into anagram installations in stations across New York City. At Edition 01 he participates in an artist Q+A, panel discussion, and live painting at 118 N. Jefferson St.
Confirmed Muralist — Cern (Cernesto)
New York City-based visual artist, musician, and former graffiti writer active since the early 1990s. Born in Queens, based in Brooklyn. Known for large-scale murals and cooperative installations featuring women, animals, and abstract forms — a smooth, blended style with clearly defined edges. Exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Art, Museu Brasileiro de Escultura in São Paulo, MOCA Los Angeles, and URBAN NATION Museum in Berlin.
Visual Artists — 154 Artists. One Platform.
Edition 01 presents artists working across painting, muralism, installation, public art, photography, abstraction, portraiture, and experimental practice, drawing from Dayton, New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and international communities. Featured artists include Al Diaz, Pablo Power, Kimyon333, Ellis Gallagher, Cern, Gabe Specter, La Femme Cheri, Konstance Patton, Kirby Santos, Ian Cinco, Rene Lerude, Smurfo, Allison Ruiz, Kosuke James, Came Moreno, Vane Russo, Praxis, Alice Gypsy Queen, Freehumanity, Will Power, Alanna Vanacore, Molly Snee, Emily Salk, Technodrome, Chris Soria, M-Dot Season, Bil Tipton, Mr. Champagne, Taliaferro Sebastian, and 20 Dayton artists.
Opening Weekend:
FRIDAY, JULY 31 | 2026
118 N. Jefferson St. | 12PM – 9PM
DJs and live paintings starting at 12PM. Featured Artist: CERN
DJs: Jacqueline Farrara + OGC + Special Guests.
Painters: TBA.
7PM – Ignite Salon: Inspiration in the Age of Social Media | CERN, Max Watts, Sugar, 5tr8tch, Fatty Lumpkin
40 N. Ludlow St. | 7PM – 2:30AM
Max Watts Live (Detroit), 5tr8tch (LA), Plural Live (Detroit), Sugar (Detroit), Fatty Lumpkin (Dayton)
+Special Guests
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1st
118 N. Jefferson St. | 12PM – 9PM
DJs and live painting from 12PM. Featured Artist: CERN
DJs: Jacqueline Farrara + Sugar + Special Guests. Painters: TBA.
5PM – The Landscape of Urban Contemporary Art with Al Díaz
8PM – Special Performance: Dayton Dance Initiative presents Parola. Choreographed by Macy Perry, an excerpt from the company’s 2026 season, The Light In Between. Four women move as a collective body, transforming repetition into ritual and exploring themes of rage, instinct, and feminine power. Performed by Jasmine Getz, Niarra Gooden-Clarke, Celeste Kennington, and KC Lyphout.
40 N. Ludlow St. | 7PM – 2:30AM
FBK Live (Columbus), Max Watts (Detroit), Leftside (NY), Salar Ansari (Detroit), Rechulski (NY), Kimyon333 (NY)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 | 12PM – 10PM
FUTUREISNOWX Livestream. DJs + Live Painting 12PM.
DJs: J(Redacted), Barry Leonhard + Special Guests.
Painters: Al Díaz and more TBA.
Livestream 4-10PM: J(Redacted), Barry Leonhard, OGC, Kimyon333
FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 | 4PM – 10PM | CLOSING PARTY
Kimyon333 (NY), OGC (Dayton), Gunner (Dayton) Tanker.Edu (Columbus)
Performing Artists
Max Watts (Detroit): Founder of Limited Network — a Detroit-based label and collective distributed by the legendary Submerge camp — Max Watts brings an archivist’s taste beyond his years and mixes it with an urgent spontaneity that has earned him a global following. Watts performs as part of Search Party, a live PA alongside Kasan Belgrave, Julien P., and Allen Dennard, and has appeared at NYC’s Nowadays, Public Records, and Tresor Berlin. His music is rooted in old-school Detroit but speaks a universal language.
Salar Ansari (Detroit): Born in Tehran and based in Detroit since 2015, Salar Ansari is a multi-disciplinary artist, producer, and educator whose work bridges electronic music, sound engineering, and community building across continents. A 2021 Detroit Music Award winner for Best Electronic Album and a 2026 Kresge Artist Fellow in music composition and performance, one of Detroit’s most prestigious arts fellowships, carrying a $50,000 award. Ansari is a co-founder of Feeder Loft with Grammy-winning musician Luis Resto and co-founder of Analog Room, an international music residency spanning Iran and the UAE. His productions appear on Blue Note Records, and his reach as an educator extends to the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan.
Plural (Detroit): Metroplex recording artist James Johnson, recently relocated from Columbus to Detroit, whose deep ties to the Motor City’s techno lineage are matched by a prolific live and production practice.
FBK (Columbus): Kevin Kennedy, producing and performing since 1988, mentored by Daniel Bell and Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir, with releases on Rekids, Frictional, and Knotweed.
5tr8tch (Los Angeles): Owner of NoNonsense Records, a DTLA-based shop at 453 S. Spring St. specializing in electronic music and built on the ethos of made for DJs by DJs, 5tr8tch is also the organizer of large-scale free outlaw parties throughout downtown Los Angeles and a defining force in the city’s independent underground dance music scene.
Sugar (Detroit): A Detroit-area DJ and producer rooted in old-school house and techno, Sugar is a fixture in the Motor City underground, regularly appearing alongside artists from the Limited Network and Humidex Records camps.
Leftside (NY): A New York-based DJ and selector with deep roots in underground house and techno, Leftside has been a trusted voice in NYC’s dance music scene across more than two decades of consistent programming.
Fatty Lumpkin (Dayton): A Dayton-based DJ and cultural connector whose sets span house, techno, and beyond, Fatty Lumpkin is a longtime presence in the city’s underground music community.
Rechulski (NYC): Founder of NYC artist collective, label and 24 hour parties Sheik ‘N’ Beik, and Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival.
Barry Leonhard: WYSO Yellow Springs weekly Club Cuts Dance Music show coordinator.
Jacqueline Farrara: DJ and poet from New York. Wavefarm Radio resident.
OGC: Racks N Jacks resident crew producing events in and around the Dayton area.

The Photography of Jake Schneider
2026-08-02, 2026-08-03, 2026-08-04 | Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St., Dayton, OH, 45402, United States
We’re excited to welcome the photography of Jake Schneider to our walls for the month of August. Get to know more about Jake ans preview his work at https://sites.google.com/view/jake-schneider-

Movies at THE NEON
2026-08-02, 2026-08-03, 2026-08-04 | THE NEON, United States
Downtown Dayton’s independent movie theater has a great lineup of films showing every day.
Visit neonmovies.com for a schedule of what’s playing today!

Art in the City Juried Art Show
2026-08-02, 2026-08-03, 2026-08-04 | Dayton Arcade, 35 W. Fourth St., Dayton, OH, 45402
In this special juried exhibit, you can vote for your favorite piece of artwork submitted by local artists! These pieces will be displayed in the newly opened North Arcade wing of The Dayton Arcade as part of Art in the City. Visit the art in person and then vote here: bit.ly/4vMrKu5. The Juried Art Show is organized by the Dayton Society of Artists and supported by the Dayton Daily News.

LeMonde Light Lane
2026-08-02, 2026-08-03, 2026-08-04 | Third Street, Third Street, Dayton, OH, 45402
Light Lane is an interactive public art installation created by LeMonde Studio. It combines stationary bicycles, projection mapping, lighting, and sound to create a human-powered immersive experience that encourages play, sustainability, and community interaction. Four bicycles will be featured on Third Street in front of The Dayton Arcade during this month-long exhibit.
Light Lane is sponsored by PNC.

Artist in Training (AIT) Program
2026-08-03 15:00 - 18:00, 2026-08-04 15:00 - 18:00 | K12 Gallery & TEJAS, 341 S. Jefferson St., Dayton, OH, 45402
After school Artist in Training program geared for grades 3rd-12th grades. Classes are Monday-Wednesdays from 3:00pm-6:00pm. Open Studio time to explore different types of mediums such as Drawing, Painting, Clay, Digital Art. 20.00 per session for Members/40.00 per session for Non-Members.

Liz Quay, Jayne Struble, and Kathy McGhee Art Exhibits
2026-08-04 | Galleries at Sinclair College, 444 W. Third St., Bldg. 13, Dayton, OH, 45402
The Sinclair Community College Art Department is pleased to present “Marks & Stitches” by Liz Quay & Jayne Struble in the Burnell R. Roberts Triangle Gallery along with “Printed Landscapes” by Kathy McGhee in the Works on Paper Gallery. Through the collaborative lens of “Marks & Stitches” Struble and Quay delve into the connections found in nature and the human body. Their collaboration is an exploration of the invisible ties that bind humanity together and highlight the beauty of interconnectedness. Struble’s graphite drawings of the landscape investigate the way visual artifacts, such as images, are a tangible yet fragile representation of one’s memories, while Quay explores the tension and stagnation that is generated through managing emotional balance through fiber art and experimental sculpture. McGhee’s “Printed Landscapes” utilizes a variety of printmaking techniques to capture intimate moments of beauty in the landscape and explore the relationships between plants and the places they exist. She is inspired not only by the experience of being in nature but also by the visual patterns created through line, texture, and color as organisms naturally coexist. There will be a virtual artist talk via Zoom on Friday, July 10, 2026, at 12pm. Visit www.sinclair.edu/artgalleries for details. The exhibitions will be on display from July 6–August 14, 2026. Galleries are located on the fourth floor of building 13 (located at West Fifth and South Perry Streets). The galleries are free and open to the public from 8am–6pm Monday–Friday and 9am–12pm Saturdays. Free and accessible parking is located in Parking Lot K.
