Starting at a much more reasonable hour, 10 a.m., and running until 10 p.m., O'Nati's is the perfect place to set up camp to watch the parade go by and then celebrate the rest of the day with several Guinness (Guinnesses? Guinni?). Live music starts at 1 p.m. with The Tigerlillies, followed by Mt. Pleasant String Band, Magnolia Mountain, The Super Desserts, The Tillers, The Buffalo Killers and Deer Tick.  

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival is a charitable, non-profit, fundraising organization established to raise funds and distribute grants in the Greater Cincinnati area for programs in the arts, education and health and human services. This year's featured guest is Michael Mondavi, co-founder of the Robert Mondavi winery. Along with the Grand Tasting, guests can also attend a special tasting room, winery dinner, and charity auction and luncheon. Thursday-Saturday.  

This five-star evening features a red carpet welcome, cocktails, entertainment, drive-in movie inspired appetizers, a three-course gourmet meal, and emcees from WCPO-TV and the Academy Awards. The evening includes silent and live auctions, door prizes, and an array of surprises. The night is capped off with an after party featuring djdq, dancing, games and more. At the Hilton's Carew Tower Arcade.  

Oakley is a pleasant place. Imagine that you’re Goldilocks but looking for alcohol instead of porridge. You’re probably all “Mount Adams is too sloppy,” and “Northside is too cool.” But if you land in Oakley, where you could walk from bar to bar to watch flat-screen T.V., you say, “Oakley is just right.”  

Bockfest, Cincinnati’s annual Renaissance celebration of Bock beer, Over-the-Rhine and the coming of spring, also means the coming of the Sausage Queen competition. This weekend marks the third and fourth preliminary rounds of competition for the Sausage Queen: 9 p.m. Friday at Blue Bar and 9 p.m. Saturday at Milton’s Prospect Hill Tavern.  

The Human Rights Campaign brings its third annual “Laughing OUT Loud” comedy night to Below Zero Lounge with comedians Dana Goldberg and ANT. This is a fundraiser and membership night for HRC, America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. 8 p.m. at Below Zero Lounge.  

Accomplished and award-winning fiction writer Lorrie Moore makes a stop at room 427 in the Engineering Research Center on the University of Cincinnati’s Clifton campus for a reading at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Much of Moore’s work deals with grief, terminal illness, the Midwest and other relatively bleak themes with a touch of humor and moments of sublime beauty.  

Relationship counselor Rhonda Audia, MSW, LISW, is the “Guru for Two.” After 22 years developing an expertise in helping couples and their relationships, this self-proclaimed guru — from the Hindu definition as one who has the power to disperse darkness — has some thoughts on love, happiness and the existence of Mr. Right.  

MainStrasse is hosting its 14th annual Mardi Gras event 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. There will be a giant entertainment tent full of live music from the likes of Robin Lacy & DeZydeco and 4th Day Echo, lots of Cajun food booths and a Dunk-a-Cop booth to raise money for the Police Unity Tour. Friday night there's a Big Head Parade and Saturday is the Grande Parade.  

Findlay Market gets in on the action with a family-friendly Mardi Gras party 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. The market will be full of decorations, costumes, food and drinks. Grab free beads from the Friends of Findlay Market and watch a Jazz parade at noon. Merchants throughout the market will be offering up Cajun specialties, George Phelps and his band of pals from the Cincinnati Fire Museum will be cooking a special crawfish boil, Market Wines will be holding a special fundraiser tasting and the OTR Biergarten will be open for business.