German weekend is upon us. Cincinnati hosts the largest Oktoberfest in North America, bringing 500,000 people downtown to enjoy beer and bratwurst, music and dancing. Oktoberfest takes over Fifth Street between Broadway and Vine from noon-midnight Friday, 11 a.m.-midnight Saturday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday. Between filling up on Dunkel and sauerkraut, stop by the CityBeat booth to pickup the official Oktoberfest guide, register for prizes and buy tickets to next week’s MidPoint Music Festival. We’ll be accepting credit cards only because staff members can’t be trusted with cash it’s 2012, so come see your favorite staffers and get a wristband while they last! If the food, booze, polka dancers and giant crowds don’t interest you, The Wahl Mobile Barbershop will be on hand Saturday and Sunday offering free shaves and facial hair trims to area gents. They’ll also be scouting for the Wahl Man of Cincinnati, so if you think you’ve got the best beard or mustache in town, show off your scruff! The winner will receive $500 and go on to compete for a national title. Whisker Wars much? What contemporary pop art lover hasn’t dreamed of going back in time and hanging out at Andy Warhol’s Factory? Imagine: artists and socialites gathering to see and be seen, creative producing interesting works, music and drinks abound. Warhol may have come and gone, but on Friday night we can get a taste of what it was like as the Contemporary Arts Center hosts Machine: Andy Warhol and Photography. Coinciding with the Warhol exhibit is Green Acres: Artists Farming Fields, Greenhouses and Abandoned Lots, which looks at farming as activism and an art form. Friday’s dual opening reception is will be a feast for the senses with a DJ set by VHS or Beta and a photo booth projecting Factory-style screen tests across the museum. The party beings at 8 p.m. and is $10, free for members Buff your bowling ball and mix up a White Russian, because Esquire Theatre hosts The Big Lebowski Quote-a-thon  Saturday. Don your bed Dude ensemble for a costume contests, test your Lebowski trivia knowledge and participate throughout the screening by quoting your favorite lines. The movie begins at 10:30 p.m. Nerds unite! The Cincinnati Comic Expo runs through Sunday at Duke Energy Convention Center, kicking off with a Geek Prom Friday. The expo will also feature arcades, panels, cosplay and even something called sci-fi speed dating! Of course, many attend to meet stars involved in comics, television and movies – guests include Star Wars’ fight and light saber choreographer Nick Gillard, Green Power Ranger Jason David Frank and Chandler Riggs, better known as Carl "Get out of here!" Grimes from The Walking Dead. Go here for ticket pricing, a full event lineup and more information Back-to-school ads and fall fashion spreads can often lead to budget woes. A change in seasons inspires finding fresh duds, but if you’ve got a full closet and empty bank account, you’re kinda stuck with what you’ve got. Enter Swappy Seconds, Casablanca Vintage and Chicken Lays an Egg’s clothing swap. Here’s how it works: Pick at least five items from your wardrobe that are clean and in great condition, drop ‘em off at Mayday in Northside starting at 2 p.m Sunday. The ladies of Chicken and Casablanca will sort and arrange all these clothes, shoes and accessories, then open the doors at 3:30 pm. For $3 you can return and pick through the goods while enjoying Mayday drinks and dogs. And guys: this isn’t just for the ladies! The more who participate, the more treasures for the pickin’. You’ll clean out your closet and supplement your wardrobe for (300) pennies! Check out our To Do picks and full calendar for more arts, theater and events to check out this weekend.

Summer doesn’t officially begin until June 20, but it’s Memorial Day weekend and Cincy’s signature mugginess is in full effect — the season is upon us! Stay hydrated, slap on the sunscreen and get ready to make the most of this three-day weekend. It’s tradition to fire up the grill and open pools at the start of summer, but the biggest local ritual this time of year is the Taste of Cincinnati, taking over downtown Saturday-Monday. Fifth Street will fill with local food vendors, plenty of booze stations, carnival rides, four performance stages and more. This year is the debut of food trucks at the Taste — be sure to stop by Café de Wheels, Pizza Bomba, Taco Azul and Queen City Cookies’ mobile eateries in addition to the traditional Taste staples. Pick up an issue of this week’s CityBeat for a guide to the Taste with a map and full menu or click here for a digital copy. Tonight OTR’s green general store Park + Vine celebrates its fifth anniversary. P+V is a hub for local goods, vegan food, eco-cooking/gardening/living classes and much more. Danny Korman and the rest of the P+V crew have introduced Cincinnatians to kombucha keg parties, bike-friendly culture and even tasty vegan cheese (seriously, it exists). Stop by the shop from 6-11 p.m. tonight and enjoy a street market with local environmental organizations, food and produce vendors. Inside, there will be music, a Flashbox photo booth, beverages and the usual great shopping. Across the street, Northside vintage outfitters Chicken Lays An Egg present a fashion show at the park adjacent to Old St. Mary’s Church. As bike month comes to a close, celebrate the way countless teens end their high school careers — with a prom! Saturday the City of Cincinnati Bike Program hosts a Bike Prom ride from Northside’s Hoffner Park to Fountain Square (and back), kicking off at 4:30 p.m. Dress in your snazziest bike-friendly formal wear, get your photo taken prom-style under a balloon arch and even vote for a king and queen. After the ride, head to Mayday in Northside for after-prom: Mobo Bicycle Cooperative’s annual fundraiser. Dance to classic prom tunes, participate in a busted bike build-off, sign up for a silent auction and enjoy delicious Mayday drinks-n-'dogs all night long. The ride is free, after-prom admission is $10. Exhale Dance Tribe presents its season closer Saturday with Imprint. The contemporary Jazz show features original choreography by Exhale founders Missy Lay Zimmer and Andrew Hubbard. Dancing With the Stars champ and 98 Degrees alum Drew Lachey hosts the evening. Check out Lea Lachey, Sherene Schostak and Traci Swain, a father-son live art performance, solo by Andrew Hubbard and much more. The show begins at 8 p.m. Saturday; purchase tickets here.There's even more going down this weekend: Read Rick Pender's Stage Door for theater shows, follow our music blog for nightly concerts (and plenty of music festivals this weekend), and check out the To Do page for more.

Northside's Chicken Lays an Egg, a gem in Cincinnati's growing collection of excellent vintage shops, hosts a Valentine fashion show featuring their retro-fab clothing, shoes and accessories Saturday at Northside Tavern.NST's back room will transform into a runway where you'll watch some local hottie patotties strut their stuff with hair designs by Northside Chop Shop. Kenneth Wright will DJ the show and ongoing dance party.Spot someone with the best moves you've ever seen? Send them a message via the valentine post office, and pose for pictures in a fabulous Flashbox photo booth. It all starts at 9 p.m., with the fashion show at 10 p.m.Afterward, party with Bad Veins, who perform at 11 p.m. The duo's album The Mess We've Made drops April 24. Get a peek at Chicken's fashion in Bad Veins' new video for "Dancing on TV." Some of the ensembles in the Soul Train-esque shots were provided by the boutique!

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