Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week
For more than 13 years, this massive restaurant event has been challenging Clevelanders' tastebuds with an array of popular and hidden food spots. Discover a new go-to or visit an old favorite for cheap with each restaurant offering a $15 lunch or $30 dinner pre fixe menu. This diverse list of dining selections includes Adega, Dante's Inferno, Big Mama's Burritos and many others. Be sure to vote for categories such as best new restaurant, service person of the year and restaurant of the year. $15-$30, Feb. 21-March 1, Various locations, 216-736-7799, downtowncleveland.com/events
Mac 'n’ Cheese Throwdown
Join in on the cheesiest food competition in town, as you and three local celebrity judges vote on Cleveland’s best mac 'n' cheese. Thirty different restaurants and caterers construct their dish of choice, which means you'll be tasting curveballs such as The Southside's McPaprikash or Luxe Kitchen & Lounge’s smoked gouda with peppered bacon. $30, Feb. 29, Noon, Cleveland Public Auditorium, 500 Lakeside Ave. E., Cleveland, 216-586-5853, macncheesethrowdown.com
Gaelic Storm
Get a head start on St. Paddy’s Day by enjoying a performance from this multi-national Celtic group that has been performing for more than 20 years. With more than 10 albums of material including its most recent track, ''Go Climb a Tree,'' the band is known for its mix of rock, folk and bluegrass sounds, while still keeping true to its Celtic roots through its lyrics and instruments. $25-$40, Feb. 29, 7 p.m., House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-523-2583, houseofblues.com
Tri-C High School Rock Off
Nearly 40 bands from across the region have competed in the qualifying rounds of this annual battle of the bands. Now, the 12 finalists from high schools such as St. Ignatius, Lake Catholic, Avon, Kirtland and more compete in the Final Exam Saturday. Each band gets a 15-minute set to prove it deserves the $1,000 cash prize and a $250 donation to its school's music program. Read more about Fake ID, one of this year's finalist and one of our Best Of Cleveland winners. $12, Feb. 29, 5 p.m., Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 1100 Rock and Roll Blvd., Cleveland, 216-781-7625, rockhall.com/rockoff
Polar Plunge
Want an excuse to show off your high-tolerance to the cold? This event lets you push the limit by jumping in the freezing water of Lake Erie during this state-wide event that supports and raises funds for the Ohio Special Olympics. Join a group, dive solo, or if you can’t hang with the cold but still want to support the cause, sign up for their ''To Chicken to Plunge'' option. Free but donations expected, Feb 29, 9:30 a.m., Edgewater Beach, 614-239-7050, sooh.org
Zydrunas Ilgauskas Bobblehead Night
Get to RoMoFiHo before tipoff this Saturday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers so you don't miss your chance to take home a bobblehead of legendary Cavalier Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Back by popular demand and for the Cavs' 50th anniversary celebration, the bobbleheads honoring "Big Z," who played from 1996 to 2010, feature Ilgauskas in his famous blue and white '90s uniform. Read our 2017 interview with Z before he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Starting at $22, Feb. 29, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, 1 Center Court, Cleveland, rocketmortgagefieldhouse.com
Photo Exhibition at Negative Space
Hosted by local photographers Shelly Duncan, Manda Specht, Daniel Lozada and Lindsey Poyar, this exhibition in the Asia Town Center art gallery features about 20 independent Cleveland artists. Each artist will display two photos reflecting conceptual and portrait-style works surrounding the theme of family and certain images will be available for sale as prints. Free, Feb. 29, 5 p.m., Negative Space, 1541 E. 38th St. (2nd Floor), Cleveland, facebook.com/events
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