Most Kanawha County students return to the classroom this coming week. But before the back-to-school rush, there's still one more weekend of summer break to relish. Whether you're a kid in age, or a kid at heart, there's plenty for you to do this weekend around the Kanawha Valley.

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Friday, Aug. 14

Music

  • CITY CENTER LIVE HAPPY HOURS: 5-7 p.m. Free. Featuring Friday Night A/V Club with Massing and Here KeKe. Friday Night A/V Club Film Showcase follows at 7:30 p.m. at Park Place Cinemas. City Center at Slack Plaza, 182 Summers St., Charleston.

  • ANALOG BOY: 6 p.m. Free. Short Story Brewing, 186 Summers St., Charleston.

  • THE EXILES: 6 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • OPEN MIC: 6-8 p.m. Free. Cafe Appalachia Downtown, 110 McFarland St., Charleston.

  • PUMZI’S LIVE: 7:30 p.m. Suggested $10 donation. All ages show. Featuring The Big Bad & Rodney and The Cressels. Pumzi’s, 813 Hunt Ave., Charleston.

  • JUSTIN ALLEN PAYNE: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Free. Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • THE MOTORTOWN ALLSTARS: 8 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • MOUNTAIN STATE MUSIC: 8-9 p.m. Donations highly encouraged. Featuring The Heavy Hitters and Gracie Mae. Folklore Music Exchange, 191 Summers St., Charleston.

  • COFFEE SHOP CATS: 9 p.m. No cover. Ages 21+. Sam’s Uptown Cafe, 28 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • EMPTY GLASS LIVE ALT NIGHT: 10 p.m. Ages 21+. Featuring Cokeandredrum (emo pop-punk ukulele), The Deep Ones (death metal), and Ghoulbox (goth/horror rock). The Empty Glass, 410 Elizabeth St., Charleston.

Stage/Theater

  • FRIDAY NIGHT A/V CLUB FILM SHOWCASE: 7:30 p.m. Featuring Happy 90th Birthday, White Lie, Cottontail, regional music videos and more. Park Place Stadium Cinemas, 600 Washington St. E., Charleston.

  • OLMO: 7:30 p.m. $12 general admission, $7 students with valid ID. Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • LEE STREET DRAG SHOW: 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Lee Street Lounge, 222 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston.

Athletics & Outdoors

Etc.

  • CROSS LANES BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP: 11 a.m.-Noon. Free. Discussion on the book “Crying in H-Mart” by Michelle Zauner. Cross Lanes Branch Library, 5449 Big Tyler Road, Cross Lanes.

  • WV KIDS CONSIGNMENT SALE: Noon-9 p.m. Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston.

  • DUNBAR LIBRARY CHESS CLUB: 2-4 p.m. Free. Dunbar Branch Library, 301 12th St., Dunbar.

  • SUMMERFEST: 4:30-10 p.m. Free entrance. Food vendors, free Kids Zone, face painting, snow cones, music (The Exiles and The Motortown Allstars) and more. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • KNITTING, CROCHETING & NEEDLEWORK GROUP: 6:30 p.m. Free. Clendenin Brewing Co., 2 Main St., Clendenin.

  • POETRY NIGHT: 7:30-10 p.m. All ages. Outside food permitted. Dog friendly; animals must be on a leash. The Wandering Wind Meadery, 422 Washington St. W., Charleston.

Saturday, Aug. 15

Music

  • THE 77 EXPERIENCE: 6 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • GRAYSON SAMPLES: 6:30 p.m. Free. Clendenin Brewing Co., 2 Main St., Clendenin.

  • THE SELL-OUTS: 6:30 p.m. Free. Part of Music and Movies on Main. Joe Dobbs Square, Olde Main Plaza, St. Albans.

  • COUSIN LARRY: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Free. Short Story Brewing, 186 Summers St., Charleston.

  • TAYLOR BOOKS LIVE: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Free. Featuring Sean Richardson, Spencer Elliot and Julien Aklei. Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • STRAIGHT ON – A TRIBUTE TO HEART: 8 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • MINOR SWING: 9 p.m. $10 cover. The ROQ, 1022 Quarrier St., Charleston.

  • EMPTY GLASS LIVE: 9:30 p.m. $10 cover. Ages 21+. Featuring No Place Else, Common Ground 304, Dr. Scientist and Deaththreads. The Empty Glass, 410 Elizabeth St., Charleston.

Dance

  • LIVE RADIO & DJ DANCE NIGHT: 6-8 p.m. Free. Cafe Appalachia Downtown, 110 McFarland St., Charleston.

  • JK’S RETRO NIGHT: 8 p.m. $10 cover. Music from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Come dressed in your retro best and take part in the night’s costume contest, with a $250 prize. Prime 101, 101 Capitol St., Charleston.

Stage/Theater

  • CAT VIDEO FEST 2026: 2:30 p.m. $12 general admission, $7 students with valid ID. Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • OLMO: 5 p.m. $12 general admission, $7 students with valid ID. Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • CITY CENTER LIVE IMPROV COMEDY NIGHT: 7-9 p.m. Free. Featuring Factory Reset. City Center at Slack Plaza, 182 Summers St., Charleston.

  • READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: 7:30 p.m. $12 general admission, $7 students with valid ID. Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • LEE STREET DRAG SHOW: 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. The Lee Street Lounge, 222 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston.

Athletics & Outdoors

Etc.

  • WV KIDS CONSIGNMENT SALE: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston.

  • DIGITAL LIBRARY DEEP DIVE WORKSHOP: 11 a.m.-Noon. Free, but registration required. Master digital library apps Libby and Hoopla in this hands-on class. Go beyond the basics to explore how digital library collections work, why wait lists happen, and the strategies savvy readers use to discover more titles with less waiting. St. Albans Branch Library, 602 Fourth St., St. Albans.

  • GREAT CHARLESTON DOMINO CHALLENGE: Noon-3 p.m. Included in price of museum entrance. Plan, design, and build your own domino chain reaction with family and friends. Each family's section will connect with the next, creating one large collaborative installation that spans the lobby. At 3 p.m. everyone will gather for the exciting community knockdown. Clay Center, 1 Clay Square, Charleston.

  • AFTERNOON RELAXATION: 1-2 p.m. Free. Enjoy an afternoon relaxation activity. Previous activities have included chair yoga, meditation, coloring and more. Clendenin Branch Library, 107 Koontz Ave., Suite 100, Clendenin.

  • FAMILY STEM: 2-3 p.m. Free. For children ages 6-12 and their families. Children will design and construct their own three-dimensional creations with 3D Doodler pens. Kanawha County Public Library, 123 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • PEACEFUL READING CLUB: 2-4 p.m. Free. Bring your own book – any format, from anywhere. Read at your own pace in a quiet, inviting environment. Each session opens with 15 minutes of settling in and ignoring fellow introverts before the 90 minute quiet reading time is observed. The last 15 minutes is set aside for announcements for future club meetings and leaving without saying goodbye. Dunbar Branch Library, 301 12th St., Dunbar.

  • SUMMERFEST: 4:30-10 p.m. Free entrance. Food vendors, free Kids Zone, face painting, snow cones, music (The 77 Experience and Straight On: A Tribute to Heart) and more. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • RIFTBOUND TCG WEEKLY TOURNAMENT: 6-9 p.m. $5 entry. The Board Room, 1116 Fledderjohn Road, Charleston.

  • MUSIC & MOVIES ON MAIN: 6-11 p.m. Free. Featuring live music at Joe Dobbs Square at 6 p.m. followed by a showing of “Jurassic World Rebirth” at dusk. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket. Olde Main Plaza, St. Albans.

  • THE ESQUIRES BEACH PARTY: 7 p.m. $30 per person. Cash bar available. Beni Kedem Shriners, 100 Quarrier St., Charleston.

  • THE LOT JAM – ARTIST EDITION: 7 p.m. Featuring artists, performers, dancers and more. Includes rap battle with cash prize. Phat Daddys on Da Tracks, 1634 Sixth Ave., Charleston.

  • THE STATUS QUO WTSQ 88.1 ANNIVERSARY PARTY: 7-10 p.m. $20 per person. Music, cash bar and more. Bullock Distillery, 121 Washington St. W., Charleston.

  • DREAMWEAVERZ PIRATE THEME TALENT/FLOW SHOWCASE: 8-10 p.m. $10 per person. Outside food permitted. Dog friendly; animals must be on a leash. The Wandering Wind Meadery, 422 Washington St. W., Charleston.

  • DRONE SHOW: 10 p.m. Free. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

Sunday, Aug. 16

Music

  • JOSH PANTRY: 6 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • RAY + JON: 7:30-9:30 p.m. Free. Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • RICK K. ROAD TRIP: 8 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

Athletics & Outdoors

  • SUNDAY FUNDAY: 12:34 p.m. Tickets $9.50+, children ages 12 and under free. The Dirty Birds take on the Hagerstown Flying BoxCars. GoMart Ballpark, 601 Morris St., Charleston.

Stage/Theater

  • CAT VIDEO FEST 2026: 1 p.m. $12 general admission, $7 students with valid ID. Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

  • RUNNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS: 2 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Includes documentary screening, Q&A, and a live performance of the musical score by Water Light. West Virginia Museum of Music, Charleston Town Center Mall, Second Floor, 3000 Charleston Town Center, Charleston.

  • READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN: 3 p.m. $12 general admission, $7 students with valid ID. Floralee Hark Cohen Cinema, 226 Capitol St., Charleston.

Etc.

  • SOUTH CHARLESTON CAR SHOW: 8 a.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • SUMMERFEST: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Free entrance. Food vendors, free Kids Zone (opens at 6 p.m.), face painting, snow cones, music (Josh Pantry and Rick K. Road Trip) and more. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.

  • WV KIDS CONSIGNMENT SALE: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center, 200 Civic Center Drive, Charleston.

  • SHELLY BELLY UNAPOLOGETICALLY ME TOUR: 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets $36+. St. Albans Flea Market & Farm Stand, 7101 MacCorkle Ave., St. Albans.

  • EXCEPTIONAL POSSIBILITIES FASHION SHOW: 3-5:30 p.m. Tickets $25-$75 per person. Third annual event. Proceeds benefit Exceptional Possibilities, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities. Charleston Marriott Town Center, 210 Lee St. E., Charleston.

  • FIREWORKS: 10 p.m. Part of Summerfest. South Charleston Criel Mound, 301 Seventh Ave., South Charleston.