Uniquely Cincy Events

Annual events you’ll only find in the Cincy Region

You have a busy social calendar. We get it–we do too. If you’re planning ahead or looking for something to do in Cincy this weekend, this is the place for you. We host the coolest, wildest, most exciting events in the Midwest and these are the ones you’ll only find in Cincy. 

It’s no secret we have a long tradition of brewing and enjoying a beer. In Cincinnati, you can celebrate the world’s biggest Oktoberfest outside of Munich, and the world’s oldest Bockfest. Over 100,000 folks come together every August for the Black Family Reunion to celebrate Black culture and family with music, food, and more. Experience Cincy’s rich river heritage with the largest paddlewheel festival in the country. Celebrate the LGBTQ+ community all June long with Cincinnati PRIDE. As the country’s first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds know how to celebrate Opening Day. The festivities kick off with a Findlay Market Parade and continue all day, leading up to the ball game. Music lovers from all over have been coming to Cincy for decades to attend the Cincinnati Music Festival—an electric combination of jazz, hip hop, and R&B music known for star-studded lineups.  

Learn more about all of our uniquely Cincy events! 

Marquee Cincinnati Events

March 2023. Cincinnati is the home to the world's oldest Bock festival, a tradition developed among the breweries to release all of their bock beer on the same day. Bock beer is a rich, complex, robust lager that marks the end of the Winter brewing season and the beginning of…

50 comedians on 3 stages and 60 beers, this crowd favorite combines beer and comedy. Occurs in late summer at Sawyer Point.

May 6 & 7, 2023. This spectacular Cinco de Mayo celebration has made history twice - with the world's longest taco and the world's largest pinata! Come celebrate this famous Mexican holiday at the Midwest's largest Cinco de Mayo celebration. The festival features a parade…

The Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon has made a mark being the third-largest first-time marathon in the country. Welcoming athletes of all running abilities is a race where you can find personal rewards. Race weekend is the first Sunday in May.

Fourteen days of performance, arts, film, music, and everything in between. Occurs in late spring/early summer. The festival exists to give opportunities to artists — especially independent artists — to present their work. The freedom artists have to create whatever they want…

Seventeen years young and aging like a fine wine, the Cincinnati International Wine Festival is a grand celebration of wine, food and music. The Festival is made up of four prominent events: the Winery Dinners, the Charity Auction and Luncheon, the Grand Tastings and the Russ…

Established in 1873, the Cincinnati May Festival is the oldest continuous choral festival in the Western Hemisphere and one of the only true festivals that remain in our country today. Featuring the May Festival Chorus and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Festival presents…

The Taste of Cincinnati is held every Memorial Day weekend in downtown Cincinnati starting in 1979, and it is now the nation's longest-running culinary arts festival. The event is held on Fifth Street to spotlight the $42-million renovation of Fountain Square. Approximately…

The season start of America's National Pastime is an unofficial city holiday in Cincinnati. Home of the baseball's first professional team, Opening Day festivities kick off with the Findlay Market Parade and continue through the traditional afternoon game. For most of the 20th…

Pride Festival celebrates Cincinnati's LGBTQ+ community and allies, and promotes the acceptance of all individuals regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression

Occurs the third weekend of July, enjoy an electrifying combination of R&B, Hip-Hop and Jazz at the Cincinnati Music Festival featuring some of the biggest musicians. Past performers include Janet Jackson, John Legend, Earth Wind and Fire, Kanye West, Mary J. Blidge, Whitney…

Cincinnati is the paddling capital of the United States and the Ohio River Paddlefest is the largest canoe/kayak paddling event in the Midwest with over 2,200 paddlers making their annual trek down the Ohio river during Paddlefest. Every third weekend in June. Paddlefest is a…

Aug. 17-20, 2023. This outdoor event continues to grow and is now one of Cincinnati's largest family-focused events, drawing over 100,000 patrons. The Midwest Regional Black Family Reunion Celebration was inaugurated in August 1989 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is held annually on the…

July 27-30 and Aug 03-06, 2023. Every summer, Glier's Goettafest is for both goetta devotees of the world and those seeking to find their new favorite food. A weekend stuffed from top to bottom with live entertainment, family-focused goetta games, and super inventive food, what…

Sept. 14-17. Oktoberfest-Zinzinnati showcases the rich German heritage of Southwestern Ohio, as well as tasty samples of German-style music, food and beer. First held in 1976, the event has grown to be North America's largest Oktoberfest with over 500,000 people attending each…

Aug. 12-20, 2023. The Western & Southern Open is a must-attend attraction in the Midwest. The 10-day event attracts record crowds to the tennis oasis, the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, OH. Loaded playing fields for both men and women make for a star-studded tournament…

Each year, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens will flip the switch on over 2.5 million dazzling lights and more than 100 lighted displays in the city's longest-standing holiday tradition.

October 2024. One of the largest light, art and projection mapping events in the nation. The four-day event features large-scale projection mapping installations, murals, urban artscapes, media light and interactive art in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. BLINK spans, from…

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