It just isn’t summer without festivals – the rides, the games, the funnel cakes! From Memorial Day to Labor Day, there’s guaranteed to be an event made just for you. Jot down the date of your “can’t miss” Fairs & Fests in Cincinnati!
Attend an Outdoor Music Show
If you’re into music, mark your calendar for the Bunbury Music Festival, Cincinnati’s three-day music event. This year’s festival features The Black Keys, The Avett Brothers and Snoop Dog, and takes place June 5-7 at Sawyer Point /Yeatman’s Cove. Tickets can be purchased for individual days or the entire weekend, and a full lineup of artists can be found on the Bunbury Festival website.
Celebrate Cincinnati Cuisine
It doesn’t get more “Cincinnati” that goetta. Come to a festival designed to honor this Queen City delicacy. Goettafest 2015 runs June 19-21 in Covington’s MainStrasse Village, and features the spicy, savory breakfast food in its authentic form, as well as in pizza and Reuben sandwiches. Free admission and free street parking available.
Enjoy the Arts
The Cincinnati Fringe Festival is eleven days of performances, art, film, music and everything in between. This year’s festival takes place May 26-June 6, and individual show tickets or festival passes are available. Check the full schedule on the event’s website.
Church Festival Faves
Madeira’s St. Gertrude Festival is a local favorite, featuring over 60 booths and rides, nightly entertainment and even a “reverse raffle” where patrons can enter to win a year’s tuition at the school. This year’s event takes place the weekend of June 12-14.
St. Rita School for the Deaf’s annual festival takes place July 10-12 and celebrates the school’s 100th anniversary with special games and a raffle for a new car!
The Best of the East
Frontier Days in Milford has it all: games, a parade, carnival rides and even a spaghetti-eating contest! Come June 4-7 and see the festival Cincy Magazine voted the “Best of the East” in 2014.
Classic Fairs
August 5-9, come celebrate the Hamilton County Fair’s 160th anniversary! With livestock demonstrations, car shows, competitions, food and rides, there’s something for everyone at the fair. Admission is $5, with an additional $5 parking fee.
If you’re up for a road trip, consider heading up 1-71 to the Ohio State Fair, which takes place July 29-August 9 and is easily Ohio’s biggest fair of the year.
A Uniquely Cincinnati Celebration
Did you know that Cincinnati is the paddling capital of the United States? Each year, Paddlefest draws over 2,200 paddlers for their annual trek down the Ohio River, making this the largest canoe/kayak paddling event in the Midwest. Paddlefest is a fun-filled family weekend from June 18-20 with a kids’ outdoor expo, music festival and river race. The events take place at Coney Island, with river race ending at Cincinnati Public Landing by Sawyer Point.
Zinzinnati Pride
No Cincinnati festival guide would be complete without a nod to Octoberfest! This is America’s largest Oktoberfest, complete with German food, live music, dancing and so much more. This year’s event takes place September 18-20 in downtown Cincinnati on Fifth Street. Mark your calendar!
There’s a summer full of fun just waiting to happen! Interested in even more family-friendly events? Check out our Daily Calendar at the end of the magazine or click on the “calendar” tab of the Cincinnati Parent homepage.