AccuWeather’s 2025 summer forecast
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It’s never a dull weekend in Cincinnati, and this one is no exception, with plenty to see and do. Summer’s approaching, and that means warm weather, fried concession food, live music and outdoor festivals.
There’s a festival for everyone. For the art lovers, check out some cool artwork at Summerfair, or if you prefer body art, go to Cincinnati Villain Arts Tattoo Festival. For the foodies, grab something to eat at CincItalia or Lebanon Mediterranean Food Festival. If music’s more your jam, go to Midwest Friends Fest. For the theater geeks, watch experimental shows at the Fringe Festival.
And don’t forget that June marks Pride Month. Kick off the month at a Pride celebration event.
Have an event you’d like us to know about? Submit it online at cincinnati.com/events, and we’ll tell the world about it. Head to that same site to peruse our full calendar of events.
1. Summerfair
Get inspired at this three-day, more-than-50-year-old festival of music and art. Summerfair supports artists in visual and performing arts in the Queen City. Funds raised are put toward awards, scholarships and exhibitions.
Details: noon-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Coney Island, Kellogg Avenue at I-275, Anderson Township. Summerfair.org.
2. Cincinnati Villain Arts Tattoo Festival
Explore the art of tattooing at the Cincinnati Villain Arts Tattoo Festival. Special guests will include TV stars from “Ink Master” and featured tattoo artist Jack Hatchet. Entertainment includes tattoo contests and sideshow artists, including contortionists, magicians and burlesque. Peruse unique vendors and get exclusive merchandise.
Details: 2-11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday, Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road, Sharonville. $40 3-day pass, $20 per day. Villainarts.com.
3. CincItalia
Italian food is the star attraction here, with traditional fare such as stromboli, pasta, pizza, lasagna, cannoli and gelato. Enjoy live music by DV8 on Friday, plus cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, games, rides and more.
Details: 6 p.m.-midnight Friday, 3-11 p.m. Saturday, 1-9 p.m. Sunday, Harvest Home Park, 3961 North Bend Road, Cheviot. Friday is ages 21-up only. Facebook.com.
4. Fringe Festival
Celebrate the long-running Cincinnati summer theatre party. Experience uncensored, experimental performance from more than 40 independent local, national and international theater artists. This event features 26 primary lineup productions, over 190 performances, 32 world premieres, Kids Fringe performances on weekend afternoons, free nightly after-hours events at the Know and, new this year, Conceptual Fringe.
Details: May 30-June 14, 1-10 p.m. weekends, 6-10 p.m. weekdays (excluding Mondays), Know Theatre, 1120 Jackson St., Over-the-Rhine. $330 all access pass, $90 5-ticket flex pass, $20 single tickets. Knowtheatre.com.
5. Midwest Friends Fest
Now encompassing two days, this music festival features 42 bands from Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton, Columbus and national acts that include Signals Midwest, Mike Adams at His Honest Weight, Kat and the Hurricane, Leisure Hour, Cinema Stare, The Tisburys and Super City.
Details: 7 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, Southgate House Revival, whole house, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport. $40 2-day pass, $30 Saturday only, $20 Friday only. Midwestfriendsfest.com.
6. Frontier Days Festival
It’s the season for spinning festival rides and fried foods. Enjoy something new on each day of this three-day festival. On Thursday, catch a parade and live band. On Friday, stop by the Makers Market and Big Six Wheel for Charity. Saturday, come to the Youth Market and dunking booth.
Details: 5-10 p.m. Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, Riverside Park, 425 Victor Stier Drive, Milford. Frontierdaysmilford.com.
7. Redlegs Run
This charity events offers a 10K, 5K, one mile and Gapper’s Kids Fun Run. Participants receive custom race medal, shirt and chip-timing with live results. Celebrate at the post-race party in the fan zone. Also included is a view-level ticket to the June 17 game.
Details: 8 a.m. Saturday, Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown. Reds.com.
8. Lebanon Mediterranean Food Festival
Experience authentic, homemade, Middle Eastern food. Your patronage will help refugees and victims in the Middle East.
Details: noon-6 p.m. Sunday, St. Anthony of Padua Church, 2530 Victory Parkway, Walnut Hills. Free admission and parking. Thetasteoflebanon.com.
9. Pride Month celebrations
Sunday marks the first day of Pride Month. Wear a colorful ensemble and attend a local event to celebrate. Here are a couple of them.
Northern Kentucky Pride: noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Goebel Park, 502 Philadelphia St., Covington. Nkypridecenter.org.
Smoke & Queers Burlesque Troupe: 8:30 p.m. Sunday, MOTR Pub, 1345 Main St., Over-the-Rhine. Motrpub.com.
10. Final Friday
This huge event spans OTR from Pendleton to Vine. Browse and buy art directly from the artists. There are more than 250 studios over four buildings. Shops will host artists, and there will be pop-up bars and live music.
Details: 5-9 p.m. Friday, Pendleton Art Center, 1310 Pendleton St. Valet parking is $10. Free admission. Itsfinalfriday.com.
Honorable mention: Aqua Adventures Waterpark
Due to weather, the opening for this waterpark was pushed back. Dive into over 100 challenging pieces on an inflatable floating obstacle course, featuring launch pads, cliffhangers, halfpipes and towering action stations.
Details: Opens Saturday and continues daily, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday, Land of Illusion Adventure Park, 8762 Thomas Road, Middletown. Landofillusion.com.
This story was updated to add a video.