The next time you hear your kids (orlet's be fair, your significant other) complain that there's "nothing to do," just laugh.Summer may not have arrived "officially," but it sure is shaping up to be epic. Every single weekend is stacked with fun-filled festivals and family-friendly things to do, and our challenge to you is to get out and do at least one thing on this list each weekend.
There areparades and laser light shows and county fairs andhot air balloons and fireworks and, whew! All kinds of funfor kids of all ages. And hey, there isplentyof adult-centric merriment to be had as well.
This list isn't comprehensive. We've already listedchurch festivals, Pride Month events andJuneteenth events, so they only get a cursory mention here. Likewise,a more comprehensiveIndependence Day event list is on the horizon.
If you'd like your Independence Day events listed, email calendar@cincinnati.com with "July 4th" in the subject line.
Weekend of June 17-19
Juneteenth Festival, noon- 9 p.m. Saturday, 2-6 p.m. Sunday, Eden Park, 950 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams.juneteenthcincinnati.org.
Anime Ohio, 4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Sharonville Convention Center, 11355 Chester Road. Celebrate anime, cosplay and modern Japanese culture. Workshops, panels, cosplay costume contests and more.animeohio.com.
Bluegrass Music, Art and Craft Festival, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Vinoklet Winery, 11069 Colerain Ave., Colerain Township. Craft show until 7 p.m., music all day. $5, free parking. vinokletwines.com.
Brettaroo, 6-11:30 p.m. Friday, 4-11:30 p.m. Saturday, Alexandria Brewing Co., 7926 Alexandria Pike. You've heard of Bonnaroo, but what about Brettaroo? This all-ages live music festival features eight local acts:the Northern Kentucky Derby, the Poor Hours, Randy Steffen, Cobrakit, South of Sin, Gary Bertsch & the Blamers, Dreaded Mids, Hayden Kaye. Bring a chair or blanket. Benefits DCCH Center, Wounded Warrior Project, and Whiskey & Wishes. Free. brettaroo.com.
Celtic Fest Ohio, 11 a.m.-10p.m. Saturday, Renaissance Park, 10542 E. Ohio 73, Harveysburg. Celtic music, dance, food and merchandise. $15. celticfestohio.com.
Cincinnati Opera Summer Festival,School for Creative & Performing Artsand Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine. One of the oldest and most highly-regarded opera companies in the United States brings beloved classics and new-to-Cincinnati productions, as well two world premieres at its annual summer festival. Runs June 18-July 30. cincinnatiopera.org.
Dearborn County 4H & Community Fair, 8 a.m. daily June 20-25, Lawrenceburg Fairgrounds, 351 Eads Parkway East. Livestock exhibits, stage shows, carnival rides, midway games, food, entertainment and more.dearborncountyfair.com.
International Craft Beer Festival, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Jungle Jim's, 8871 N. Gilmore Road, Fairfield. Held at the Oscar Station. Includes a 6-ouncetasting glass and over 400 beers from more than 100 breweries. Chat with like-minded beer enthusiasts, sample and sip all evening long. Food trucks onsite. Bus available from Eastgate location. $55 general admission, $65early admission, $65 Eastgate bus (bus sold out Saturday), $25 nondrinker ticket. junglejims.com.
Schutzenfest, 6 p.m.-midnightFriday, 4p.m.-midnight Saturday, 1-9 p.m. Sunday, Kolping Center, 10235 W. Mill Road, Springfield Township. America's oldest German festival.schuetzenfestcincy.com.
Summit Park Food Truck Festival, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash. Food truck rally with more than 30 trucks. Enjoy local craft beer, music and dancing, retail vendor market, kids zone and more. facebook.com.
Tusculum Street Fest, 3-9 p.m. Saturday, Eastern Ave., Columbia Tusculum. Featuring local food and craft beer, kids activities, vendors, live music with Kenny Welch Band and Gee Your Band Smells Terrific. Free admission.tusculumstreetfest.org.
Weekend of June 24-26
Cincinnati Pride Parade & Festival, 11 a.m. Saturday, Sawyer Point Park, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. Parade kicks off at 11 a.m., followed by all-day festival.cincinnatipride.org.
Garden Tour: Noteworthy Natives, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Cincinnati Nature Center, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford. Pick up tour packet at the nature center, then take self-guided tour of 14 private gardens located in Columbia Tusculum, Hyde Park, Norwood, Clifton, Avondale, Indian Hill and Montgomery. $40. cincynature.org.
Hyde Park Blast, 7 a.m.-midnight Saturday, Hyde Park Square. 4-mile run/walk, kids fun run, cycling race and block party with live music. Benefits the Cure Starts Now.hpblast.org.
June in Olde Williamsburg,6 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday. Old High School Grounds, Main St., Williamsburg. Food, music, beer, crafts, vendorsand kidsfest. facebook.com.
Laser Light Fest, 9 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township. Family-friendly laser light show choreographed with cutting-edge effects and large screen laser projections set to musical hits played live by a DJ. Gates open at 6 p.m. $25 per carload, $119 VIP carload. coneyislandpark.com.
Miamitown Pet Palooza, noon-8 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Ohio 128 and Ferry St., Miamitown. Celebration of pets and their people. Encompasses 3 block radius around town. Features vendors with pet-related items, food trucks, a pet fashion show and talent show, entertainment and open-door policy from local businesses for pets and their bipedal counterparts. Pet adoptions with SPCA and other agencies. Free. eventbrite.com.
Midwest Street Food XPO, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, Bechtold Park, Sycamore Township. Really big food truck rally with more than 40 trucks and street food competition where you get to help celebrity judges Christian Gill, Grace Yek, Len Bleh and Tony Ferrari choose the winners. Free admission.streetfoodxpo.com.
Nines Are Wild: Rhinegeist Ninth Anniversary Party, noon Saturday, Rhinegeist Brewery, 1910 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Taproom has Wild West theme, so dress up in cowboy duds and enjoy a photo booth, mechanical bull, design your own cowboy hat pop-up, specialty saloon and more. Pride-themed dance party on roof with live DJ from 9 p.m. Free. eventbrite.com.
Ohio Craft Whiskey Festival, noon-3 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Saturday, Karrikin Spirits. Join craft distillers from around Ohio in a celebration of whiskey and whiskey culture. Two sessions to choose from. Each session allows ticket holders the chance to sample from 20 of Ohio's craft spirit producers. Pop-up bottle shop, food vendors and more. $40. cincyticket.com.
Panegyri Greek Festival, 5-11 p.m. Friday, 3-11 p.m. Saturday, 1-8 p.m. Sunday, 7000 Winton Road, Springfield Township. Celebrate Greek culture through music, dance and cuisine. $3 admission, free ages 12-under. panegyri.com.
Rockin' Taco Festival, 5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday,Covington Plaza, 144 Madison Ave., Covington. Who doesn't love tacos!? Enjoy this splash of Latino culture on the banks of the Ohio River. Food, live music and dance groups, inflatables, salsa dance lessons and more. Free admission.cincinnatifestivalsandevents.com.
Tequila Fest, 4-11p.m. Saturday, Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. Ticket includes 12 sampling tickets for more than 50 different tequilas. Beer specials, food trucks, live entertainment, raffles and more. $55-$125. tequilafestcincinnati.com.
Weekend of July 1-4
Balloon Glow, 10 a.m.-11p.m. Sunday, Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township. Enjoy carnival food and games, swimming at Sunlite Pool and inflatablesduring the day, then watch the night sky glow with hot air balloons from 8-10 p.m. Evening ends with fireworks display by Rozzi's Famous Fireworks. $25 parking after 2 p.m., $20 before 2 p.m., $10 walk-in. Sunlite Water Adventure is additional cost. coneyislandpark.com.
Northside Rock 'n Roll Carnival, 3 p.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Monday, Jacob Hoffner Park, Northside. Parade on July 4. Live music all day every day, plus fire breathers, drag and burlesque shows, carnival sideshow and more.Bands include Multimagic, Moon Cruiser, Wavelette, National Barks, Flocks, Quotah, Mynah Tones, the Serfs, Leggy, Heist, the Harlequins, Sage the Renegade, the Ampfibians, Vacation, Bailey Miller, Freedom Nicole Moore, Culture Queer, School of Rock Cincy, Patterns of Chaos, Madqueen, Carriers, Blood Chill and more. Free.facebook.com.
Red, White & Blue Ash, 4-10:30 p.m., Summit Park, 4335 Glendale Milford Road, Blue Ash. Family-friendly festival with rides, local food vendors, drinks, live character performances and live music with headlinerGavin DeGraw. Rozzi fireworks follow. Free admission. blueashevents.com.
Science of Color featuring Prismatica, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily beginning July 2, Krohn Conservatory, 1501 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Surround yourself in a rainbow of color with this interactive art installation that features giant, pivoting prisms that transform the Krohn into a kaleidoscope of color. Runs July 2-Oct. 16. $10, $7 ages 5-17, free ages 4-under. cincinnati-oh-gov.
Taps, Tastes & Tunes, 5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-10 p.m. Sunday, Voice of America Park, 8070 Tylersville Road, West Chester Township. Live music, food trucks, beer and seltzers all weekend,fireworks at 10 p.m. Sunday. Live music Friday: Model Behavior, My Sister Sarah. Saturday: Vinyl Countdown, 3 Day Rule, What She Said. Sunday: Ninety Four, Road Trip. Free admission.cincinnatifestivalsandevents.com.
Weekend of July 8-10
2022 LWS Open, 9a.m. Friday-Sunday, Idlewild Disc Golf Course, 5550 Idlewild Road, Burlington. The Disc Golf Pro Tour is open to spectators this year. Spectators must stay within the provided confines for viewing and stay off the paying area. $10 Friday, $20 Saturday, $20 Sunday, $40 weekend, free ages under 10. VIP passes sold out. eventbrite.com.
Cincinnati Celtic Festival, 5-11 p.m. Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday, Freedom Way, Downtown. Family fun with Celtic music, dancing, food, whiskey tasting tent, Guinness experience tasting tour and more.cincycelticfest.com.
Kenton County Fair and Horse Show, 2960 Wehrman Road, Independence. Features ATV and motorcycle dirt drags, demolition derby, tractor pulls, horse shows, pageants, exhibits, competitions and more. Runs July 11-16. kentoncountyfair.com.
OTR International Film Festival, various venues around the city. Starts Thursday, July 7 and runs through July 10. Screenings take place at Woodward Theater (1404 Main St., Over-the-Rhine), Art Academy of Cincinnati (Central Parkway, Over-the-Rhine), Harriet Beecher Stowe House (2950 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills) and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (50 E. Freedom Way, Downtown). Benefits LADD. $130 for 10 film pass, $65 for 5 film pass, $55 virtual.otrfilmfest.org.
Paradise Music & Beer Festival, 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday, Braxton Brewing Co., W. Seventh St., Covington. Laurie Anderson once sang, "Paradise is exactly like where you are right now.Only much, much better." Maybe she had this festival in mind? Features live music, food trucks, beer and vendors. MusicfromtheInfamous Stringdusters, Ripe, Magic Beans, Peridoni, Stringus Khan and Strange Mechanics. All ages. Free admission. VIP experiencesinclude food, beer, swag and private access areas for an additional fee.paradise-fest.com.
Water Lantern Festival, 6-10:30 p.m. Saturday, Eden Park, 980 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Family-friendly event where you receive a floating lantern kit and decorate it with a personal design, then set it afloat on Mirror Lake. $26-$56. waterlanternfestival.com.
Weekend of July 14-17
Bacon, Bourbon and Brew Festival, 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-9 p.m. Sunday, Festival Park at Newport on the Levee, 1 Levee Way, Newport. All menu items use bacon, bourbon or beer in the recipe.cincinnatifestivalsandevents.com.
Bastille Day, 4-11 p.m. Saturday, Downtown Montgomery. Live music with Hotel California, Ricky Nye Inc., the Mistics, Cincinnati Dancing Pigs Jug Band, Sycamore Community Band. There is no kids area this year. Parking available at Montgomery Elementary (9609 Montgomery Road), Shelly Lane Parking Lot (9134 Shelly Lane) and Swaim Park (7650 Cooper Road). Free admission. montgomeryohio.gov.
Cincy Blues Fest, 2 p.m.-11 p.m., Saturday, Schmidlapp Event Lawn, 124 E. Mehring Way, Downtown. Featuring Marquise Knox, Toronzo Cannon, Shaun Murphy, Noah Wotherspoon, G Miles and the KY Cuzins and the Blues in the Schools Band. $20. cincybluesfest.org.
The Ohio Challenge, Friday-Saturday, Hook Field, 2301 Wedekind Drive, Middletown. Hot air balloon and skydiving festival features balloon races, balloon glows each evening at dusk, fireworks, a car show on Saturday, carnival rides, vendors,food and beverages.ohiochallenge.com.
Warren County Fair, July 18-23, Warren County Fairgrounds, Lebanon. Featuring agriculture displays and competitions, food, rides, harness racing, pageants, drag racing, kiddie tractor pull, car cruise in, live entertainment and more. $10, free ages 8-under. warrencountyfairohio.org.
Weekend of July 21-24
Butler County Fair, July 24-30, Butler County Fairgrounds, 1715 Fairgrove Ave., Hamilton. Events include demolition derby, tractor pull, rodeo, rides, competitions and pageants. $9, $4 ages 6-12. butlercountyohfair.org.
Cincinnati Music Festival, July 21-23,Andrew J. Brady Music Center and Paul Brown Stadium, Downtown. The city's largest and most soulful festival runs July 21-23. On Thursday, Ari Lennox andBJ the Chicago Kid playBrady Music Center. On Friday and Saturday, artists playing PBS include Jonathan Butler, Tony Toni Tone, Anthony Hamilton, Charlie Wilson, Janet Jackson, the O'Jays, Tank, After 7 and Kirk Whalum. cincymusicfestival.com.
Cincy Soul Fest, Friday-Sunday, Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. In conjunction with the Cincinnati Music Festival, this celebration of Black culture, heritage and tradition featuresBlack-owned food trucks, caterers and restaurants. Live music from 7-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday as part of Vibe Cincinnati. Free admission. cincysoulblacktaste.com.
Festival 513, Friday-Saturday, Freedom Way at Elm St., Downtown. Located directly in front of Paul Brown Stadium and coincidingwith the Cincinnati Music Festival, this is Cincinnati's premiere merchant festival featuringnearly 100 food and merchandise booths. Free admission. festival513.com.
Pendleton County Fair, 4 p.m. Monday-Sunday, Pendleton County Fairgrounds, 68 Fairgrounds Road, Falmouth. Runs July 25-31. pcyouthfair.com.
Weekend of July 29-31
Afrifest Cincy 2022: Taste of Africa, noon-8 p.m. Saturday, Burnet Woods Bandstand, 3298 Clifton Ave., Corryville. Celebrates African cultures in the local community. Family-friendly gathering features food, entertainment, kids and adult games and fun activities. Free admission. eventbrite.com.
Crafts and Critters Cruise-In & Car Show, 5-9 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-6p.m. Saturday, Pinball Garage, 113 N. Third St., Hamilton. Craft and vendor fair, food, door prizes, raffles, live music, and car show featuring all makes and models, including trucks and bikes. $5 to participate in cruise-in, $20 to participate in car show. Awards. Benefits City of Hamilton Police K9 Unit. Free admission. hamilton-ohio.com.
Danger Wheel, noon-8:30 p.m. Saturday, East12th Streetat Broadway, Pendleton. Adult downhillBig Wheel races. Food trucks, beer. Family-friendly. Costumes encouraged. Free for spectators. dangerwheel.com.
Glier's Goettafest, 5-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday, noon-11 p.m. Saturday, noon-9p.m. Sunday,Festival Park at Newport on the Levee, 1 Levee Way, Newport. This celebration of all things goetta is so big, it spans two long weekends. Live entertainment, family-focused games, and inventive, goetta-centric food.Runs Thursday-Sunday July 28-Aug. 7. Free admission. goettafest.com.
Outlaw Music Festival, 5 p.m., Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township. Touring music festival features Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, Gov't Mule, Larkin Poe and Particle Kid. Doors open at 4 p.m. riverbend.org.
SharonFest, 6 p.m.-midnight Friday, 4 p.m.-midnight Saturday, Gower Park, 10997 Thornview Drive, Sharonville. Features live music, inflatables, food and beer. Kids aged 12-under get a free hot dog and chips during Family Fest, which takes place from 5-7 p.m. Saturday. sharonfest.com.
