The Cincinnati Coffee Festival has been drawing crowds of coffee and tea connoisseurs since 2017 and has become the Midwest’s largest festival of its kind as well as a staple event in the city.
Like most 2020 events, last year’s fest was canceled due to the pandemic, but the festival is scheduled to return to Cincinnati’s Music Hall Oct. 23-24.
Thousands of attendees, coffee roasters, coffee and tea shops, bakers, pastry shops, and chocolatiers from around the region will gather to celebrate and experience a shared love of the coffee culture.
And for the first time ever, this year’s coffee festival is having a poster competition where one local artist’s work will be chosen as the official design for the event.
“The winning artist will have the opportunity to get their work in front of thousands of people, all while supporting Cincinnati’s coffee and tea community and Ohio River Foundation’s clean water mission,” Rich Cogen says in a press release. Cogen is the executive director of the event and executive director at Ohio River Foundation, which partners with the festival.
The artist who wins the poster competition will receive $250, two tickets to the festival, a framed copy of their poster and recognition on the Cincinnati Coffee Festival’s website.
Applicants must be over 18 years old to submit their design, and they must live within 75 miles of downtown Cincinnati. All entries must be sent in by March 12. Contestants will know if their creation was selected by April 9, after a panel of judges, chosen by the Cincinnati Coffee Festival, announces the winning poster. Entry forms and contest rules can be found at cincinnaticoffeefestival.com/poster-competition.
But the festival is more than a celebration of caffeinated beverages and delicious pastries. The event has again partnered with local nonprofit Ohio River Foundation (ORF) to raise money to preserve the water quality of the Ohio River. “ORF works towards these goals through environmental education, conservation and advocacy activities that serve to inspire environmental stewardship for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future citizens,” says a recent press release from the Cincinnati Coffee Festival.
“Coffee has a natural connection to that mission. ‘Without great water, you can’t have great coffee,” Cogen said.
Cincinnati Coffee Festival, Music Hall, 1241 Elm St.,Over-the-Rhine.
This article appears in Jan 1-31, 2021.