The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce this morning announced that there will be a second BLINK festival, occurring Oct. 10-13, 2019, once again centered in downtown and Over-the-Rhine. Last October's first edition of the outdoor event, which featured large-scale projection mapping, murals by international artists, interactive light sculptures and other entertainment (including an already-legendary parade), drew perhaps as many as one million visitors to the streets over the course of four days and nights, transforming the city. It received several Reader Picks in CityBeat's recent Best of Cincinnati poll — beating out Fiona the Hippo and the Cincinnati Women's March for Best New Thing — and merited two full pages worth of Staff Picks. The organizers say it was the largest gathering of people ever in downtown and Over-the-Rhine.
BLINK is produced by Agar, ArtWorks, Brave Berlin, the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation and the Chamber. In the Chamber's press release, Tim Maloney of the Haile Foundation said, "The spirit of BLINK is the joy we all found in a shared moment of art and light.”
Jill P. Meyer, president and CEO of the Chamber, said, “We look forward to partnering with those leaders and businesses who know this event, like no other, puts Cincinnati on the global map as an innovative, inclusive and creative future city.”