Western & Southern/WEBN Riverfest Fireworks Photo: CityBeat Archive

Cincinnatians are getting ready to make their annual pilgrimage to the banks of the Ohio River — and any building with a riverfront view — for the 46th Riverfest firework display.

Launched more than four decades ago to celebrate the 10th anniversary of radio station WEBN (102.7 FM), this Labor Day bash officially signals the end of summer with a series of colorful explosions in the sky.

In addition to food, music and one of the largest firework shows in the Midwest set to music from host WEBN (you are 100% guaranteed to hear “Smoke on the Water”), festgoers can expect to see half a million other humans — and some major traffic jams.

Here’s what you need to know before you go.

The Basics:

Hosted/sponsored by WEBN and Western & Southern, Riverfest’s Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks show will start at 9 p.m. Sept. 4. But the Riverfest party kicks off at noon at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove.

WEBN will also host a live broadcast from the park (you can listen online) and Local 12 will be showing the full firework display live on TV.

Claim Your Spot:

Riverfest fans can start staking their spots at Sawyer Point at noon on Sept. 4 . You can use a tarp or blanket or chairs, but you cannot secure anything with duct tape, rocks, bricks or sand. However, you can use painter’s tape, gaffer’s tape or masking tape on your tarp or blanket. If you try to claim an area before noon on Sept. 4, WEBN says your items will be removed and destroyed.

Traffic Info:

While the City of Cincinnati and WEBN don’t have road closures listed yet (we’ll update this blog when they do), the city typically limits traffic to pedestrians only in certain areas around the river, bans on-street parking in certain areas and begins to close bridges to traffic in the evening.

Newport:

Newport has released a series of guidelines and traffic updates via the Newport Police Department Facebook page. It offers a list of prohibited items — including alcohol, coolers, pets, grills, drones, laser pointers and more  — plus tips.

According to Newport, you’ll need to pick which side of the river you want to be on before 6 p.m., which is when most bridges and roads will close. Pedestrian traffic will also be closed on the Taylor Southgate Bridge at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4. The city also says to expect long traffic delays.

Here’s what closures to expect on Sept. 4:

  • Riverboat Row closes at 8 a.m.
  • Columbia Street north of Fourth Street closes at 8 a.m.
  • Purple People Bridge closes at 5 p.m.
  • Taylor Southgate Bridge closes to vehicular traffic at 6 p.m. and pedestrians at 7:30 p.m.
  • Monmouth Street, between Third and 11th streets, closes at 7:30 p.m. and will re-open around 9 p.m. going one way toward I-471
  • Parking on Monmouth Streets ends at 6:30 p.m.
  • Dave Cowens Drive closes at 7:30 p.m.
  • The I-471 ramps to Route 8 close at 7:30 p.m. and all other I-471 ramps close at 8:30 p.m.
  • 10th Street between Saratoga and York streets closes at 7:30 p.m.
  • Fourth Street Bridge closes at 8:30 p.m.
  • Licking Pike North at Aspen Drive closes at 9 p.m.
  • I-471 North will remain open
  • All traffic west of York Street will be one-way going west to I-275

Covington:

The City of Covington says the following rules and closures apply to “Devou Park and what’s called the downtown Riverfest Impact Area – the area north of East Fourth Street between the Licking River and Madison Avenue, with a contiguous section from Madison to Johnson Street along West Rivercenter Boulevard.”

Alcohol is prohibited in all public places and coolers and containers are subject to inspection, including at checkpoints. You are allowed to bring alcohol to private events within the “impact area” before 6 p.m. Other prohibited items include bicycles, skateboards, pets, fireworks, motorized scooters and roller skates/blades. There is no swimming in the Ohio or Licking rivers during Riverfest and boats cannot moor along the Covington shoreline.

Here’s what closures to expect on Sept. 4:

  • Streets north of East Fourth Street, between Madison Avenue and the Licking River, will close at 6 p.m.
  • The Roebling Suspension Bridge and Clay Wade Bailey Bridge will close to all traffic at 6 p.m.
  • The Fourth Street Bridge will close at 8 p.m.
  • Madison Avenue will close to through traffic north of Fourth Street once the street’s parking lots are full, or at 6 p.m. (whichever comes first)
  • Access to Devou Park, Kenton Hills and The Bluffs will be restricted to residents and their guests only starting at 2 p.m.
  • Streets in the “impact area” will be closed until Covington Police feel enough pedestrians have exited to reopen safely.

The Weather:

WEBN says on its website, “We will do everything in our power to make the show go on,” even in the rain.

What Can You Bring:

Purses, diaper bags and small bags — but everything is subject to an inspection.

What Can’t You Bring:

Large bags, backpacks or luggage; weapons; outside food and drink (unless it’s an empty reusable bottle); drugs and alcohol; pets; cans or glass or metal containers; any type of inflatables like balloons or beach balls; aerosol cans; your own fireworks; musical instruments or other noise-making items; skateboards, skates or bikes; tools; any type of flyers or pamphlets (unless management OKs it in advance).

The Shirt:

Each year, WEBN makes a special shirt to commemorate the fireworks — typically with some type of frog illustration (the radio station’s mascot). This year’s shirt says “Welcome to the Jungle” and features the WEBN frog throwing a firework like a football, in homage to the Bengals’ recent Super Bowl run. The shirt is available online or at select Kroger locations.

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This article appears in Aug 10-23, 2022.