Taste of Cincinnati is back and bigger than ever this weekend. The longest-running culinary festival in the United States has plenty of new additions, including the fact that it’s added a fourth day (Friday) for the very first time. Read on for more.
What is it?
Taste of Cincinnati was founded in 1979 as a one-day celebration of all things culinary Cincinnati, and originally took place in Piatt Park. Now, it spans four days and takes place across Fifth Street downtown every single Memorial Day weekend. It’s free to enter, and features over 80 vendors selling various food items for $10 or under. There will also be over 30 acts performing live entertainment at the festival’s three stages.
What’s there to eat?
We’re glad you asked. CityBeat was the only publication to judge all four categories in this year’s Best of Taste competition; as such, we’ve covered the festival’s food rather extensively.
You can read about our writer’s experiences judging day 1 and day 2, or read the list of overall winners. If you don’t have time for all that, check out our list of five must-try booths at this year’s festival, which includes Walkerbar Bakery, Sawasdee Thai Cuisine & Sushi, Alfio’s Buon Cibo, Fusako Japanese Street Fusion, and Mama Afrique.
If you want to check out the full map of all 80+ vendors, click here to check out the official Taste of Cincinnati website.
Who’s performing?
Gym Class Heroes! You remember them from the 2010s, right? “Stereo Hearts” with Adam Levine? “Ass Back Home”? They’ll play Friday at 8:30 p.m. on the festival’s main stage. The rest of the timeslots will feature touring and local acts from across the area. Click here for the full list.
Where is it, and what streets are closed?
Taste of Cincinnati is held across four blocks of Fifth Street downtown, between Main Street and Sentinel Street.
The following streets will close at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 20, and reopen by 7 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, unless otherwise noted below.
- Fifth Street- closed between Walnut Street and Columbia Parkway.
- Will reopen by 7:00 AM on Tuesday, May 26th
- Columbia Parkway- closed between Downtown and the Sixth Street ramp
- Sycamore Street- closed between Sixth Street and Fourth Street (access maintained to garages)
- Broadway Street- closed between Fourth Street and Sixth Street
- Broadway Street – converted to a temporary 2-way traffic pattern between Seventh Street and Sixth Street
- Sentinel Street- closed
- Lawrence Street- closed
