Cincinnati’s favorite holiday is back and better than ever this Thursday.
Opening Day marks the return of baseball season and the celebration is bigger in the Queen City than it is anywhere else, with parades, parties and entertainment galore. Even if you’re not going to the game or don’t know a single thing about baseball, the day’s festivities should be on your radar.
Read on for everything you need to know about Opening Day 2026, including what to know about this year’s Reds and where to go for celebrations.
Why is Opening Day such a big deal?
It’s almost hard to explain why Opening Day has become Cincinnati’s favorite day of the year. Let’s jump all the way back to the 19th century, where the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first-ever professional baseball team in 1869.
Partially due to that honor, the Reds are the only baseball team to open their season with a home game every year since they joined the National League—which later became one half of what we now know as Major League Baseball—in 1876. Since every Reds season opens with a home game, and the Reds were the first baseball team, Cincinnati is the unofficial ‘home of baseball.’
Opening Day is technically about the first baseball game of the year, yes, but it’s more about the sense of community that every Cincinnatian feels from participating in something that’s uniquely ours. Former Reds manager Sparky Anderson once famously said, “It’s a holiday—a baseball holiday! Ain’t no other place in America got that!”
For several Queen City residents, Opening Day is a ritual: you put on some red clothing, watch the parade, link up with old friends you haven’t seen in ages and celebrate another year on the calendar. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to say Opening Day is Cincinnati’s New Year’s Eve.
So should I go to the game? Are the Reds any good?
The Reds will kick off their season at 4:10 p.m. on Thursday, against the Boston Red Sox. As far as attending the game goes, Opening Day tickets are currently reselling for upwards of $100—which may not seem like much if you’re used to paying thousands for concert tickets, but you could go two days later on Saturday for just $20. Meteorologists are also reporting that this could be the hottest March 26 ever in Cincinnati on record. Still, there’s something to be said for experiencing the wonders of Great American Ball Park on the most special day of the year.
With regards to the Reds’ playoff chances, that depends on who you ask.
There’s plenty of reasons to be optimistic about this year’s squad: Elly De La Cruz continues to be a top-5 most exciting player in baseball and is basically a lock to be an All-Star again, promising infielder Matt McLain has been absolutely raking in preseason play after an injury-riddled few seasons and rookie Sal Stewart has received early praise from baseball pundits everywhere. In addition, fan favorite Eugenio Suárez has returned to the Reds after a few stints in Seattle and Arizona; last season, he hit over 40 home runs and just recently drove in the championship-winning run for his native Venezuela at the 2026 World Baseball Classic in dramatic fashion.
However, injuries are already piling up for the Reds once again. The Reds’ pitching rotation, which was the strongest element of their playoff-bound team in 2025, is already depleted. Superstar Hunter Greene will be out until at least July due to bone chips in his elbow. Reliever Caleb Ferguson will start the season on the injured list. And the team’s #2 pitching option, Nick Lodolo, just injured his finger in his final preseason start this past Sunday—with no word yet on whether he’ll miss time or not.
So what’s there to do on Opening Day?
Too much. This is our biggest day of the year, after all.
When it comes to Opening Day, the parade at Findlay Market is synonymous with the celebration. Nearly 150 floats will cruise down the parade route. Last year, over 130,000 people squeezed in to watch the parade go by—and that’s just people at the market.
Starting at noon and leading up to game time, the parade will begin at Findlay Market, head down Race Street, take a left on 5th Street, then head past Fountain Square, ending a few blocks later near the Taft Theatre.
But that doesn’t mean the parade is the ONLY thing to do.
- Several Findlay Market vendors, like Eckerlin Meats and Market Wines, will have special offerings beginning at 8 a.m. Local bar Uncle Leo’s—situated right in front of the parade’s starting point—will continue their yearly tradition of an Opening Day Bash, with turkey legs and plenty of drink specials on hand.
- Washington Park will feature inflatable baseball games, giant yard games, rows of baseball swag vendors, local food trucks, live music and more beginning at 10 a.m. The parade goes right by the park on Race Street.
- Court Street Plaza will have booths outside from several of its vendors, like Pata Roja Taqueria and Avril Bleh Meat Market, to purchase food while you watch the parade roll by.
- Fountain Square will have its 21st annual Reds Rally on the Square beginning at 10 a.m., with delicious food from local vendors, live entertainment, family-friendly activities and special appearances from team mascots and local celebrities. The parade should appear in front of the square around 12:30 p.m.
- For when the parade’s over, head to Cincinnati Lager House at the Banks for the annual JonJon & Friends Opening Day Bash & Watch Party. The free event promises plenty of food, drinks and live music while you wait for the game to begin—although prospective guests can purchase a VIP ticket for $40 that includes a private tent area, three drink tickets and access to a game-day food spread featuring sliders, chicken wings, BBQ meatballs and a fresh fruit tray.
- If you’re looking to stay on the opposite side of the river, Smoke Justis, Braxton Brewing Co. and Newport on the Levee are all hosting their own Opening Day events.
Additional places around the city hosting events include:
- Rhinegeist, 8:30 a.m.
- Tin Roof, 9 a.m.
- Northern Row, 10 a.m.
- The Lackman, 10 a.m.
- Low Spark, 10 a.m.
- The Stretch, 10 a.m.
- Factory 52, 11 a.m.
- Prim, 12 p.m.
- The Righteous Room, 12 p.m.
- Igby’s, 12 p.m.
- Nice Life, 1 p.m.
- The Pitch, 4–9 p.m.
- Bloom OTR, 5 p.m.