BLINK is a four-night light and art experience spanning 30 city blocks through Over-the-Rhine, downtown and, new this year, across an illuminated Roebling Bridge into Covington. It is returning to the area by popular demand after the event’s inaugural event in 2017.
Now in its second run, BLINK will kick off on Thursday, Oct. 10 at dusk with a 3,200-participant-led parade down Vine Street. Through Sunday, Oct. 13, the cityscape will be transformed by way of large-scale new murals, light installations, interactive sculptures, performance art, live entertainment and projection mapping — a technique that projects computer-programmed light, color and animations across three-dimensional surfaces. (BLINK runs 7-11 p.m. nightly.)
Produced by local creative agencies Brave Berlin, AGAR and ArtWorks, with support from the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation and a number of other sponsors, BLINK was originally conceived as a way to see Cincinnati as a “future city,” a vision outlined in the event’s manifesto. The people of Greater Cincinnati “work and play and draw the light from one another until it outshines the sun,” it reads. “Together they shine with celebration, laughter and labor shared for all the world to see, and in the blink of an eye, their radiance is undeniable.”
Read more about the BLINK festival from its origins in 2017 to what guests can expect at this year’s fest in a cover story here.
But here’s more stuff you might want to know about:
- Kick-Off BLINK and Watch Cincinnati Light Up During the Future City Spectacular Parade (Here are all of the photos from the parade, in case you missed it)
- 25 Must-See Installations and Activation’s at This Weekend’s BLINK Festival
- All the Photos from Night One of BLINK
- The Expansive Music Lineup for the BLINK Art and Light Extravaganza
- Every Road Closure You Should Know About Ahead of Cincinnati’s BLINK Festival This Weekend
- The Best Ways to Get Around BLINK (Hint: Don’t Drive)
- Overwhelmed by BLINK? The Fest Has Five Self-Guided Walking Tours to Explore Different Neighborhoods
- Architects of Air Debuts the World Premiere of New Inflatable Luminarium “Dodecalis”
- The John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge Comes Alive with Color, Light and Sound During BLINK
- A biergarten and BLINK on Main Street Fair that’s happening on Sunday
And if you do happen to be visiting this fair city, check out CityBeat‘s….
- 2019 Best Of Cincinnati — A reader and staff selected collection of the city’s best in Eats, Music & Nightlife, Arts & Culture, Shops & Services, City Life and Sports & Rec.
- The Annual Manual — A weirdly named Cincinnati city guide that blends local insight with the usability of a travel guidebook.
- Both of those are from 2019, so for the most up-to-date stuff on restaurants and nightlife, just check this website.
This article appears in Oct 2-15, 2019.