It would be easy to say that 2024 was a difficult year for many (and it likely was), but there are still plenty of reasons to celebrate the year that we’re leaving behind. Looking back on the arts and culture headlines that dominated CityBeat’s website and print pages, one thing is clear: there are an endless number of reasons to celebrate our fair city, from the announcement of a new event that sounds quite a bit like a Tall Stacks revival, to the return of BLINK and American Sign Museum expansion. Ahead, we’ve rounded up just a handful of arts and culture headlines from 2024 that showcase the vibrant arts scene in Cincinnati — and stir up some excitement for what’s to come in 2025.

This story is featured in CityBeat’s Dec. 25 print edition.

“World-Renowned Pompeii Exhibit Coming to Cincinnati Museum Center,” by Katherine Barrier One of the first exciting exhibits of 2024 was at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Debuting back in February, the CMC’s POMPEII: The Exhibition featured over 150 artifacts from the ancient city of Pompeii that have been preserved under volcanic ash since 79 A.D. On loan from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Italy, the collection included mosaics, frescoes, gladiator armor, statues, jewelry and everyday items, offering insights into Roman life. The immersive exhibit transported visitors back to the day Mount Vesuvius erupted, providing a vivid experience of this historical event. Photo: Provided by Cincinnati Museum Center
“This Event Coming to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in 2025 Sounds Like a Tall Stacks Revival, and We’re Freaking Excited,” by Katherine Barrier Earlier this year, it was revealed that Cincinnatians will soon have a major new festival to attend, America’s Rivers Roots. The festival, which will take place along the Ohio River from Oct. 9-12 in 2025, aims to celebrate the river’s historical significance by featuring multicultural art, history, music and food that celebrates the culture along the Ohio River. Live performances from well-known artists in all of the roots genres will be curated by Cincinnati native and Grammy Award-winner Bryce Dessner of The National. Cincinnati’s Paul Sturkey, the product and project development chef at Kroger, will lead the charge on food at River Roots, inviting celebrity chefs to craft cuisine of America’s river regions and recruiting small businesses, food trucks, restaurants and caterers to offer a variety of eats at the event. River Roots will also bring in 12 riverboats to the region from other inland river cities. At its, um, roots (sorry), this festival is reminiscent of the Tall Stacks events that celebrated Cincinnati’s riverboat heritage in the past, and boy are we excited to take it all in next year. Photo: Facebook.com/bbriverboats.com
“Trail That Would Connect Lunken Airport to Sawyer Point Gets Green Light,” by Katherine Barrier In May, it was announced that an agreement had been reached among Hamilton County’s Great Parks, the City of Cincinnati, Metro and the Indiana & Ohio Railway to construct the Oasis Trail, a shared-use, paved path connecting Lunken Airport to Sawyer Point. The Oasis Trail will extend the Ohio River Trail westward from its current endpoint at Wilmer Ave., creating much-needed connections for cyclists, runners and walkers to the Lunken Trail and Little Miami Scenic Trail. This development marks a significant advancement in regional trail connectivity for the city and Great Parks. In October, it was revealed that the project received an $8 million grant from Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) to build the trail. Great Parks says their goal is to begin construction on the Oasis Trail in 2027. Photo: facebook.com/sawyerpoint
“American Sign Museum to Host Grand Re-Opening to Unveil Main Street Expansion,” by Katherine Barrier This summer, the American Sign Museum unveiled the 20,000-square-foot expansion of the museum that included more room for signs and events. The expansion took two years of planning to execute and construct, transforming the previously unfinished portion of the century-old building the museum occupies in Camp Washington and doubling the museum’s size. The expansion’s highlights include the loka Theatre marquee, the Ward’s Butter Bread sign, the Johnny’s Big Red Grill sign, the G & J Tire sign and 36 hand-painted signs from across the United States and Canada. Photo: Lydia Schembre
“BLINK Returns this Fall with More Artists and Artworks than Ever Before,” by Katherine Barrier BLINK, the city’s renowned light and art festival, returned in October, bringing an even larger array of artists, artworks and events with it. In addition to its existing footprint in Over-the-Rhine, Downtown, Pendleton and Covington, BLINK was expanded to also include Newport this year. Some of the favorite installations this year included “The Aronoff Oasis” at the Aronoff Center; “OPEN” by Fifth Third, B!G ART and Le Cirque de la Nuit; and “The Cathedral” by Evan Verrilli. The crowd-favorite Asianati Night Market also returned for another year at BLINK, and it was just as magical as its 2022 debut. Photo: Lydia Schembre

Ashley Moor is the editor-in-chief of CityBeat. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Ashley previously worked as a reporter for the Dayton Daily News and as the editor-in-chief of the now-defunct Dayton City...