What to Expect at This Year's Cincinnati Music Festival

Snoop Dogg headlined Day 3 at the 2015 Bunbury Music Festival Photo: CityBeat archives

Thursday, the Cincinnati Music Festival (CMF) kicks off its 59th year of bringing some of the biggest names in R&B, soul, jazz and hip hop to Cincinnati.

Since 1962, the music festival has attracted thousands of people to the city; hosted stars like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Earth Wind and Fire; and continually made huge economic impacts on the region (an estimated $107 million per year, according to CMF’s website).

Last year with Janet Jackson as a headliner, attendance at CMF surpassed 78,000; this came after a two-year postponement on account of the pandemic. That was the largest crowd in the festival’s history and one of the largest festivals of its kind in the country, according to a press release summing up last year’s event.

The 2023 CMF lineup is just as impressive as years past. Heading into the weekend, Thursday’s bill is a celebration of 50 years of hip hop. The Andrew J Brady Music Center will see Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane and Rakim. Surely, festival goers are anticipating the skilled sounds of “The Original Human Beatbox” that is Doug E. Fresh and the smooth, one-of-a-kind flow from renowned MC Rakim.

On Friday, Paycor Stadium will host headliner Al Green, as well as Jill Scott, Jodeci, Midnight Star and Gerald Albright. World-famous soul singer Al Green has at least a setlist’s worth of familiar, timeless hits. Kentucky’s own Midnight Star was inducted into the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame in 2022 and will perform ahead of the Black Music Walk of Fame Grand Opening outside of the Andrew J Brady Music Center on Saturday.

Saturday at Paycor Stadium, Snoop Dogg headlines the closing night. Babyface, P-Funk Connection, Avery Sunshine and Norman Brown will also hit the stage that day. What Snoop era will Cincinnati have the pleasure of hearing? Hopefully, it’s a little bit of everything, highlighted by the ’90s hit “Gin and Juice” and the ’00s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” from the one-and-only Rhythm and Gangsta album. Babyface of The Deele is another highly anticipated act; The Deele is also a 2023 Black Music Walk of Fame inductee.

There are also weekend-long events accompanying the CMF, like Festival513, which takes place on The Banks all day July 21 and 22. Festival513 is a complementary entertainment event that features almost 100 merchandise and food options.

Visit cincymusicfestival.com for a full list of the weekend happenings and CMF tickets.

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