I took my family out to the Old West Festival on Saturday for a few hours. I first heard of this…read morefest through Family Friendly Cincinnati, which is a great resource for things to do with the kids. The fest remains open weekends through October 6th. We arrived just before noon and found that we weren't the only ones with the idea for the day. Fortunately I had enough cash to skip the credit card line for entry payment, and we were inside the gates in no time. Admission is $12 for adults, children ages 6-12: $6, and children under 5 are free. We were treated to a gunfight right away upon our entry. It reminded me a lot of the shootout we witnessed as part of our Great Train Robbery experience last year. In fact, I'm pretty sure most of the actors from the train ride were participating at the Old West Fest. Our two-year-old though it was too loud this time, so we moved along right away. The town buildings are very cool to look at and each one has a real purpose inside. Some sell arts and crafts, while others serve as a saloon for drinks and food. There were numerous activities for the young ones, including a sing along band performance, a really impressive magic show, panning for gold, and the always exciting play-set with slides and swings. We were most entertained by the Pickled Brothers Circus, who we caught on our way out. The combination of fire eating, juggling, and sword swallowing was enjoyed by the whole family. This past weekend was Native American weekend and we witnessed a drum circle performance. Each weekend has its own unique theme, so some specials acts and exhibits can be expected at other times. We all had a good time at the festival, even though my wife and I thought it was a little expensive. Mainly the food and drinks were not as cheap as I was expecting, and there were a handful of children's activities that all cost extra as well. I did see people bringing their own coolers with them, so that could be one way to cut down the cost, though I don't see it mentioned specifically on their website. It is probably best for families with older children.

Had a great afternoon at The Old West Fest. Admission was reasonable for the attractions as were…read morethe food and drink options throughout the town. I would recommend getting the kids wristbands so all the premium activities can be enjoyed in an unlimited fashion. Looking forward to running it back again next year!

Lumenocity 2016 was held at the Taft Theatre this year. What sets this year different from other…read moreyears is that the light show was indoors this year. And, since it was indoors, they were able to offer more tickets for everyone to come and see the event. In addition to that, there were about three-four shows for each day the event occurred, (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). Getting to Taft Theatre was pretty easy, and since there wasn't a game going on that weekend it wasn't super crowded in downtown Cincinnati. Parking lots were easy to find. Once you parked, the block party they had in front of Taft Theatre was easy to get to. There were about five or six food trucks, and lots of activities for kids. There was even police presence throughout the festival. This year, you were able to get a wristband ahead of time once they scanned your ticket to expedite getting into the Theatre. But really, it was pretty easy to get in even without getting a wristband ahead of time. They did a great job at handling the crowd before the show. Once inside, it was easy to find your seat. The show started on time which was great! And, it was only 45 minutes which is long enough to be able to enjoy the music, but short enough that all the kids in the audience would not get bored. Seeing the light show indoors was nice, because the lights came out more vibrant compared to watching it outside projected onto a wall. And, you had assigned seating, so you didn't have to worry about saving your seat ahead of time. If you didn't want to pay to see the show, they also broadcasted it outside where the block party was. Overall this year's event was enjoyable. They had some technical difficulties leading up to the event, but it was solved by the time the event started. (The company they used to email the etickets to everyone somehow had their emails come up as spam so a majority of people did not get their tickets by the Monday it was promised. They updated their website letting people know that they were working with finding a new company to send out everyone's etickets. The tickets were delivered on Thursday night).

Amazed I'm the first to (create/review) this absolutely amazing event. This is the second year for…read moreLumenocity, and it was Fantastic!! I was out of town last year at Lollapalooza, sleeping on a boat, when the inogural Lumenocity happened, but luckily I have a friend that was so impressed that he got Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra season tickets JUST to be eligible for the tix to Lumenocity 2014! The event 2014 had food/beer(Rhinegeist) trucks down Race Street, all kinds of vendors, food and Cincy local craft artists in the treed part of the park. This part was open to people without tix to the actual event, and it was food/art festival that was more attended than anything I've seen in Washington park, and I'm there weekly. The show: The show was spectacular. YouTube it. If you haven't been, YouTube the hell out of Lumenocity, and share it. Make it viral. One of the best symphonies in the world, synchronized to amazing digital graphics, using one of Cincinnati's best landmarks(Cincinnati Music Hall) as a canvas. It is amazing, emotional, and one of the coolest things I've seen in a long time.

In case you did not make it out to the Union Centre Boulevard Bash in West Chester, make sure you…read moredon't miss it next year if you're the local festival kind of person. The Taste of Blue Ash (late August) is always a big and very popular event, and I recently was at the MidSummer at the Meadows in Milford, but the "Bash" in West Chester was probably the best out of all of them, featuring a ton of great rides, great food, and great music in the very new and nice Square at Union Centre. The event kicked off on Friday night (Aug. 8) at 5:00 p.m., went from 2:00 p.m.-midnight on Saturday, and finished off with eight more hours in the afternoon and evening on Sunday. Food vendors were Coldstone Creamery, Jag's Steak and Seafood, Boston Butz BBQ, Papa John's Pizza, Izzy's, Bruster's, and Savannah Center, while other vendors included Cincinnati.com, Time Warner Cable, Twisted Tea, Indiana Wesleyan University, Owens Corning Basement Finishing System and several beer companies. There was also a large kids/family section with $1 games, as well as rides, and there was even a fashion show and golf exercises. The real draw for most, however, was the music. Q102 and AK Steel presented this event and Friday featured well-known Cincinnati cover band The Rusty Griswolds, while Saturday's three act lineup was headlined by David Cassidy. I was there Sunday (today), and first heard 3 Day Rule and then Kings X, while Extreme followed, although I was gone by then. I wasn't crazy about Kings X, although I really enjoyed 3 Day Rule which played songs from mostly the 80s, but many songs from the last 10 or 12 years as well. They covered top songs from bands like the Police, Van Halen, Men at Work, Journey, Counting Crows, Lit, Modest Mouse, and The Killers. There were tons of tables and chairs, while close to the stage there was more than enough standing room. Overall, I found the Union Centre Boulevard Bash to be a great event, much better than the similar MidSummer at the Meadows that took place last month. While many of Sunday's attendees were from West Chester, I recommend attending this August event next year if you are from anywhere within a 20 minute radius. Parking is very close although $5, but admission is free.

Brought to you by the same minds of Taste of Cincinnati, Party in the Park, and Oktoberfest...so it…read moreshould be a good time, right? Unfortunately, the now annual Union Center Boulevard Bash (in its 4th year, I think) has yet to stack up to the likes of other local music and food festivals. In the spirit of Taste of Cincinnati, the Bash features food stalls from West Chester's finest (disputable) restaurants. This year, Cold Stone, Jags, Smokey Bones, and The White House Inn, will all make appearances and offer smaller versions of their specialties for visitors to sample at low costs. Entertainment is not up to par at this festival, the year that I went the headliner was Uncle Kracker, this year, it's Craig Morgan. Bad and worse. If Blue Ash can get the likes of Lone Star, Dierks Bentley, and Blake Shelton, why can't West Chester get anyone decent? Admission is free and I suppose if you have nothing else to do, strolling the Bash isn't a bad option. Bud Light is a sponsor so at least you can get a buzz and enjoy the August weather! This year the Bash takes place the weekend of August 8th.

This review is long past due but I have to echo what Lauren said, the "taste" part was missing…read more I've seen more food options on a weeknight at Washington Park than for this MAJOR festival. Not only was the amount of food a total bummer, but the lines because of the lack of food was atrocious. We are talking hour wait times from line to getting your food. It was an organizational nightmare as lines whipped around into other lines and through the grass and roads surrounding. The lack of local beer was also very apparent. They had miller light, coors, and one "craft beer booth/tent" that had a few local madtree cans and then some bigger craft beer names. Again, a total disappointment for an event of this caliber. I don't know if the sponsors weren't getting a lot out of this and decided not to participate this year or if the people organizing this event just weren't really pitching/selling the event hard enough to get sponsors. Either way with as much going on as Cincinnati has - I would not recommend this festival. The only saving grace was being a 90's babies and hearing blessed union of souls and even that was a disappointment as they played mostly cover songs of other peoples music.

First I will say this review is for the 2017 Taste of Blue Ash only…read more For the first time I was disappointed!. In past years I would rave about the great music, food, and drinks. This year the music was still good and the reason for receiving any stars. The "Taste" piece is where it missed the mark. There were barely any food options, and of the small selection of choices the lines were super long. I guess that was due to the fact there wasn't much to choose from. What happened Blue Ash? It was more of a festival than a "Taste". This is a family tradition we love going to to and this year was just unfortunate....

Awesome! If you've…read morenever been, it is a must. There's really not much more to say than that. Would I go back? Definitely!!! Tips: You can go there earlier in the day to mark out and seven your spots. Check the WEBN website or other Cincy local sites for hours and rules. It starts getting pretty crowded down there about an hour before. There are things to do all day, so getting there early isn't going to be boring. You can not bring any beverages or beverage containers. No thermal cups, bottles, etc. Nothing! Bags are thoroughly checked.

We went when the fireworks just began. We had a blast!!! Music was great then. This year the music…read morewas very disappointment....

Gets better each year. Traffic on the weekend is very bad…read more Try to go before the weekend. Some Blinks are hard to find. Some areas do not feel very safe. Music needs to be for all ages it was a little on the young side. The banks were fun...

Loved this event! Lots to do, great food trucks and pop up shops, and a great way for people to…read morevisit the Queen City, in a new light (pun intended). Love the emphasis on their awesome murals around the area and it's great that you can hop on the free public transit to check out each area. Will def be back!

This is the first year of the Old Milford Oktoberfest, and it looks like a winner! It's not big -…read moreonly a block long or so - but it has all of the necessary components of a legitimate Oktoberfest: an oompah band, German food, and of course, good beer. The Little Miami Brewing Co., a key sponsor, is located at one end of the venue, and it's only one block from the many restaurants and shops of downtown Milford. We are also fortunate to have beautiful weather today, which is perfect for this event. These elements add up to a thoroughly enjoyable event, which I look forward to attending in the future.

West Fest is back this year, with a city block or two shut down for beer, food, crafts, and of…read morecourse live music. Unfortunately, this year it occurred during the heat wave, so I think that kept the crowd down. But the event still had the makings of a good local street festival. My favorites were Christine's (loved their fried cheese curds), Kona's shaved ice (just what the weather called for), and Kungfusion for spicy pork over rice. There was a good section of tables, activities for children, and lots of good music to be had. Overall, a great comeback that I hope will just get bigger next year.

I used to really enjoy this festival but the crowds and number of booths have shrunk over the…read morerecent years. Beer options are horrible, Bud and Corona booths. Kids hang out in the middle around Wendy's. Someone let off a loud firework and the cops responded with a police dog. I witnessed a redneck Cheviot cop create a situation with someone in a group in front of me putting a middle age man in cuffs and hauled him away. . Totally unprovoked. Maybe these types of festivals need to end.