Mix the gin and juice! What to know about Cincinnati Music Festival 2023, feat. Snoop Dogg
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The Cincinnati Music Festival is coming back (yes, to Cincinnati) to turn up the volume Thursday, July 20, through Saturday, July 22. Here's everything you need to know about the largest annual weekend driverof tourism in the Tristate.
The Cincinnati Music Festival has gone through changes over the years, starting out in 1962 as the Ohio Valley Jazz Festival, then morphing through different lives as Cincinnati Jazz Festival, Kool Festival and Coors Light Festival before settling for the current name and location at the Bengals stadium in 2005.
It all started with jazz: Looking back on 60 years of the Cincinnati Music Festival
Cincinnati Music Festival lineup 2023
Thursday, July 20 (Andrew J. Brady Music Center)
Doug E. Fresh.
Slick Rick.
Rakim.
Thursday's performances pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, including Rakim, half of the duo (alongside Eric B.) that recently ranked seventh on Billboard's list of the 50 best rap groups of all time.
Friday, July 21 (Paycor Stadium)
Al Green.
Jill Scott.
Jodeci.
Midnight Star.
Gerald Albright.
Friday's headline performance by Al Green is something of a return to the festival's roots and will mark only his second show in the last four years. He last performed at the festival in 1974.
Saturday, July 22 (Paycor Stadium)
Babyface.
P-Funk Connection.
Avery Sunshine.
Norman Brown.
Saturday's performances by Babyface and Snoop Dogg bring the festival back to celebrating hip-hop. It will be Snoop's 27th performance in this calendar year alone, but his first time at Cincinnati Music Festival.
How to buy tickets to Cincinnati Music Festival 2023
Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster, with prices as low as $89 on Thursday, and $60 on Friday and Saturday.
You can also buy directly from Cincinnati Music Festival by calling their office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 513-924-0900.
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Other events on Cincinnati Music Festival week
CMF Outdoor Museum: Back for the fourth year, this outdoor museum in Washington Park exhibits ten painters of color from across the Midwest and the South. Each artist will be painting their work live on Friday, July 14, from 3-8 p.m., with the collective goal of capturing the legacy of 50 years of hip-hop, using the theme Hip-Hop is Alive. As the outdoor museum wraps up, Friday Flow, Washington Park's free weekly R&B series will commence, from 7-10 p.m. that same Friday night with performer Al B Sure.
Black Tech Week: Over 3,000 attendants, 100 speakers and 50 workshops connect Black entrepreneurs, professionals and investors from across the tech industry. The keynote speaker is Hollywood's Issa Rae. The event runs July 18-20 at Cincinnati Music Hall, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can find tickets at blacktechweek.com.
Fried Chicken and Champagne: 6 p.m. dinner and 8 p.m. rooftop nightcap, July 18 at Union Hall. Fried Chicken and champagne? Not a classic combination, and not exactly classy, but surely worth a try.
Frisch's Mobile Roller Rink: Themed skate parties all week, 6-10 p.m. at Court Street Plaza, Wednesday, July 19 - Sunday, July 23. Don't miss the Barbie party Wednesday night, or DJ Diamond's celebration of 50 years of Hip-Hop Thursday night, or Friday's 70's roller-dancing, much less Saturday's neighborhood night with local vendors, or DJ Diamond's rertun on Sunday for a send-off set. Skating admission ranges from $2-$5, depending on the night, and skate rental cost $5. It's never too late to learn.
Big Daddy Kane talks Hip-Hop activism: Prior to his Cincinnati Music Festival performance, Brooklyn rapper Big Daddy Kane will join Ohio State history professor, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, also a Brooklyn native, to discuss the 50 year history of hip-hop as a tool for resistance and resilience. The conversation will be guided by clips from Fight the Power: How Hip-Hop Changed the World, a PBS documentary of which Jeffries served as an advisor. Both the conversation and the screening of the documentary will be held at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on July 20. Access is included with a museum ticket. The screening begins at 2 p.m. and the conversation follows.
Ludacris, Ashanti and Flo Rida: Hard Rock Casino hosts hip-hop stars Ludacris, Ashanti and Flo Rida on July 20 at 6:30 p.m. You can find tickets at Ticketmaster.com.
Salsa on the Square: A local favorite, Thursday's weekly Salsa dancing in Fountain square is sure to attract a crowd. Attendance is free. All you need to bring is a pair of dancing shoes and the right salsa mindset. It wouldn't hurt to bring a fedora too.
Cincy Soul - The Black Taste: Starting Friday night, Fountain Square also hosts Black-owned food trucks, restaurants and caterers, as well as performance art and number of musical acts on the Fifth Third Center Stage from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on the nights of July 21 and 22, closing earlier Sunday, July 23. This event is free.
Festival 513: "Great Vendors, Great Food, Great Fun!" located on Freedom Way (across from Paycor Stadium) all day on July 21 and 22. This annual festival always gathers large crowds, and is a great way to spend the day before a night of music performances.
Queen City 5K: Runners will be taking to downtown starting at 8 a.m. on July 22. Register at queencity5k.com.
Black Walk of Fame Grand Opening: James Brown, The Deele, Philippé Wynne and Louise Shropshire will all be inducted into the Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame outside the Andrew J. Brady Music Center, July 22 at noon, featuring music by The Ohio Players.
How and when to get downtown
Music begins each night at 7:30 p.m. The Andrew J. Brady Music Center and Paycor Stadium are located right beside each other. Red Bike stations are available across downtown. The bus station on Fifth and Main is not a far walk. For drivers, the festival recommends the following lots for parking:
Duke Energy Center Garage 1: 605 Plum St.
Duke Energy Center Garage 2: 609 Elm St.
Fountain Square Garage: 520 Vine St.
Enquirer Building Parking Garage: 312 Elm St.
Third and Race Street Lot: Corner of Third and Race streets.
Scripps Center Garage: 312 Walnut St.
Third and Main Lot: 120 E. Third St.
Queen City Square Parking Garage: 319-331 E. Fourth St.
Western and Southern Garage: 310 Broadway St.
Broadway Lot: 295 Broadway St.
East Garage: 443 E. Pete Rose Way.
Longworth Hall Lot: 700 W. Pete Rose Way.
South Lot: 131 Madison St., Newport.
For more info and questions, visit cincymusicfestival.com
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Music Festival 2023: Lineup, tickets, parking, more
