July 3, 20177 yr ^ Yeah over the course of two years MPMF went from 15+ venues and 3 days of music to one venue with 3 stages, and 2 days of music. The cost for the tickets has nearly doubled, and it moved out of OTR. They should probably change the name as it's just getting confusing at this point. Someone should start another festival and do exactly what MPMF had been doing in years past. The formula worked great and seeing as how MPMF abandoned it, someone else should use it. Woodward and MOTR had an anti-midpoint last year, maybe that will eventually grow into something bigger. I don't think OTR venues really want to give space for musical acts these days, even for just a weekend. They're doing well enough on a regular basis that they might actually lose money having bands playing.
July 3, 20177 yr My wife brought up an interesting point when we were discussing Midpoint this year. The symphony is temporarily located in Taft while Music Hall is being renovated, and the symphony, or MEMI, owns Midpoint. So maybe this arrangement is also temporary and next year instead of Taft, Taft Ballroom and 5th street, we will get Music Hall, Memorial Hall and Washington Park. If they want to do the festival in just one location, I think most people would prefer Music Hall, Memorial Hall and Washington Park because at least that would bring it back to OTR.
July 3, 20177 yr I don't think it's ever going back to Washington Park. I heard that in 2016, MEMI wanted to hold it at Washington Park but they wanted to use the entire park (meaning it would be completely closed to non-festival goers) and 3CDC wouldn't allow it. It will never be at a venue that MEMI doesn't own or control as long as MEMI owns MPMF.
July 18, 20177 yr Bunbury Music Festival announces 2018 dates After drawing the second-largest crowd in event history in 2017, the Bunbury Music Festival has announced the dates of its return for 2018. Bunbury drew 46,000 over three days in 2017, the second-largest crowd in the six years of the festival, according to organizers. The festival is returning for three days, June 1 through 3, at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove in 2018. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2017/07/18/bunbury-music-festival-announces-2018-dates.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
September 11, 20177 yr I just spent about 15 minutes trying to learn more about the "Central Parkway YMCA Stage". I thought that the YMCA must have an auditorium named "Taft Theatre" that MPMF was going to use. I thought that'd be cool but turns out it's just a confusingly named sponsorship of the main auditorium at the Taft Theatre on 5th St. Maybe that won't confuse anybody else, but it took me a while to figure out just where each venue was. I get that naming rights are valuable for festivals, but if nobody is going to use the name, then what's the point?? Nobody is going to say, "I can't wait to see [band] at the Central Parkway YMCA Stage."
September 11, 20177 yr I just spent about 15 minutes trying to learn more about the "Central Parkway YMCA Stage". I thought that the YMCA must have an auditorium named "Taft Theatre" that MPMF was going to use. I thought that'd be cool but turns out it's just a confusingly named sponsorship of the main auditorium at the Taft Theatre on 5th St. Maybe that won't confuse anybody else, but it took me a while to figure out just where each venue was. I get that naming rights are valuable for festivals, but if nobody is going to use the name, then what's the point?? Nobody is going to say, "I can't wait to see [band] at the Central Parkway YMCA Stage." Perhaps calling it the "Central Parkway YMCA Stage @ the Taft Theater" would be clearer. And I don't think it matters if people call it that. They'll probably call it the Main Stage colloquially, but they will at least know that the Central Parkway YMCA exists, and might check it out after the festival. I think that's a good use of sponsorship for them (depending on the price of sponsorship, obviously) since a lot of people attending Midpoint will be from the Downtown/OTR region.
September 18, 20177 yr On Friday, MPMF announced changes to the venues. They've gotten rid of the outdoor stage... and now all venues are indoors. Any idea what prompted this? Will they still close 5th St during the festival? http://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2017/09/18/midpoint-music-fest-heres-what-you-need-know/657465001/
September 18, 20177 yr xumelanie[/member] and I were discussing this last night. They're not sold out (due to changed festival format and $$$++), so we're guessing that the smaller venues were all that was needed. They moved Walk the Moon to really late on Sunday which is bad for us as parents and people with Monday morning jobs. However, since it's not sold out it's not like we can sell them, so we're just gonna suck it up. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
September 18, 20177 yr It just really doesn't even seem like a festival anymore. Having it only be two nights, no outdoor stages, all shows held in normal performance venues, no real focus on local bands, no focus on a particular genre or theme... there's just nothing special about it anymore.
September 18, 20177 yr I wonder if they dropped the ball on permits to close down the street? I would guess that they dropped the outdoor stage to save money based on a low number of tickets being sold. Just guessing though.
September 19, 20177 yr I'm not sure I've seen something so efficiently ruined and generally just made uncool as mpmf under the new ownership. It's really sad, but hopefully if it just withers and dies it can be resurrected by someone who cares about music more than profit margins and alcohol sales
January 8, 20187 yr The National's "Homecoming" festival announced a partial lineup, and it will be done in association with MusicNow festival around town. I was already interested with the National alone, but so far a pretty solid lineup playing with them. I'm also really interested to see how Smale hosts a music festival, as compared with the more sprawling and narrow Bunbury/Sawyer Point. https://ntlhomecoming.com/#main-header
January 8, 20187 yr Rock group the National bringing music festival to native Cincinnati, reveals initial lineup The National, a rock group that was formed in Cincinnati, is coming back to its home town for a two-day music festival in April. ... The National is performing two unique sets over the two nights. The initial lineup, released Jan. 8, includes: The Breeders Father John Misty Feist Future Islands Lord Huron Julien Baker Moses Sumney Alvvays Big Thief More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/01/08/rock-group-the-national-bringing-music-festival-to.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
January 26, 20187 yr Lineup Announced for 2018 Bunbury Music Festival The annual Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati has officially unveiled its lineup for 2018, and the event is set to feature some heavy hitters for its seventh year. Headliners for the festival will include Jack White, The Chainsmokers, blink-182, Post Malone, and Incubus. More below: http://www.columbusunderground.com/lineup-announced-for-2018-bunbury-music-festival-we1 "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 3, 20187 yr Cincinnati hosts one of the nation’s largest beer festivals this weekend Beer enthusiasts and more than 150 craft brewers are flooding downtown Cincinnati this weekend for the 11th Cincy Winter Beerfest at Duke Energy Convention Center, which is one of the largest beer-focused celebrations in the nation. The festival kicked off Friday night with a connoisseurs reception and open evening session. It will continue with two sessions on Saturday from 12-4:30 p.m. and 6:30-11 p.m. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/02/02/cincinnati-hosts-one-of-the-nation-s-largest-beer.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 9, 20187 yr Does anyone know if there is a group trying to bring back Tall Stacks? It was a "Music, Arts, and Heritage Festival" that used to be held every three or four years with the last one in 2006. According to the Wikipedia article, attendance at the old festivals ranged from 700,000 to 900,000 and planned festivals were canceled in 2009, 2010, and 2012. I enjoyed the festivals as a kid- the riverboats and historical attractions really caught my imagination. The festival was great at leveraging one of Cincinnati's best strengths- its riverfront and river city history. The city has done a lot since 2006 to leverage this asset by developing The Banks and Smale Park. By the time a new festival could be held the Kentucky side would hopefully look a lot different too between Newport's Ovation development, the Newport on the Levee expansion, and maybe even Covington's IRS site. Is lack of organization or interest the reason there hasn't been another festival? Or are there structural reasons like the condition of the riverboats that are preventing it from happening?
February 10, 20187 yr Does anyone know if there is a group trying to bring back Tall Stacks? It was a "Music, Arts, and Heritage Festival" that used to be held every three or four years with the last one in 2006. According to the Wikipedia article, attendance at the old festivals ranged from 700,000 to 900,000 and planned festivals were canceled in 2009, 2010, and 2012. I enjoyed the festivals as a kid- the riverboats and historical attractions really caught my imagination. The festival was great at leveraging one of Cincinnati's best strengths- its riverfront and river city history. The city has done a lot since 2006 to leverage this asset by developing The Banks and Smale Park. By the time a new festival could be held the Kentucky side would hopefully look a lot different too between Newport's Ovation development, the Newport on the Levee expansion, and maybe even Covington's IRS site. Is lack of organization or interest the reason there hasn't been another festival? Or are there structural reasons like the condition of the riverboats that are preventing it from happening? The biggest reason is not enough sponsorship, as this article highlights: http://www.cincymagazine.com/Main/Articles/Tall_Stacks_3883.aspx
February 10, 20187 yr Damn, I didn't know Tall Stacks costs $12-13 million to put on. I mostly looked at it as a music festival that cost maybe $1M.
March 9, 20187 yr so no one from Cincinnati could post this? :'(-- Jesús López-Cobos, Internationally Known Conductor, Dies at 78 By NEIL GENZLINGER MARCH 7, 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/07/obituaries/jesus-lopez-cobos-internationally-known-conductor-dies-at-78.html http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
March 9, 20187 yr ^ https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,30563.270.html Former conductor Jesus Lopez-Cobos has died: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/03/02/cincinnati-symphony-orchestra-mourning-loss-former-music-director-jesus-lopez-cobos/388914002/
March 9, 20187 yr ^see, this is what happens since there's no separate thread for the Cincinnati Symphony--lol http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
April 5, 20187 yr Blink Cincinnati is coming back Blink Cincinnati, the record-setting lights festival that took over more than 20 blocks downtown Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine last fall, has announced it will return, but you'll have to wait a while. The art and large-scale projection mapping festival, the only event of its kind in the U.S., will return October 10-13, 2019. Blink will continue to be free to the public. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/04/05/blink-cincinnati-is-coming-back.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
April 19, 20187 yr Taste of Cincinnati to host first-ever Music Bash The Taste of Cincinnati, the city’s annual festival featuring flavors from around town, will add an entertainment option. The first-ever Music Bash at Taste of Cincinnati will feature the B-52s (“Love Shack,” “Rock Lobster,” “Roam”), Rick Springfield (“Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers”) and Loverboy (“Turn Me Loose,” “Working for the Weekend,” “Lovin’ Every Minute of It”). Click on the images above to learn more about the featured artists. The concert will be held 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 27 off Sentinel Street with gates opening at 4 p.m. The event will end by 10:45 p.m. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/04/19/taste-of-cincinnati-to-host-first-ever-music-bash.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
April 30, 20187 yr Sounds like the Homecoming music festival that was put on this past weekend by The National was enough of a success that they're already talking about doing it again next year. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2018/04/30/smale-park-transformed-into-music-festival-what-looked-like/563684002/
April 30, 20187 yr I thought it was a great venue. Much more picturesque than Sawyer Point, and also a bit wider which lead to fewer crowd pinch points. When the Main stage act is at Bunbury it's nearly impassible, but with the wider lawn and separate paths on the uphill side and along the riverfront it made moving around much easier.
April 30, 20187 yr I've never been so bummed to miss a concert/festival. A bunch of my favorite acts, in a dramatic and cool location in my home town- it looked amazing. If this becomes an annual event, I am so there next year.
May 1, 20187 yr Not to bum you out more, but there is a great write up at the ringer about Homecoming. Really shines a positive light on Cincy on a very popular website. https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/5/1/17304758/the-national-homecoming-festival-cincinnati-father-john-misty-feist-the-breeders
May 1, 20187 yr Not to bum you out more, but there is a great right up at the ringer about Homecoming. Really shines a positive light on Cincy on a very popular website. https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/5/1/17304758/the-national-homecoming-festival-cincinnati-father-john-misty-feist-the-breeders LMFTFY: write-up
May 1, 20187 yr Ouch, that was bad, those damn homophones LOL. No worries. I just thought it was funny. My brain does the same thing where it crosses wires with two words that sound the same but have no relation to each other in meaning.
May 1, 20187 yr Not to bum you out more, but there is a great write up at the ringer about Homecoming. Really shines a positive light on Cincy on a very popular website. https://www.theringer.com/music/2018/5/1/17304758/the-national-homecoming-festival-cincinnati-father-john-misty-feist-the-breeders The photos in that write up are pretty crappy. Almost all the instagrams I saw from the weekend were better than the photos they used!
May 2, 20187 yr Agreed. He goes on about how pretty the park and city skyline and bridge all were, and then shows bad cell phone pictures of people performing on generic temporary stages. Still a good piece, but wish there would have been at least one skyline shot with the crowd/bridge in the foreground.
May 3, 20187 yr This was a great event, especially for year one. It is nice to have this after Promowest has "transformed" Bunbury. The park and city looked great, and I can say first hand that I met multiple people from NY, Chicago, St. Louis etc. who were quite impressed. The National were pretty happy to be playing at home so that was fun (they have sounded better but they definitely had energy), and of course the other acts were great. Father John Misty played a pretty standard set, but as always sounded awesome. Definitely hope this one comes back.
May 15, 20187 yr Cincinnati’s Asian Food Fest breaks record The 2018 edition of Cincinnati’s Asian Food Fest brought a record crowd to Washington Park. An estimated 40,000 attendees were at the event featuring nearly 30 Asian restaurants, caterers and food trucks along with drinks and entertainment on May 12 and 13. That topped the largest crowd on record in 2017 at 30,000. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/15/cincinnati-s-asian-food-fest-breaks-record.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 18, 20187 yr Get a look at magical sculpture adorning lawn of Taft Museum More than 150 volunteers, 6 tons of willow saplings, three weeks of work and one visionary artist: That's the quick math behind the fantastical, large-scale sculpture titled "Far Flung" that now resides on the lawn of the Taft Museum of Art at 316 Pike St. downtown. Patrick Dougherty, an environmental artist based in North Carolina, has created more than 250 such sculptures all over the world over the course of 36 years. The U.S. Bank/Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Foundation – major backers of Cincinnati's Blink festival – had followed his work and invited him to create something bold and unique in downtown Cincinnati. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/18/get-a-look-at-magical-sculpture-adorning-lawn-of.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 21, 20187 yr Beer festival makes debut on Oakley Square A new beer festival featuring more than 100 different brews debuted in Oakley on May 18-20. The Oakley On Tap Beer Festival opened Friday on Oakley Square and ran through Sunday afternoon, with five separate ticketed sessions. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/21/beer-festival-makes-debut-on-oakley-square-photos.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 25, 20187 yr Taste of Cincinnati concert time changes; here’s what else is new for 2018 The Taste of Cincinnati will host its first Music Bash featuring the B-52s, Rick Springfield and Loverboy at a new time, and there are several other first-time features that will be part of the city’s unofficial kickoff to the summer. The Music Bash at Taste of Cincinnati was originally planned for 5 p.m. Sunday, but the start time has been pushed back to 6 p.m. The event will be held off Sentinel Street. Tickets are still available online. This year’s Taste held May 26-28 on Fifth Street between Main Street and the Interstate 71 and Columbia Parkway ramps will also feature the new Taste on Tap, an area at Fifth and Sentinel streets that will feature rotating beers and some surprise varieties from Braxton Brewing, Rhinegeist, Taft’s Ale House and more. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/25/taste-of-cincinnati-concert-time-changes-here-s.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 28, 20187 yr I went down there Monday. It was pretty sad -- hardly any local non-chain restaurants. At least half of the place was taken up by cell phone booths, a guy hawking wonder bread, etc.
May 28, 20187 yr I've never understood this event, in particular. I mean, I don't generally understand the appeal of American-style street festivals as it is, but Taste has always seemed like an excuse to over-pay for a tiny plate of food. At least Oktoberfest has some sort of a theme, but even Oktoberfest is the exact same thing as just about every other street festival in the country, just with more lederhosen and oom-pah bands. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
May 28, 20187 yr I've never understood this event, in particular. I mean, I don't generally understand the appeal of American-style street festivals as it is, but Taste has always seemed like an excuse to over-pay for a tiny plate of food. At least Oktoberfest has some sort of a theme, but even Oktoberfest is the exact same thing as just about every other street festival in the country, just with more lederhosen and oom-pah bands. Check out the photos at the Business Courier. I don't know if its the sad state of 5th street asphalt, the cloudy day, or what, but the overall impression I got was like a second rate county fair. Rick Springfield did not help. If this were transplanted to the riverfront it would at least feel so much better. I might even go. But then, there's the naked cowboy.
May 29, 20187 yr Taste of Cincinnati 2018 hits record The 2018 edition of the Taste of Cincinnati tied the all-time attendance record. The festival celebrating Cincinnati’s culinary scene hosted 550,000 attendees in downtown Cincinnati May 26-28. The annual event was presented by Kroger Co. and produced by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. Attendance estimates are based on crowd sizes surveyed by the Cincinnati Police Department. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/29/taste-of-cincinnati-2018-hits-record.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 29, 20187 yr Cincinnati film festival tickets go on sale this week Tickets to this summer’s Cindependent Film Festival go on sale June 1. The festival runs Aug. 23-25 at Woodward Theater, MOTR Pub and the Mini MicroCinema in Over-the-Rhine. Festival-goers will be able to see movies, talk to filmmakers from around the country and attend screenplay live readings as well as after-parties. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2018/05/29/cincinnati-film-festival-tickets-go-on-sale-this.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 30, 20187 yr Blink 182 cancels Bunbury headlining show just days beforehand: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/blink-182-cancels-bunbury-headlining-appearance-days-before-the-festival-reschedules-for-2019
May 30, 20187 yr Blink 182 cancels Bunbury headlining show just days beforehand: https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/blink-182-cancels-bunbury-headlining-appearance-days-before-the-festival-reschedules-for-2019 Yeah, Friday is the only night I'm going and I'm pretty disappointed. Still, it's a music festival and I'll get to hear a bunch of other bands and hang out with my wife, so I hate complaining. The $80 cost for a night out without a headliner is a bit frustrating though. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
May 30, 20187 yr Are the Chainsmokers really that popular? Maybe I'm just an old man, but I'm shocked they would get higher billing than Blink 182. "Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett
May 30, 20187 yr Are the Chainsmokers really that popular? Maybe I'm just an old man, but I'm shocked they would get higher billing than Blink 182. I read about 2 years ago that Blink 182 has grossed over $150 million during its career. For what...3 songs? When they appeared I thought nothing of them. It's as if that "don't steal my sunshine" group from 1999~ or that "how bizarre guy" was still around, headlining regional festivals.
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