Key Events in Northern Kentucky

Looking for festivals? We've got 'em — food festivals, fireworks shows, bourbon festivals, multicultural festivals, craft beer fests, music festivals, and holiday lights and music throughout Cincinnati and NKY. You can eat, drink and celebrate any time of year here with these unique regional events.

• Bockfest - A weekend-long event that kicks off with a goat-and-monk-led parade and continues with German-inspired food and plenty of bock beer. Held in March.

• Reds Opening Day Parade - For more than a century, the city has shut down to celebrate the opening day of America’s oldest professional baseball team. Held in March or April.

• Taste of Cincinnati - The nation’s longest-running culinary arts festival; prepare to sample the best food the region has to offer. Held in May.

• Flying Pig Marathon - A Boston Marathon qualifier that attracts roughly 40,000 people per year. Held in May.

• Pride - Both NKY and Cincinnati celebrate Pride with big parades and festivals. Held in June.

• Cincinnati Fringe Festival - A 14-day avant-garde arts and theater festival featuring more than 200 performances from artists from around the world. Held in June.

• Cincinnati Music Festival - Bringing top names in jazz, R&B, pop and more to the area since 1962. Held in July.

• Goettafest - A two-weekend-long food fest dedicated to the local dish goetta, a sausage-like breakfast meat made of pork, beef and steel-cut oats. Held in July and August.

• Cincinnati Open - Attracting the world’s best players, this is the nation’s oldest tennis tournament still played in its original city. Held in August.

• Oktoberfests - America’s largest Oktoberfest celebration, Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, plus Oktoberfests in Covington and Newport. Held in September.

• Riverfest - A massive fireworks display held on the Ohio River to close out summer. Held Labor Day Weekend.

• BLINK - The nation's largest public light and art event is held every other year, over the course of 4 days, in the Cincy Region. Held in October of even years.

• Festival of Lights - The Cincinnati Zoo’s holiday light display, ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today. Held in December and January.

The Cincy/NKY area also enjoys world-class museum exhibits, ballet, a plethora of professional and minor league sports, and a wide variety of live music — symphony orchestras on both sides of the Ohio River, Broadway shows, opera, and a huge selection of popular music in large concert venues and intimate neighborhood theaters and bars.