16. Lane’s End Stakes
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (859) 371-0200, (800) 733-0200
Description: For years this Kentucky Derby prep race was known as the Jim Beam Stakes. The name has changed several times, but it remains the richest Kentucky Derby prep race in the country. Now named after a horse farm in Versailles, Kentucky, the $500,000 race is run five weeks before the derby and regularly features at least one Triple Crown race winner, such as Lil E. Tee and Prairie Bayou. As at the derby, fancy hats are the order of the day for women. Admission is $10, although there is reserved seating with varying prices depending on how good the seats are. What you spend at the betting window is up to you.
17. St. Patrick’s Day Parade
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 922-2230
Description: Although Greater O’Cincinnati has a decidedly German heritage, the area’s St. Patrick’s Day parade is reportedly the second largest in the country—no blarney. Arrive early in order to claim a prime street-side viewing location, as sidewalk space can be hard to find. Lawn chairs, coolers, and leprechauns welcome.
18. Cincinnati Flower Show
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 872-5194
Description: This is the largest, most prestigious open-air flower-and-garden festival in the country, and the only North American flower show endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. Good Morning America says it is “one of the most beautiful events in the world” And Better Homes & Gardens says it is the “King of All Flowershows.”Growers, florists, and designers from around the world display exhibits and give clinics and seminars plus an afternoon tea. About 35,000 people flock to the show, which runs the last weekend in April. General admission is $15, $2 for children ages 3 through 12. There may be an additional admission charge for some seminars and clinics. Parking is $3.
19. Krohn Conservatory Easter Display
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 421-5707
Description: If Easter is a time of hope, the special display in the Krohn’s giant greenhouse creates hope for those eager for spring. One whole wing of the cross-shaped greenhouse is reserved for the display, in which hundreds of blooming lilies are placed before a backdrop of lush greenery. Fountains, with water trickling down carefully placed rocks, add audible pleasure to the wonderful sights and smells. The display lasts the entire month and the display is open extra hours on Easter Sunday. Admission is free.
20. Opening Day
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 765-7000
Description: Nowhere in the world is there anything like the Reds’ opening day in Cincinnati. More work is missed than on any other unofficial holiday. A festive atmosphere permeates downtown as everyone wears red, dons baseball caps—even with business suits—and catches the Findlay Market Parade, which is an event unto itself. The parade rolls through the streets of downtown before the Reds game and includes two teams of giant Clydesdales pulling wagons, bands, marchers, and former Reds players.
21. Party in the Park
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 579-3191
Description: These huge free outdoor parties are held every other week, on Wednesday night. The festivities begin at 5:30 p.m., just as the work crowd is loosening the ties and packing up the briefcases. The Party in the Park takes place near the Serpentine Wall and features musical entertainment and refreshments.
22. Q102 Parties at the Point
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 763-5686
Description: The Q102 parties alternate Wednesday nights with the Party in the Park (see above). Bands play in the P&G Pavilion and refreshments are served beginning at 5:30 p.m.
23. WCET Action Auction
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 381-4033
Description: This event, which raises more than $1 million for WCET, is a combination of a Sotheby’s auction and the Home Shopping Network. A variety of merchandise—some of it quite valuable—is contributed by local residents interested in benefiting the public television station. All kinds of great bargains can be had.
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
25. Butterfly Show
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 352-4086
Description: The conservatory is festooned with flowers that attract butterflies and is filled with species of this beautiful animal that fly around freely. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children, and $5 for seniors.
26. Flying Pig Marathon
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: This “fun” marathon made its debut in the area in 1999. More than 6,000 people participated in this 26.2-mile race in its first year. Besides runners from all over the world, the event also has a wheelchair division and allows walkers. On the day before the race, there’s a 10K, a 5K, and a fun run for children.
27. Indianapolis 500
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (317) 484-6700
Description: “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is just two hours away, and many race fans—and non–race fans who are just looking for a great big party—make the drive along Interstate 74 to the western side of Indy for the Memorial Day weekend event. It is much more than just the race, trust us. Tickets for reserved seats range from $70 to $150 and must be ordered at least one year in advance unless you want to purchase them from a scalper—then the price is up to you. General admission tickets never sell out. They cost $20 and can be purchased up to and including the day of the race.
28. Kentucky Derby
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (502) 636-4400
Description: For those who just can’t resist wild hats and mint juleps on the first Saturday in May, Greater Cincinnati is only two hours from Louisville and the first leg of the Triple Crown. A parade of cars can be found each derby weekend heading down Interstate 71 toward Louisville. Admission to the infield, which is a party that you have to experience once in your lifetime, costs $40.
29. Maifest
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (859) 491-0458
Description: The village’s celebration is a nod to the German tradition of welcoming the first spring wines. It’s held every third weekend in May, with plenty of food and entertainment at hand. There also are arts and crafts. Admission to the village is free but food is not.
30. May Festival
City: Cincinnati, OH
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (513) 381-3300
Description: You’ll hear great sounds at the oldest continuing choral and orchestral music festival in the country, dating from 1873. The all-volunteer May Festival Chorus is made up of 250 average Joes and Josephines (that is, nonprofessional singers) with great voices who perform to the accompaniment of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Top-name opera singers are brought in as soloists, along with the University of CincinnatiCollege–Conservatory of Music Choir, and Chorale, the Conservatory’s Children’s Choir, and the Cincinnati Boychoir. The festival is spread over two weekends. Preconcert buffet dinners ($30) and preconcert recitals (free) are also part of the fun. Various subscriptions are available. Single tickets are $11 to $60.