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IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!

EXPLORE ALL THINGS HOLIDAYarrow-right

Experience the Holidays in the Queen City! 

Looking for ways to make this holiday season merrier than ever? Visit the Downtown Cincinnati holiday page for a full listing of holly jolly happenings right here in the Queen City. Celebrate with old traditions, make new ones, and enjoy everything the city has to offer! You'll also find a list of downtown specials, catering services, rental spaces and more!

The Fountain District is Calling!

Centrally located within the city, The Fountain District is a Downtown Cincinnati destination. It is home to dozens of bars & restaurants, corporate offices, and arts organizations and provides easy access to some of Cincinnati’s most popular sports and entertainment venues. Check it out today!

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New in the Neighborhood

Check Out the Newest Restaurants and Retailers in Downtown Cincy

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LEARN MORE ABOUT DOWNTOWN

Plan Your Visit

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Find Your Favorite Downtown Hot Spot

See What's Trending Downtown

  • Christkindlmarkt

    The Banks

    November 22 - December 31st | Various Times Adjacent to the Moerlein Lager House on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn and Stage in Smale Riverfront Park will be an all ages German-American Cincinnati Christkindlmarkt. The holiday themed Christmas festival with feature food, beverage, merchandise, holiday lights, choral and musical entertainment, with a European, yet Cincinnati Holiday theme.

    Address: 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Cincinnati OH 45202

    Phone: 513-421-2337

  • The Shillito’s Elves

    Over-the-Rhine

    Shillito's Elves | November 2, 2024 - January 5, 2025 One of Cincinnati’s most beloved traditions is back! The Shillito’s Elves have returned for another year of holiday magic. This year, the decades-old Elves have set up shop on Main Street in OTR. The Shillito’s Elves made their debut in the 1950s in the windows at Shillito’s, Cincinnati’s first department store. They are a collection of mechanized figures that depict various Christmas scenes, including Santa’s workshop. They’ve been a classic Cincinnati holiday tradition going back 70 years, bringing joy to those who make the pilgrimage Downtown to see their spritely, festive scenes.

    Location

    The Elves’ location on Main Street is perfectly situated for visitors looking to mark some items off their gift-list. The Elves will be located in the same footprint as the Main Street Pop-Up Holiday Market, and just two blocks from bustling Vine Street which is filled local retailers. Downtown residents and visitors can see the Elves on display at 1312 and 1324 Main Street from Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, to Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2025. Though they can be seen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they will be animated at the following times:
    • Monday – Thursday | TBA
    • Friday – Sunday | 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
    Thank you to Al Neyer for making the elves possible this year!

    Visit the Holidays page for a full list of holiday events and specials in Downtown Cincinnati.

    Address: 1312 Main Street, Cincinnati OH 45202

  • UC Health Ice Rink presented by Fifth Third Bank

    Fountain District Over-the-Rhine

    Nov 2 - February 17  | Various Times
    The UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank is an outdoor ice rink that takes over Fountain Square from November 2 through February 17. Rink amenities include 600 pairs of rental skates, the WGU Warming Tent, a full-service concessions tent with hot and cold snacks, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, on-site parking, and restrooms. The rink is open to skaters of all ages. The rink operates seven days a week with Pre-Holiday, Holiday, and Post-Holiday hours listed below. No reservations required, all admissions are walk-ups only. The 2024/2025 Ice Rink season will be ice skating only. After three years of use, the bumper cars have reached the end of their useful life. Rather than buying a new fleet at this time, we have decided to focus on the skating experience. Questions? Please call 513-297-6069 during rink hours. Read on for more information and FAQs. COST: Ice Skating is $10 and includes admission and skate rental. Payable by credit or debit card or mobile payments (Visa/MasterCard/AmEx). Children ages 3 and under are free with paid adult admission and must be accompanied on the ice at all times. All children under 55 inches must be accompanied by an adult while on the ice. Admission and skate rental close one hour before the rink closes. Times are subject to change due to weather or special events. HOURS: Pre-Holiday Season: November 2nd - December 19th (hours subject to change) Monday - Wednesday | 3p - 8p Thursday & Friday | 3p - 10p Saturday | 9a - 11p Sunday | 9a - 8p *Thanksgiving Day (November 28th) | 12p - 10p *Black Friday (November 29th) | 9a - 11p Holiday Season: December 20th - January 5th (hours subject to change) Monday - Sunday | 9a- 11p Post-Holiday Season: January 6th - February 17th (hours subject to change) Monday - Wednesday | 3p - 8p Thursday & Friday | 3p - 10p Saturday | 9a - 11p Sunday | 9a - 8p In the case of unseasonably warm or inclement weather, please call 513-297-6069 for the rink status. *we are OPEN on all holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve.
    Nov 2 - Feb 17 | Various Times
     

    Address: Fountain Square, Cincinnati OH 45202

  • Posing Beauty in African American Culture

    Over-the-Rhine

    October 5-January 12, 2025
    Trace the relationship between African American beauty and visual culture from the 1890s to the present through documentary, commercial, and fine art photography. Posing Beauty includes more than 100 works by photographers including Charles “Teenie” Harris, Leonard Freed, Anthony Barboza, Carrie Mae Weems, Hank Willis Thomas, Sheila Pree Bright, Renee Cox, Mickalene Thomas, and others.

    Address: Taft Museum of Art , Cincinnati OH 45202

  • Duke Energy’s Light Up the Square

    Fountain District Central Business District

    Nov 29 | 6-9PM Light Up the Square returns Friday, November 29th. Kick off the holiday season at this beloved annual celebration! The evening will feature live music, dance performances, an appearance by Santa Claus, and a dazzling fireworks display. Make sure you're here so you can help us LIGHT UP this year's Duke Energy Holiday Tree.   The formal program begins at 6:30pm when we will be joined by our co-hosts Sheree Paolello and Mike Dardis from WLWT Channel 5 and Natalie Jones from Q102.  

    • 9a | The Fountain Square Bar & UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank Opens
    • 6p | Live Music from 2nd Wind Band
    • 6:30p | Live 1-hour Broadcast with WLWT Channel 5 begins including Tree Lighting Ceremony and Firework Display
    • 7:30 - 9p | Live Music from 2nd Wind Band Continues
    • 11p | The Fountain Square Bar & UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank Closes
      The UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank, will be open for skating all day and evening, 9a - 11p. Rink admission is walk up only, no reservations, so arrive early to ensure you can get a spot on the ice and your skate size. 2nd Wind Band will begin performing at 6pm and will keep the music going till 9pm.   Special thanks to our sponsors and partners Duke Energy, P&G, altafiber, WGU, WLWT, Q102, and Shipley Energy for making this annual celebration possible! Events at Fountain Square are brought to you by Fifth Third Bank and are produced by 3CDC.

    Address: Fountain Square, Cincinnati OH 45202

  • Holiday Tea @ Taft Museum

    Over-the-Rhine

    Fridays and Saturdays | Nov 29 - Dec 21
    December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 Seating at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m Enjoy a festive assortment of house-made sweets and scones, savory bites, and petit fours alongside seasonal Churchill’s Tea selections as musicians perform holiday melodies in the background. Includes museum admission to exhibitions and holiday displays in the collection galleries. Reservations required. $45 Taft members; $55 non-members; $25 children (12 & under). Price includes tax and gratuity. Alcoholic beverages are available for additional purchase.

    Address: Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati OH 45202

  • YMCA of Greater Cincinnati’s Downtown Dazzle

    Fountain District

    Nov 21 | 6-8PM
    The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati’s Downtown Dazzle is back to put a holiday twinkle in your eye! Join us in the heart of Downtown Cincinnati for one of the biggest highlights of the holiday season. See Santa rappel from a Cincinnati skyrise and wait with anticipation for the sky to fill with a fabulous fireworks display! Come early and stay late – Saturdays at the Square are full of festive fun. Enjoy a drink or hot cocoa at Fountain Square’s Bar or make a holiday memory at the UC Health Ice Rink, presented by Fifth Third Bank! Ice skating admission is walk-up only, no reservations required. We’re thrilled to announce a special partnership with Trans-Siberian Orchestra on Nov. 30 where our Downtown Dazzle soundtrack will feature music from the multi-platinum TSO Tour. The tour has a stop in Cincinnati on December 6th. Thank you to our sponsors, The YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, United Dairy Farmers, Stigler Supply, Taft Law, Decal Impressions, and Thomas & Galbraith Heating, Cooling, & Plumbing!

    Address: Fountain Square, Cincinnati OH 45219

  • Movie Mornings at the Ice Rink

    Fountain District Central Business District

    Sundays | 10AM-12PM There’s nothing better than enjoying a cozy holiday movie on a Sunday morning! Why not add ice skating into the mix? On select Sundays throughout the season, bring the family down to the UC Health Ice Rink presented by Fifth Third Bank to enjoy a Sunday morning movie played up on the LED Board while you skate!

    Movie Lineup:

    November 10th | Frozen November 17th | Happy Feet November 24th | Ice Age

    Address: Fountain Square, Cincinnati OH 45202

  • Barbara Probst: Subjective Evidence

    The Banks

    Sept. 27-Feb. 9
    Barbara Probst is a German photographer living between Munich and New York. In 2000, she began taking multiple images of actors in a single scene, shot simultaneously with several cameras via a radio-controlled system. The resulting series convey a complex, playful, and darkly cinematic vision of people in time and space. Probst’s works span photographic genres: landscape, still life, fashion, portraiture, and street photography. Her multi-perspective approach results in quasi-three-dimensional views of her subjects while activating philosophical problems around the question of optical authority: what is visual truth when multiple perspectives are in play? Does more visual data result in greater realism, or less? Subjective Evidence is the first American survey of Probst’s 25-year career. The exhibition opened first at the Kunstmuseum Luzern, in Lucerne, Switzerland, and will travel to the Sprengel Museum in Hannover in December 2024. A full-color catalogue, published by Hartmann Books, accompanies the exhibition, and includes essays by the three institutional curators, Fanni Fetzer, Kevin Moore, and Stefan Gronert.

    Address: Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati OH 45202

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Choose a Downtown District

Our walkable, compact downtown is made up of several districts, brimming with character. What are you in the mood for? Start planning for a refreshing afternoon or evening. You’ll be supporting one of the hundreds of unique small businesses our Downtown has to offer.

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