The Cincinnati Music Festival is back. The annual event returns to Paycor Stadium this weekend with three days of live concerts by hip-hop and R&B legends.
The music festival kicks off Thursday with A Tribute to Hip Hop Music, including Talib Kweli, DJ Spinderella, DJ Vader and Hi-Tek.
On Friday, Charlie Wilson, Nelly, Tyrese, Ledisi and 803 Fresh will take the stage. Saturday will feature performances by Mary J. Blige, Trey Songz, SWV, Doug E. Fresh and Heatwave.
The music festival is one of the biggest tourism events in Cincinnati, says Visit Cincy CEO and interim president Julie Kirkpatrick.
She estimates 100,000 people will visit the city this weekend and create more than $100 million in economic impact.
Paycor Stadium renovations
Music festival attendees will be some of the first people to see recent renovations to Paycor Stadium. The improvements are the most extensive since the stadium opened in 2000, according to the Bengals.
They include:
- Renovated Restrooms
- Upgraded Concessions
- Transformed Club Lounges
- Reimagined Suites
- Redesigned Bengals Pro Shop
- Modernized Scoreboard Control Room
- Improved Wayfinding
- Core Infrastructure Improvements
Swipe through these photos to see some of the changes.
Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus says she’s excited for people to enjoy the new spaces.
“They are meant to be more friendly to the folks that are coming in to use them,” she said. “We’ve moved stairways around. We’ve made it more inviting. That’s all part of the work that the county and the Bengals are investing in.”
The recent renovations mark the first phase of multi-year project funded by the county and the Bengals.
A bigger stage
Festival Producer Joe Santangelo says there are also upgrades to the festival itself, like a new, bigger stage.
Last year, the event used two smaller stages. Santangelo says the music acts are getting bigger and need more room. He hopes the change improves the experience for attendees, too.
“The sight lines are much better because you’re not looking at such an angle into the stage the way you used to, so it’s much better,” Santangelo said. “It’ll be a much better experience for the people. It’ll be a better experience for the artists.”
He says tickets are selling like “hotcakes,” a trend he hopes continues over the weekend.
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