CINCINNATI — Thousands of music fans are expected to fill downtown Cincinnati this week as the Cincinnati Music Festival returns to Paycor Stadium with a revamped concert experience and increased security measures.
Organizers expect more than 40,000 people to attend each night of the three-day festival, which has become one of the city’s signature summer traditions.
“It’s their summer vacation. It’s a family reunion. It’s a group of friends that have been coming for a long time,” said Fran Santangelo Dibattista, production manager for the Cincinnati Music Festival. “We hear stories of people who got engaged here and come back every year.”
“We have Mary J. Blige. I don’t know one person who doesn’t love Mary J.,” Dibattista said. “Friday night, we have Charlie Wilson and Nelly, so another good balance.”
Organizers also made several changes aimed at improving the fan experience.
“We went from a double stage to a single stage, which our fans are going to love,” Dibattista said. “It’ll be bigger and better. There’s also more video screens. It’s going to look really impressive.”
As excitement builds, Cincinnati police are preparing for large crowds by increasing security throughout the event. The department said officers assigned specifically to the festival will be joined by specialized units, including SWAT, K-9 teams, bike patrol officers, drones and the Real Time Crime Center.
The increased security comes after a downtown brawl during last year’s festival drew national attention.
Police are encouraging attendees to plan ahead for traffic and parking, lock their vehicles, stay aware of their surroundings and remember that Cincinnati’s juvenile curfew will remain in effect during the festival.
As crews continue setting up inside Paycor Stadium, Dibattista said the event has become a tradition for both attendees and the family behind the festival.
“Next year will be our 60th anniversary,” she said. “For us, just like all the families in the crowd, it’s a tradition for the Santangelos. Generations have been working on this one event and really growing it year after year.”
The festivities begin Thursday with a live broadcast of the Rickey Smiley Morning Show and additional fan events throughout downtown Cincinnati. Festival organizers also said several downtown businesses will offer discounts to attendees who show their Cincinnati Music Festival tickets.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source spectrumnews1.com ’
