Deceptively large yet extremely walkable, Cincinnati is a Midwest metropolis that resists easy pigeonholing. Boasting European architecture and a chequered history, it is much more than a city on a river.
This October, the city underwent an iridescent metamorphosis as BLINK took over the reins. Spanning an ambitious 30-plus blocks, all the way from the bustling stalls of Findlay Market across the Ohio River into Covington, BLINK 2026 showcased the region’s creative talent alongside artists from around the world.
Photo Courtesy of BLINK
BLINK is a colossal, multi-sensory takeover. Boasting more than 80 installations by a brilliantly curated mix of local and international visionaries, it was a physical impossibility to see everything in a single night. Instead, the festival became a four-day urban pilgrimage, demanding comfortable walking shoes and the urge to do some impromptu dancing. Each distinct zone pulsed with its own architectural charm and neighbourhood vibe, from the edgy, historic streets of Over-the-Rhine (OTR) to the riverfront, where the massive drone show drew waves of awe.
Photo: Asa Featherstone IV (Instagram: @asathefourth)
Artists from 20 countries were represented this year, creating a beautiful cross-pollination of street art, digital projection and immersive sculpture.
Home-grown talent illuminated the city’s architecture. Local artist and motion designer Greg D’Amico transformed the façade of the Aronoff Center for the Arts into a towering, dynamic canvas with his spectacular projection piece, A Century of “yes”. Commemorating 100 years of ArtsWave’s impact in the region, D’Amico’s work brilliantly fused local cultural history with cutting-edge visual choreography.
Photo Courtesy of BLINK
However, for me, the crown jewel was the ambitious programme that took over the historic Music Hall. Its 148-year-old Gothic façade was transformed into a living, breathing chronicle of light and sound. Featuring work by Las Vegas audiovisual artist Brett Bolton, German artist Jonas Denzel, Silent Partners Studio and Strangeloop, the programme reimagined the building as a dazzling, Technicolour vision of the future. During Bolton’s live, real-time drumming performance, the projection mapping was an indispensable part of the show.
In the Fountain District, the festival delivered pure nostalgia with Psychedelic Car Wash by Radius Concepts. This brilliant installation wowed crowds by taking visitors through a neon-lit walkway complete with flapping cloth curtains, spinning glowing brushes and clouds of thick mist that dissolved under blacklights, all while flashing signage playfully screamed “SUDS” and “Foam Sweet Foam.”
The riverfront at The Banks was much more hands-on, with Dreamscape a highlight. At its heart stood Dream Slide, a gigantic, iridescent unicorn that functioned as a whimsical slide, flanked by Lindsay Glatz’s Cloud Swings, featuring real swings suspended beneath glowing, light-reactive clouds. I felt like I was in a Disney movie, but didn’t wait in line to have a go myself.
Photo Courtesy of BLINK
The next evening involved a trip across the river to Covington to see the off-the-beaten-path gems and drink some local bourbon while admiring the projections at the Mother of God Roman Catholic Church. Created by Jérémie Bellot, Jérémy Oury and Leslie Epsztein, the works were projected directly onto the historic church and its twin clock towers. The massive scale of the digital art contrasted with the intricate, old-world architecture to provide an ethereal, almost spiritual highlight.
But this city isn’t in the spotlight only when the festival lights switch on.
Cincinnati’s creative engine roars year-round. Look no further than the Contemporary Arts Center, an institution founded in 1939 by three visionary women as the Modern Art Society. Opening its doors just a decade after New York’s MoMA, it was one of the very first spaces in the United States dedicated entirely to contemporary art. The centre quickly built a legendary track record for taking immense creative and social risks. It championed game-changers long before they became household names, exhibiting Picasso’s Guernica in 1940 and mounting one of the earliest museum exhibitions of Pop Art in 1963, featuring artists including Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. Today, that fearless spirit is woven into the city’s DNA, visible in the sprawling public murals that coat the city walls, the avant-garde gallery crawls in Pendleton and a community that fiercely champions independent makers every single day of the year.
This creative energy thrives everywhere, from local merchants selling their wares at Findlay Market (Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market) to the up-and-coming performers taking the stage at Ghost Baby, a candlelit speakeasy hidden inside 150-year-old subterranean tunnels. Even the infrastructure tells a story of visionary design: the historic John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, connecting downtown to Northern Kentucky’s edgy siblings of Covington and Newport, serves as a lasting testament to innovation and a precursor to the Brooklyn Bridge.
Crossing the river into Covington, affectionately known as Cincy’s mischievous little sister, I enjoyed a night drinking vintage bourbon at Revival Vintage Bottle Shop, which delightfully culminated in an impromptu stint at a local karaoke bar. “Covy” is also home to the eccentric, Victorian-styled world of Hierophany & Hedge. Guarded by an exceptionally large, majestic Maine Coon shop cat, it is easily the city’s most enchanting spot to pick up a deck of tarot cards. Back across the river, the American Sign Museum stands as a brilliant neon reminder of mid-century Americana.
Binding these eclectic pockets together is the distinctive, home-cooked culinary culture. Pulling up a barstool at Skyline or Camp Washington Chili for a classic “five-way” chilli over spaghetti, or grabbing a scoop of the iconic Graeter’s ice cream, is a city ritual as vital as admiring the sprawling public street murals. It’s no wonder the young, creative crowd are choosing to move to this unpretentious hotspot.
Words by Sara Darling
For further information on the Cincy Region, visit www.visitcincy.com.
For further information on future BLINK festivals, visit blinkcincinnati.com.
America As You Like It offers a five-night Cincy Region package from £997 per person. The price includes return economy flights from London Heathrow to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport with British Airways, five nights at the Cincinnati Fidelity Hotel in a King Bed room and all taxes and fees.
British Airways will operate daily flights between London Heathrow and Cincinnati during selected periods in 2027: 22 April–24 June and 9 September–28 October.
