It's almost summer: Check out these free outdoor concerts 🎵
Grab your picnic blanket and some folding chairs. Free summer concerts are back this month. With a variety of genres and free outdoor concert series happening all over the Cincinnati area, you can enjoy relaxing tunes, food trucks and family fun all summer long.
Read on below to find schedules, dates and more information about free outdoor concerts happening in Cincinnati this summer.
The new stuff: Check out all the bands added to the Cincinnati concert calendar this week
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Groovin' on the Green
The Groovin' on the Green concert series returns this summer to Fairfield's Village Green Park. Events start at 7 p.m. and also include family-friendly activities and food trucks. 301 Wessel Drive, Fairfield.
June 9: Blessid Union of Souls.
June 23: 90 Proof Twang.
July 14: Naked Karate Girls.
July 28: The McCartney Project.
Aug. 11: Brady Seals Band.
Aug. 25: Fleetwood Gold.
Updated weekly: Cincinnati's FULL 2022 concert calendar 🎸
Great Parks of Hamilton County summer concert series
Concerts put on by Great Parks of Hamilton County run from 7 to 9 p.m. Find more information about the series at bit.ly/greatparkssummerconcerts.
May 28: Ben Levin at Miami Whitewater Forest. 9001 Mt. Hope Road, Harrison.
June 4: Lauren Eylise at Glenwood Gardens. 10397 Springfield Pike, Woodlawn.
July 9: Ethan and Joey at Winton Woods Harbor Amphitheater. 10245 Winton Road, Greenhills.
July 23: Fox Royale at Winton Woods Harbor Amphitheater. 10245 Winton Road, Greenhills.
Aug. 13: The Newbees at Fernbank Park. 50 Thornton Ave., Addyston.
Sept. 10: Jump ‘n’ Jive Big Band at Sharon Woods Cardinal Crest Meadow. 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville.
Uptown Arts Alive performance series
This summer, Clifton Cultural Arts Center will host 66 pop-up performances six days per week in Clifton and nearby neighborhoods. Visit cliftonculturalarts.org/events for more information.
Rhythm on the Plaza: Tuesday night concerts from 7 to 9 p.m. at Clifton Plaza will feature musicians and bands performing salsa, mambo and other rhythmic genres. 333 Ludlow Ave., Clifton.
Wednesdays in the Woods: Bands of a variety of genres will perform in the historic Burnet Woods Bandstand on Wednesday nights starting at 7 p.m. The long-running series kicks off on June 1 and will also feature local food trucks, beer and the Kids’ Art Corner, sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation. 3298 Clifton Ave., Clifton.
Happy Hour @ U-Square: DJs play sets from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday nights at local bars and restaurants near the University of Cincinnati. The series begins with DJ Monet on June 2. 263 Calhoun St., Corryville.
Live at Lunch: Pianists and buskers will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday afternoons. 2717 Short Vine St., Corryville.
Jazz Brunch: Each Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon will feature a different jazz musician or band in Inwood Park. 2308 Vine St., Mount Auburn.
Sunday Showtime: Local theater and dance companies will host family-friendly performances on Sundays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hirsch Recreation Center. 3630 Reading Road, Avondale.
Third Thursdays on the Trail
The Little Miami River Chamber Alliance will host free outdoor concerts on the third Thursday of May, June and July from 6 to 9 p.m. Shows are held on the patio of Hometown Cafe Loveland. 111 Railroad Ave., Loveland.
May 19: The Low Country Boil.
June 16: Model Behavior.
July 21: Pandora Effect.
Washington Park
Stop by Washington Park on Monday nights from 6 to 9 p.m. for Jazz at the Park, Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. for Roots Revival and Friday nights from 6 to 10 p.m. for Friday Flow.
Find more information at washingtonpark.org. 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine.
Jazz at the Park:
May 9: Ben Levin.
May 16: Five Little Bears.
May 23: Petra Van Nuis and Andy Brown Quartet.
June 6: Noisepolice.
June 13: Mike Wade Quintet.
June 20: Pamela Mallory Quartet.
June 27: Transatlantis.
July 11: Carlos Vargas Trio featuring Emily Grace Jordan.
July 18: Spherical Agenda.
July 25: EWI Quintet.
Aug. 1: Patsy Meyer.
Aug. 8: Matt Tolentino Quartet.
Aug. 15: John Zappa's Now Hear This.
Aug. 22: Bobby Sharp Trio featuring Jennifer Ellis.
Aug. 29: Faux Frenchmen.
Sept. 12: Dee Marie Band.
Sept. 19: Jazz Attack.
Sept. 26: Retro Nouveau.
Roots Revival:
June 2: Joslyn & the Sweet Compressions.
June 9: Whiskey Bent Valley Boys.
June 16: Willy Tea Taylor.
June 23: Samuel Hibbard.
June 30: Jordan Smart.
July 7: Chase McCreary & Evan McMillian.
July 14: Ruby Vielos.
July 21: Darrin Hacquard.
July 28: Blue Rock Boys.
Aug. 4: Lagniappe.
Aug. 11: Casey Campbell Band.
Aug. 18: Dead Man String Band & Ray Vietti.
Aug. 25: Joes Truck Stop.
Sept. 1: To be announced.
Friday Flow:
June 3: Big Bubb.
June 10: Sunshine Anderson.
June 17: Force MD's.
July 1: Vanae.
July 8: Chrisette Michele.
July 15: Al B. Sure.
July 29: Tiffany.
Aug. 5: Glenn Jones.
Aug. 12: E-Will and the Remember Band.
Aug. 26: Love Street.
Sept. 2: Urban Mystic.
Rockin' the Roebling
Head to Rockin' the Robeling on Thursday nights for music and beer. The free concert series runs this year from May 19 to Sept. 1 at the Schmidlapp Event Lawn, adjacent to the Moerlein Lager House and within The Banks' Dora area. Music starts at 6 p.m. and Moerlein will donate $1 to the Cincinnati Parks Foundation for every beer purchased from their Moer To Go concession window.
Find more information on the Rockin’ the Roebling Facebook page. 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown.
May 19: 500 Miles to Memphis.
May 26: Noah Smith.
June 2: Erin Coburn.
June 9: Push Play.
June 16: Brother Smith.
June 23: NKG.
June 30: DV8.
July 7: Noah Wotherspoon.
July 14: Natural Progression.
July 21: Tropicoso.
July 28: Trauma Illinois.
Aug. 4: Strange Mechanics.
Aug. 11: The Menus.
Aug. 18: Just Add Beer.
Aug. 25: Crown Watts.
Sept. 1: Bad Habit.
Fountain Square Spring Concert Series
Enjoy weekly tunes at Fountain Square with the Spring Concert Series on Fridays and Saturdays and Reggae Wednesdays on Wednesday nights. Concerts run from 7 to 10 p.m.
Find more information at myfountainsquare.com. 520 Vine St., Downtown.
Spring Concert Series:
May 13: Naked Karate Girls.
May 14: Maurice Mattei and the Tempers with the New Usuals and the Electric Indigo.
May 20: Noah Smith's Crooner Circus.
May 21: Siri Imani with Eugenius and Deuces II.
May 27: Erin Coburn with Michael Moeller and LoopManDan.
May 28: Veronica Grim with Alex Salcido and Hayden Kaye.
May 29: Jeremy Pinnell with Wonky Tonk and Dead Man String Band.
Reggae Wednesdays:
June 1: Johnny Payne & True Believers.
June 8: Lungu Vibz.
June 15: Sun Dub.
June 22: Zion Lion.
July 6: Yabba Griffiths & Traxx.
July 13: Mighty Mystic.
July 20: The Ark Band.
July 27: Earthkry.
Aug. 3: Gizzae.
Aug. 10: Indika.
Aug. 17: The Flex Crew.
Aug. 24: Hurricane.
Aug. 31: Ras Bonghi All Stars.
Sept. 7: The Cliftones.
Loveland Concert in the Park
Head to Nibset Park in Loveland this summer for the Concert in the Park series. Shows will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. 126 Karl Brown Way, Loveland.
May 22: Harmonics.
June 12: Jessie Lyn & TNT Express Band.
June 26: Vinyl Countdown.
July 31: String Theory.
Aug. 28: My Brother's Keeper.
Sept. 18: Tom the Torpedoes.
Blue Ash Nature Park
Tuesday Night Concerts at Blue Ash Nature Park kick off on June 7 with the Sycamore Community Band and will run every Tuesday night (except for July 5) through Aug. 9. Shows take place from 7 to 9 p.m. and on-site concessions will be available. 4337 Cooper Road, Blue Ash.
Acoustic Lunch Series
Enjoy live music at Piatt Park every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 100 Garfield Place, Downtown.
June 1: Acoustic Abuse.
June 8: Sweet Peas.
June 15: Aprina Johnson and Jay Aronoff.
June 22: Jarrod May.
June 29: The Foles.
July 6: Greg Lee.
July 13: Lost Henry.
July 20: Jamie Combs.
July 27: Tracy Walker.
Aug. 3: Sawyer Roberson.
Aug. 10: Maybe Foolish.
Aug. 17: Noah Littrell and Ryan Brayshaw.
Aug. 24: Greg Lee.
Aug. 31: Michael Andrew.
Friday Night Concerts at Towne Square
Stop by Towne Square in Blue Ash for free concerts on Friday nights (except July 1) from 8 to 11 p.m. 9520 Towne Square Ave., Blue Ash.
June 10: Soul Pocket.
June 17: Final Order.
June 24: 3 Piece Revival.
July 8: Stagger Lee Band.
July 15: Forever Diamond.
July 22: Elementree Livity Project.
July 29: The Eagles Project.
Aug. 5: Second Wind.
Aug. 12: The Remains.
Sawyer Point Summer Concert Series
Headliner Town Mountain will kick off this year's Sawyer Point Summer Concert Series with a show on June 4 from 2 to 10 p.m.
Here is the event's lineup:
Vernon McIntyre Appalachian Bluegrass: 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Jake Speed and the Freddies: 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle: 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Town Mountain: 8 to 10 p.m.
The concert is free to attend and there will be food, drinks and alcohol available for purchase.
Sawyer Point will also host the Amped Up Concert Series this summer at the Schott Amphitheatre. The series starts with a performance by My Girl Friday on June 11 from 6 to 11 p.m. The series will also feature a food vendor.
Find upcoming dates for both concert series online at bit.ly/cincyparksevents. 705 E Pete Rose Way, Downtown.
Andrew J. Brady Neighborhood Concert Series
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra launches its new Andrew J. Brady Neighborhood Concert Series this summer. Cincinnati Pops leader John Morris Russell will lead four of the five concerts, while Enrico Lopez-Yañez, principal Pops Conductor of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, will lead the fifth. All concerts will feature the full Cincinnati orchestra and special guests from the community.
Arrive at the shows two hours early for family-friendly activities, including music, arts and crafts and food trucks. Concert starting times vary. See cincinnatisymphony.org/tickets-and-events/calendar for more details.
June 19: Maple Ridge Lodge. 3040 Westwood Northern Blvd., Westwood.
June 26: Dunham Recreation Center. 4356 Dunham Lane, Price Hill.
July 14: Corinthian Baptist Church. 1920 Tennessee Ave., Bond Hill.
July 16: Laurel Park. 500 Ezzard Charles Drive, West End.
Aug. 6: Owl’s Nest Park. 1984 Madison Road, Evanston.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Free outdoor concerts in Cincinnati this summer: See the list
