Best Small Town Festivals in Cincinnati

With rides, games, prizes and funnel cakes, summer festivals are guaranteed fun. So brave the “dog days of summer” with a corn dog and soft serve in each hand at these area small town festivals and make the most of the season!

Here’s our Guide to the Best Small Town Festivals in Cincinnati:

Butterfly Fest at Blooms & Berries
July 7-15 in Loveland
Butterfly Fest runs from 9:30 am – 6 pm July 7-15. A Weekend Pass or Kids Release Ticket costs just $9.50 – you’ll choose the weekend, and this pass also gets you admission every day during the week! (Including unlimited access to the Kids Play Area.)

St. Thomas More JulyFest 
July 13-15 in Cincinnati
St. Thomas More’s annual festival was voted “Best of the East” by Cincy Magazine in 2018, and for good reason. This isn’t your average church festival; JulyFest boasts a rockin’ musical lineup, massive kids’ area, huge casino and the “Helicopter Golf Ball Drop” which is exactly what it sounds like, and something you need to see in person!

Bastille Day Summer Festival
July 14 in Downtown Montgomery
Each year the city of Montgomery celebrates its sister city, Neiully-Plaisance, France, with the annual Bastille Day street festival. Bastille Day boasts a big kids’ area with carnival games and pony rides, two stages of live entertainment, 15+ food vendors, domestic and craft brews and more along the festive streets of Downtown Montgomery. 

St. Cecelia Festival 
July 20-22 in Cincinnati
This annual parish festival is a fun blast from the past, with an amazing lineup of old-school games (including a cake walk, pop toss and tic-tac-toe), flea market and even a petting zoo (Sunday from 4:30-7:30 pm).

Greater Anderson Days 
July 27-29 in Cincinnati
This popular festival is hometown pride at its best, and features live music, games, rides, delicious food, “Anderson’s Got Talent” competition and an amazing fireworks display by Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks, courtesy of the Beechmont Automotive Group. The fireworks display is a perfect finale to this grand community weekend!

Glier’s Goettafest 
Aug. 2-5 at Newport on the Levee
A weekend stuffed from top to bottom with live entertainment, family-friendly games and our area’s culinary delicacy. This festival is for serious goetta fans! Happening at Northern Kentucky’s Newport on the Levee, Goettafest features out-of-the-box creations such as the Deep Fried Goetta Cheese Coney, Goetta Pizza from Papa John’s and Buskin’s Goetta Strawberry Cake Donut. Come hungry!

Cardboard Boat Regatta 
August 18 in New Richmond
The Cardboard Boat Regatta showcases some of the finest hand-built boats you’ll see on the water – all made entirely from everyday items like cardboard and duct tape. Past regattas have featured elaborate riverboats, dragon boats and floating swan boats, all of which passed the test of sailing down the mighty Ohio. The regatta is free and a must-see, only-in-Ohio spectacle!  

Clifton Gorge Music & Arts Festival 
Aug. 24 and 25 in Clifton
A fun way to end the summer, the annual Clifton Gorge Music & Arts Festival takes place in the Village of Clifton alongside the iconic Clifton Gorge. The event features live music, lots of arts and crafts, vendors for shopping and eating, activities for the kids and a beer tent for adults. Free admission and parking!  

Nativity Fall Festival 
Aug. 31-Sept. 2 in Cincinnati
Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and start of fall – and Nativity’s Fall Festival is the best way to celebrate! Featuring children’s rides, booths, local bands, chili cook-off and a $5,000 grand raffle, definitely put this Pleasant Ridge festival on your calendar. 

Make it a fun and festive summer, Cincinnati parents!