Festival season is upon us! From foodie favorites to community festivals, holiday celebrations to summer fairs, Cincinnati, Dayton and the surrounding areas come alive during the summer. With rides, games, prizes and funnel cake, summer festivals are guaranteed fun for the entire family. From May through August, each weekend brings another opportunity for festival fun — and we hope you make it a very festive summer!
Our guide to the 2025 Best Summer Festivals in Southwest Ohio features can’t-miss fests, fairs and events for your family!
May Festivals
RiverDays
May 22-24, Front Street in New Richmond
A three-day celebration along the Ohio River featuring live music on two stages, carnival rides provided by Kissel Amusement Company, food vendors, craft booths, gambling hosted by the Cincinnati Festival Alliance, and a spectacular fireworks display.
Memorial Day Weekend Festival at Young’s Jersey Dairy
May 22-25, Young’s Jersey Dairy, Yellow Springs
In addition to all of the regular fun at Young’s enjoy carnival rides, games and fair food during their Memorial Day Festival.
Taste of Cincinnati
May 24-26, Downtown Cincinnati
One of the nation’s longest-running culinary festivals, featuring local restaurants, food trucks, and live entertainment.
Frontier Days
May 29-31, Frontier Days Grounds in Downtown Milford
Games, rides, food, a parade and more – don’t miss the festival voted ‘Best of the East’ by Cincy Magazine.
CincItalia Festival
May 30-June 1, Downtown Cincinnati
A celebration of Italian culture with authentic food, music, and family-friendly activities.
Oxford Wine & Craft Beer Festival
May 31, Uptown Parks, Oxford
The 18th annual festival offers a vibrant mix of international and domestic wines, craft beers, live music, artisan vendors, food trucks, and a kids’ corner.
June Festivals
Paddlefest on Ohio Brush Creek
June 7, West Union
Paddlefest offers a serene 4-mile paddle down Ohio Brush Creek. Participants can enjoy the natural beauty of the area, followed by music, food, and vendors at the MoonDoggie LIVERee.
Troy Strawberry Festival
June 7-8, Troy, OH
This beloved festival celebrates all things strawberry. Visitors can indulge in strawberry-themed treats, enjoy live entertainment, participate in a 5K run, and explore arts and crafts vendors. The festival also features a car show and various family-friendly activities, making it a sweet start to the summer season.
The Ohio Valley Indigenous Music Festival
June 7-8, Patricia Allyn Park
A free family friendly event with performers and vendors from across the U.S. Come and enjoy great music, vendors with Native American style flutes, arts & crafts, free educational workshops & presentations, and great food.
Shandon Strawberry Festival
June 14, Shandon, OH
The quaint village of Shandon hosts its annual Strawberry Festival, featuring fresh strawberries, homemade shortcakes, and ice cream. Visitors can explore local artisan booths, enjoy live music, and experience the small-town charm that makes this festival a delightful summer tradition.
Celtic Fest Ohio
June 14, Renaissance Park
Celebrate Irish culture with live music, traditional foods, and artisan vendors at the Ohio Renaissance Festival grounds.
Black Heritage Festival
June 14, Urbana, OH
Enjoy a free, family-friendly, day-long festival June 14 beginning with live music and an opening ceremony. Explore a vendor row of local businesses, a car show, plenty of food trucks, and displays of heritage stories from the community.
Canal Music Fest
June 14, City Park, Tipp City, OH
Features live music performances, food vendors, and family-friendly activities.
London Strawberry Festival
June 19-21, Downtown London, OH
This spectacular festival located in historical downtown London has activities for all kinds of visitors. Come and enjoy games, rides, contests, crafts, entertainment, and of course, all sorts of strawberries!
Summer Solstice Celebration Festival
June 20-22, Serpent Mound
This annual festival highlights the area’s history, heritage, ecology, as well as the multitude of aspects associated with the Serpent Mound Park.
June in Olde Williamsburg Festival
June 21-21, Williamsburg, OH
This festival offers a nostalgic celebration with live music, craft vendors, and activities for children. Held in the historic district of Williamsburg, attendees can enjoy the charm of the town while participating in community events that highlight its rich heritage.
Miamisburg Pickle Fest: Just Dill With It
June 21, Miamisburg, OH
A quirky festival dedicated to all things pickle, featuring pickle-themed foods, games, and live entertainment.
Cincinnati Pride
June 28 in Downtown Cincinnati/Sawyer Point
The Cincinnati Pride Festival presented by Pure Romance is a family-friendly, fun event that takes place at Sawyer Point Park on the fourth Saturday in June. Food, drinks, vendors and entertainment fill your Saturday afternoon with fun.
July Festivals
Dayton Lights in Flight Fireworks Festival
July 3 at Riverscape MetroPark
A multi-cultural festival held downtown at RiverScape MetroPark featuring food, live entertainment an da firework show that truly lights up the sky.
Booming in the “Boro”
July 3, Hollsboro, OH
Friends and Family are invited to watch the annual Highland County Booming in the ‘Boro firework show. Fireworks will be choreographed to music by Hillsboro’s own WSRW 101.5
Freedom Fest
July 4-5, New Richmond OH
Celebrate Independence Day at New Richmond’s Freedom Fest, a two-day patriotic celebration! This family-friendly event features a vibrant parade, live music, street vendors, and a spectacular fireworks display.
City of Montgomery Independence Day Parade & Festival
July 4, Downtown Montgomery
The City of Montgomery is proud to present the Independence Day Parade! Parade begins at 10 a.m. followed by the festival.
Northside 4th of July Parade
July 4, Downtown Northside starting at 12 pm
A free, music-filled festival in the Heart of Northside with the most colorful parade in town!
Red, White and Blue Ash
July 4 at Summit Park
Head to Summit Park on July 4th for an amazing firework show! FREE. This festival is going to feature multi-platinum artist Gavin DeGraw as the headliner at 8:15pm!
133rd Adams County Fair
July 6-12, West Union, OH
This week-long event features a variety of attractions, including livestock exhibitions, thrilling rides, live entertainment, and delicious food vendors.
173rd Montgomery County Fair
July 6-12, Dayton, OH
The 173rd Montgomery County Fair is back and better than ever! This 2025, celebrate Red, White & Bloom with an unforgettable weekend packed full of activities, performances, family fun, and good old-fashioned fair magic.
Festival of the Bells
July 10-12, Hillsboro, OH
Celebrate the 2025 Festival of the Bells, themed “Let the Good Times Roll”. This year’s festival features a diverse musical lineup, family-friendly activities including a 5K race, 3-on-3 basketball tournament, car show, parade, craft vendors, and a Queens Contest offering a $500 scholarship to the winner. Admission is free, and the festival promises a weekend of entertainment and community spirit.
Ohio Challenge Hot Air Balloon Festival
July 18-19, Middletown
This vibrant event features over 30 colorful hot air balloons, including competitive flights and the mesmerizing evening balloon glow. Attendees can enjoy a variety of activities such as skydiving demonstrations, a classic car show, carnival rides, tethered balloon rides, plane and helicopter rides, and a drone show. Each night concludes with a spectacular fireworks display.
Bastille Day Summer Festival
July 19, Downtown Montgomery
Montgomery celebrates its sister city, Neiully-Plaisance, France with this annual fundraising street festival that helps to fund the many activities we do as a sister city. Bastille Day has a kid’s area with games and pony rides, two stages of live entertainment, 15+ food vendors, domestic and craft brews, wines and more in a festive setting. The City closes down Montgomery Road at Cooper to Remington on a Saturday mid-July and runs a fun-packed day from 4pm to 11 pm.
Cincinnati Music Festival
July 24-26, Downtown Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Music Festival, presented by P&G, returns to downtown Cincinnati from July 24 to 26, 2025, offering a stellar lineup of R&B, soul, and hip-hop artists.
Rock the Block
July 25-26, Wilmington, OH
This two-day event features a dynamic lineup of live music, food vendors, and community activities.
Annie Oakley Festival
July 25-27, Greenville, OH
Celebrate the legacy of Darke County’s most famous daughter at the 61st annual Annie Oakley Festival. This free, family-friendly event offers a weekend filled with Western-themed entertainment and activities.
Dayton Celtic Festival
July 25-27 at Riverscape MetroPark
Saturate your senses in the sights, sounds, and tastes of our Celtic heritage. Discover the magic that keeps people returning to Dayton’s Celtic Festival year after year. Come and experience the rich traditions that we Celtic folk hold dear to our hearts
Glier’s Goetta Fest
July 24-27 & July 31 – August 3 at Newport on the Levee
TWO weekends stuffed from top to bottom with live entertainment, family-focused goetta games, and super inventive food, what makes it all so grand is the gathering of the goetta-lovin’ community who travels from all corners of the country, to decorate with festivity and joy Northern Kentucky’s Newport on the Levee at the breathtaking Ohio Riverfront.
Rumble in the Hills Boat Race
July 26-27, Hillsboro, OH
This family-friendly event features high-speed races on the lake, with boats reaching impressive speeds. In addition to the racing action, the event offers live music, food vendors, and a festive atmosphere for all ages.
Greene County Fair
July 27-August 2, Xenia, OH
This traditional county fair offers a week-long celebration featuring livestock exhibitions, agricultural displays, carnival rides, games, and a variety of food vendors.
August Festivals
Ohio River Paddlefest
August 2, Downtown Cincinnati
Join the nation’s largest paddling celebration as over 2,000 participants kayak, canoe, or paddleboard along a scenic 9-mile course through downtown Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
The Cincinnati Open
August 5-18, Mason, OH
Experience world-class tennis at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The 2025 tournament features an expanded draw with 96 singles players and 32 doubles teams competing in this ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event.
Dayton Liederkranz-Turner Germanfest
August 8 – 10, Downtown Dayton
Immerse yourself in German culture at this annual festival held in historic St. Anne’s Hill. Enjoy authentic German food and beer, live music, dancing, and cultural exhibits. The event is free and family-friendly, celebrating Dayton’s rich German heritage.
Dayton Potato Festival
August 9, Dayton Courthouse Square
Come join the fifth annual Potato Festival to celebrate a collective love for potatoes in various forms.
Champaign County Hot Air Balloon Festival
August 16, Urbana, OH
Experience the magic of hot air balloons with launches, tethered rides, and a mesmerizing balloon glow. The festival also features carnival rides, a kids’ tent, food vendors, and live entertainment, making it a perfect family outing.
Dayton Porchfest
August 16, St. Anne’s Hill Historic District
Dayton Porchfest celebrates the rich and diverse music scene, with musicians and bands covering funk and blues to indie rock and jazz, classical and country, to bluegrass and old-timey that has deep Appalachian roots in Ohio.
Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival
August 16 & 17, Community Park
A family friendly event with approximately 180 handmade arts and crafts booths and food vendors. You can enjoy the favorites such as steamed cooked sweet corn, BBQ chicken, pork chop sandwiches, and fresh cut watermelon. There will be art and crafts for everyone including candles, wood items, jewelry, watercolor and oil paintings, and much more.
Ohio Rural Heritage Festival
August 21-23, Ripley, OH
Celebrate Ohio’s rural traditions with a festival featuring live music, craft vendors, historical demonstrations, and a variety of food options. The event honors the state’s agricultural heritage and offers fun for all ages.
Clifton Gorge Music & Arts Festival
August 22-23, Clifton Gorge in Greene County, OH
The event features live music, displays of arts and crafts, as well as vendors for shopping and eating, activities for the kids, plus a beer tent. Free admission and parking!
