Festival season is upon us! From foodie favorites to community festivals, holiday celebrations to summer fairs, Southwest Ohio comes 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 Best Summer Festivals in Southwest Ohio features  can’t-miss fests and events for your family!
May Festivals
Cardboard Boat Regatta
May 14 in New Richmond, OH starting at 11 am
These unique water craft are powered & crewed by 1-10 unique people, ranging in age from 6-86 years young coming from places formerly unknown in Cardboard River Boat Racing including, Honolulu, Finland, Montana, Colorado, Lexington, Falicity, Mason, Landon, West Chester, Lebanon, Loveland, Columbus, Lancaster, Athens & even some as far away as Bridgetown over on the “sun in your eyes” side of Cincinnati.
Memorial Day Weekend Festival at Young’s Jersey Dairy
May 26-30, 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 28-30, Downtown Cincinnati
Come grab a bite to eat (or many) at this 3-day celebration of Cincinnati’s best culinary creations. In addition to over 40 local food vendors, there will be carnival games, rides, and live entertainment!
June Festivals
Frontier Days
June 2-4 at the Frontier Days Grounds on Victor Stier Drive in Downtown Milford
Games, rides, food, a parade and more – don’t miss the festival voted ‘Best of the East’ by Cincy Magazine 2013, 2014 and 2015!
The Ohio Valley Indigenous Music Festival
June 4 & 5 at 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.
Celtic Fest Ohio
June 18 from 11 am to 10 pm at Renaissance Park
Eat. Drink. Rock. Shop. at Renaissance Park in Harveysburg, OH. A Celtic weekend full of live music, great food, and strong ale. Get your tickets here!
London Strawberry Festival
June 23-25 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!
Cincinnati Pride
June 25 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.
Toast to Summer & Hot Air Balloon Glow
June 25 in Washington Court House, OH at the Fayette County AirportÂ
Sample various local wines from 12 different Ohio wineries while enjoying local art, food, live music, and bi-plane rides! Ten hot air balloons will all take off at dusk for a true evening glow, followed by a large fireworks display.
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.
City of Montgomery Independence Day Parade & Festival
July 4 in Downtown Montgomery
The City of Montgomery is proud to present the Independence Day Parade! Planning is underway for this annual tradition with safety as a top priority. Parade begins at 10 a.m. followed by the festival.
Northside 4th of July Parade
July 4 in 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!
Bastille Day Summer Festival
July 16 in 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.
Dayton Celtic Festival
July 29-31 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
August Festivals
Glier’s Goetta Fest
July 28-31 & August 4-7 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.
Dayton Potato Festival
August 13 from 12pm to 8pm at Dayton Courthouse Square
Come join the second annual Potato Festival to celebrate a collective love for potatoes in various forms.
BoomerFest
DATES COMING SOON at St. Leonard in Centerville, OH
BoomerFest at St. Leonard is an all-day community festival featuring free music and entertainment inspired by the Baby Boomer era. The event features food trucks, a selection of craft beers, vendors, crafters, free kids’ area and a classic car cruise-in. BoomerFest is an outdoor, on-the-grass festival and takes place rain or shine!
Dayton Porchfest
August 20 at St. Anne’s Hill Historic District from 1:30 pm to 6:45 pm
Dayton Porchfest celebrates our 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 here.
Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival
August 20 & 21 at 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.
Clifton Gorge Music & Arts Festival
Aug. 26 and 27
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!
