Newport is going to be a part of BLINK 2024, one of the largest public art shows in the world, festival organizers announced on Wednesday.
“All of this is why I am so excited to be here in front of this crowd to celebrate the fact that not only will BLINK continue to be a huge part of the Northern Kentucky experience with the amazing investment from our friends at meetNKY — we will officially be in Newport this year for BLINK 2024,” said Brendon Cull, president and CEO of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber.
BLINK will also be returning to Covington. The city was prominently featured during the second iteration of BLINK held in 2022.
BLINK 2022 stretched from Over-the-Rhine through parts of Covington for four days with light-focused art exhibits plus food vendors, drone shows and more. Organizers estimated the event attracted over 2 million attendees to the Greater Cincinnati region.
“Over 2 million people attended the event last year (2022) and according to the Chamber Center for Research and Data, that translated into a $126 million economic impact,” said Justin Brookhart, executive director of BLINK.
The 2024 festival is set to take place Thursday, Oct. 17, through Sunday, Oct. 20. It will be BLINK’s third iteration.
Cull said BLINK also had a record amount of artist applicants for the 2024 festival, with nearly 1,000 applications, according to LINK’s media partner WCPO.
“We have artists from all over the world that want to be part of this spectacle,” Cull said.
Brookhart teased that the 2024 festival will have a light installation across the Roebling Bridge, signifying how the festival is bringing Cincinnati together with Northern Kentucky.
Brookhart couldn’t specify where exactly in Newport there will be art installations, but he said the Levee will be a focus.
“The Levee will definitely be an area that we’re activating and many sites that we’re hoping to activate along the way to connect to the Fourth Street bridge that will connect us into Covington as well,” Brookhart said. “More information about the exact sites and locations will be available on the BLINK Cincinnati website as we get closer towards the event.”
