BLINK has gone global.
The four-day Cincinnati art and light festival features illuminated murals and installations spanning 30 blocks within the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region. The event debuted in 2017, and ahead of the biannual event’s return, festival organizers traveled to Paris and London.
The goal was to expand global awareness and cast BLINK as a premier event, positioning the Cincinnati region as an accessible, creative hub and destination for international travelers and businesses.
“The light installations by artists in Paris and London provided us the opportunity to showcase BLINK and the assets of the Cincy Region to prospective companies and business leaders at the headquarters of several of our largest foreign direct investment clients with operations in Northern Kentucky,” said Lee Crume, BE NKY CEO.
The light and art festival plays a large role in Cincinnati’s economic growth, said Leslie Mooney, vice president and executive director of BLINK through the Cincinnati Regional Chamber.
According to a 2024 impact report, the weekend-long event attracted 2 million visitors. Approximately 19% of BLINK visitors came from outside the Cincinnati region, an increase of nearly 10% from 2022. Fifteen countries were represented by attendees. The event generated an estimated $142 million in total spending on hotels, food and drink, retail and travel to the region.
“It drives vibrancy, attracts visitors and talent, and helps create real economic opportunity for the people who live and work here,” Mooney said.
The London reception took place Tuesday, March 24, at Somerset House, followed by a reception in Paris on Thursday, March 26, at Galerie Joseph. Each event featured remarks from BLINK leadership and London- and Paris-based artists who have previously showcased at BLINK. In addition, art installations from previous BLINK festivals were on display at both events.
“BLINK brings together people from all walks of life in a way that few events can because it’s rooted in the collaborative spirit of our region,” Mooney said. “The way our artists, organizations, businesses and communities come together to create something this unique can only happen here.”
This year’s BLINK will light up Cincinnati from Oct. 8 to 11. The festival will run from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Monday.
Since BLINK’s debut, it has attracted larger audiences each year. In 2022, the event changed hands from founder Brave Berlin to the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Brave Berlin is a local creative agency that originated BLINK out of its 2013-2016 LumenoCity projection mapping events in Over-the-Rhine.
“We remain proud and confident knowing a new iteration of BLINK is only possible because we thought to do it in the first place and led the effort to figure out how to make it a success in 2017 and 2019,” Brave Berlin said in a 2022 statement to LINK’s sister publication CityBeat.