BLINK, the United States’ largest lights and arts festival, is set to return to Northern Kentucky, this time adding Newport to the equation.
Kicking off Thursday and lasting until Sunday, BLINK covers 30 city blocks of Covington, Newport, and multiple areas of Cincinnati, including downtown, The Banks, Over-the-Rhine and Findlay Market.
In past years, BLINK has attracted over 2 million people to the Greater Cincinnati area and has had a $126 million economic impact on the region, according to a BLINK Economic Impact Report published in 2022.
This year will be the fourth iteration of BLINK. The show started in 2017, then expanded in 2019 and again in 2022. This year, BLINK will feature over 80 projects by local, national and international artists. Its theme is “Let it Shine,” expressed through a larger-than-life parade, featuring puppets, performers, and glowing costumes, from Paycor Stadium to Great American Ballpark. The parade will act as BLINK’s opening ceremony.
On Oct. 14, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted BLINK Executive Director Justin Brookhart, Covington Vice Mayor Ron Washington, and Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. at its Eggs ‘N Issues breakfast panel. The trio discussed the 2024 iteration of the festival and its potential cultural and economic impact on Northern Kentucky. The panel was moderated by Julie Kirkpatrick, who leads meetNKY, Northern Kentucky’s tourism bureau.
“At the end of the day, it is all about bringing new people here and showcasing how we connect,” Kirkpatrick said. “We (meetNKY) think these mega events like the Cincinnati Music Festival, like BLINK, like Taylor Swift last year, put new eyes on our region.”
BLINK Executive Director Justin Brookhart likened the festival to a “giant public art party.” This is Brookhart’s second festival as BLINK executive director.
“We’re so excited for things to kick off here on Thursday, on the 17th, and you see everything we have in store,” Brookhart said. “Just an incredible array of artists and collaborators from all over the world and from this region coming together.”
For the fourth ever BLINK, LINK nky compiled a list of all the installations spread across Covington and Newport. The list below was compiled from publicly available information on the official BLINK website.
Click here to view the BLINK map.
Covington Zone
The City of Covington is hosting BLINK for a third time. Covington Vice Mayor Ron Washington called the opportunity to host the festival once more as a “big deal.”
“We in the city realize we’re quirky and that’s what brings people here,” he said. “They want to be part of Covington, and we want to continue this. BLINK is easy for us. I mean, it’s the greatest artist show in the region, and we’re glad to participate in it.”
Unglued
Covington will feature a combined total of 10 projections and art installations. There will be multiple venues for people to watch live music, including in front of Braxton Brewing on W. 7th Street and along the Ohio River in front of the Embassy Suites by Hilton.
Location: Corner of Madison Avenue and E. 7th Street (Hotel Covington)
Artist: mammasONica
Radiant
Location: Corner of Madison Avenue and W. Pike Street (The Hannaford)
Artist: Filip Roca
Sponsored by first financial bank
- An audio-visual projection mapping artwork that explores how rays of light scatter when they hit an object. The play of light on the building will create new dimensions, changing how viewers perceive the building’s exterior.
Utopia
Location: E. 6th Street
Sponsored by Connetic Ventures
- Utopia is a projection-mapping experience that explores “Heart Consciousness,” which is also described as how the heart interacts with the rest of the body, specifically the brain, creating a harmonic utopia.
Cheers to 25 Years
Location: Corner of Madison Avenue and W. 5th Street
Artist: Cincy Illuminations
Sponsored by C-Forward
- Projection of the C-Forward building will be a “colorful, ever-changing dance of light and shadows.”
Clive
Location: Scott Boulevard
Artist: Mark Phelps
- Clive the Alien, a massive alien sculpture holding a magnifying glass, will be part of this year’s festivities.
Vanishing Portrait
Location: Scott Boulevard
Artist: Drive Media House and JONBOB
Sponsored by United Way of Greater Cincinnati
- A city-wide portrait of the citizens of Cincinnati transitioning from one to another. Featuring elements like fog, the goal of the installation is to “represent the Future City in its life, vibrancy, diversity and the spirit of hope that it embodies.”
Loophole
Location: Scott Boulevard and E. 6th Street (Kenton County Public Library)
Artist: Calidos
And Beyond
Location: Scott Boulevard
Artist: Sean Van Pragg
Flux
Location: Intersection of Park Place and Court Street
Artist: KSAWERY KOMPUTERY
Barter Boat
Location: Park Place
Artist: Radar Art
Newport Zone
Newport is hosting BLINK installations for the first time in the festival’s history. The city will feature a combined total of eight projections and art installations. People will be able to listen to live music at Ovation’s MegaCorp Pavilion and Newport on the Levee.
Additionally, MegaCorp Pavilion will host BLINK After Glow on Saturday, October 9, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. DJ Austin Millz will headline the event. Other featured artists include DJ BoyWife and DJ Prymtime.
Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli said the city looks forward to continue growing its art scene.
“One of the things in Newport, I think, that is incredibly unique is the diversity of housing stock opportunities, different environments as you go through, and the idea of placement — we have so many place-making situations that we’re proud of, and we’re continuing to improve this,” he said.
The Tunnel
Location: Ovation Way (Ovation)
Sponsored by Corporex
- The Tunnel is a ” one-way trip to another side.” It will feature a series of 12-foot-tall structures that create a tunnel of light and sound, spanning over 100 feet in total. The 3D design uses over 150 LED bars and pixel mapping to create a vortex of light.
- “The tunnel will be there going toward the right, and you’ll be able to change the colors, activate it, walk through it while you’re getting that whole view of downtown with all the BLINK activities taking place on both sides of both rivers,” Corporex VP of Marketing Suzanne Deatherage told LINK nky.
Shadow REVEL
Location: York Street (Campbell County Judicial Center)
Artist: Jessica Wolf
Spiraluminance
Location: York Street and W. 4th Street (Campbell County Judicial Center)
Artist: Christine Langford
Biomimicry
Location: E. 3rd Street (Thompson House)
Artist: Hotaru Visual Gorilla
Shy Lights
Location: E. 3rd Steet (Newport on the Levee)
Artist: Nathan Whitford
Sponsored by Republic Bank & Trust Co.
Healthcare Heroes Save the Day
Location: W. 2nd Street (Newport on the Levee)
Artist: 4Wall Entertainment
Sponsored by St. Elizabeth Healthcare
- To celebrate St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s 160th anniversary, this installation will illuminate a mural created by ArtWorks and St. Elizabeth Healthcare at Newport on the Levee. The mural will honor the dedication of healthcare heroes who worked on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Picture Yourself
Location: Levee Way (Newport Aquarium)
Artist: The Adventurer (Mark Demaria and Kevin Kunz)
- This interactive piece features eight different animations where participants can see dragons, wizards, animals, and zombies, among other things.
Terminal of Time
Location: W. 2nd Street (Newport on the Levee)
Artist: DecideKit
Sponsored by the Cincinnati Museum Center
- In this exhibit, history will come alive as towering dinosaurs and other figures will take viewers on a journey through time.