By Giulia Gutzwiller, Arts and Entertainment Editor 

Cincinnati’s annual Riverfest celebration was held this past Sunday, marking the end of summer with live music, food vendors and one of the largest fireworks shows in the Midwest.  

Riverfest originated in 1977, with a fireworks display to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of radio station WEBN. Since then, it has transformed into an all-day event held the Sunday before Labor Day with a variety of entertainment.  

The celebration continues to draw crowds in its 49th year. According to WCPO 9 News, nearly half a million people were expected to attend this year’s celebration.  

On the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River, the festivities took place at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove, with food vendors lined up along the walkways and musicians playing throughout the parks. Crowds made their way to the riverfront as early as 3 p.m. to secure a spot for their blankets and chairs.  

Across the Ohio River, in Newport, KY, there were just as many food and entertainment options leading up to the fireworks. There were more dining and seating options at Newport on the Levee. Crowds also began setting up blankets and chairs early on the grassy hills overlooking the river and the Cincinnati skyline.  

“One thing that stood out to me was the amount of things to do. There were so many options for food and so many activities that didn’t cost a lot of money,” sophomore business major Liv Jalowiec said.  

One challenge many people faced was transportation. The number of attendees, various road closures and limited parking made it difficult for some to get around.  

“Traffic was pretty bad, but I would honestly say the foot traffic was worse than the car traffic,” sophomore digital innovation, film and television (DIFT) major Lauren Everling said.  

The Office of Student Involvement (OSI) provided buses that departed from Currito around 8 p.m. to take 135 students to see the fireworks.  

“Taking the bus provided by OSI was probably a better way to get there. I drove onto the Kentucky side, and it was hard to find public parking nearby that wasn’t super expensive because they jack up the prices for events like this,” Jalowiec said.  

By sunset, both sides of the riverfront were filled with people looking forward to the fireworks display. The evening festivities kicked off at 9 p.m. with a drone show that illuminated the night sky. The drones hovered over the crowd, changing colors and moving as a unit to create different images.  

Each colorful explosion elicited applause and cheers from the crowd. Some highlights of the display included green and pink fireworks soaring through the air during Cynthia Erivo’s “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked,” and fireworks shooting high into the sky during Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “My Shot” from “Hamilton.” The fireworks also matched the instrumentals of “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and many other classics.  

“Overall, it was a really good experience and I love this tradition that we have,” Everling said. 

“As someone who is from out of town and hadn’t seen these fireworks before, I thought they were some of the best I’ve ever seen,” Jalowiec said. “I was really impressed the last two years, and I’m excited to see them again next year.”