CINCINNATI — It's a busy weekend in the Queen City!
Oktoberfest is taking place downtown, the Bengals host their home-opener against the Ravens on Sunday, a The National's Homecoming festival is at Smale Park's ICON Festival stage and Ride Cincinnati will see hundreds of bicyclists take off from and return to Sawyer Point Park.
If you plan on heading downtown for any of the festivities, here's everything you need to know to have a weekend of fun:
Road Closures:
Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is in full force along 5th Street from east of Main Street onto Columbia Parkway and the highway entrance ramps. The four-days of authentic German fun have led to multiple road closures through Monday, Sept. 18 at 5 a.m. Those include:
- 5th Street between Walnut and Columbia Parkway
- Columbia Parkway between downtown and 6th Street ramp
- Sycamore Street between 6th and 4th Street
- Broadway between 4th and 6th Street
- Sentinel Street
- Lawrence Street
- Main Street between 4th and 6th Street during event hours
Parking:
Ride Cincinnati isn't leading to any road closures, but there may be some slowed traffic due to the designated bike lanes for the event. The event will more so lead to parking issues because those wanting to park along the riverfront for the Bengals game.
The start and finish line is located at Sawyer Point just east of the Purple People Bridge. Riders than travel Riverside Drive along the Ohio River through East End before they continue to the Lunken Airport Trail and the Little Miami Scenic Trail depending on how far they plan to bike. Riders planning to bike 64 miles will kick off at 7 a.m. with intervals of riders taking off until 10:30 a.m.
There's multiple parking lots in walking distance to Oktoberfest that attendees can park at:
West and North of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati
- Fountain Square — 520 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- Fountain Square South — 416 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- 3CDC Public Parking — 400-434 Race St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- SP+ Parking — 410 Race St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- Ampco System Parking — 418 Main St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- LAZ Parking Garage — 150 E 3rd St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
- SP+ Parking — 100 E 3rd St., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Eggleston and North of Oktoberfest Zinzinnati
Self-pay Parking:
- Park Place Lot #31 — Park Place Parking, 500 Eggleston Ave #45202, Cincinnati, OH 45202
- 7th & Culvert Street Lots — ABM Parking
- Park Place Parking — 7th Street, 237 East 7th Street
- 902 Eggleston Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Attendant-monitored Parking:
- 301 Eggleston Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (surface lot only)
- 486 Culvert St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 (Lot 5-E)
Parking at any of these lots will be $10-20 based on proximity to the footprint.
On Sunday, parking is available for the Bengals game in various places.
Garage lots will open six hours prior to kickoff, and surface lots will ope four hour prior to kickoff.
For those looking for handicap-accessible parking, there is single-game parking available in Lot 1, which is located at the corner of Pete Rose Way and Central Avenue. This parking is on a first-come, first-served basis.
You can click here to see a map of Bengals parking options.
Here are other pay lots and garages available for Bengals games:
- Duke Energy Center Garage 1: 605 Plum Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Duke Energy Center Garage 2: 609 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Fountain Square Garage: 520 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Enquirer Building Parking Garage: 312 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH
- 3rd and Race Street Lot: Corner of 3rd Street and Race Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Scripps Center Garage: 312 Walnut Street, Cincinnati, OH
- 3rd and Main Lot: 120 E 3rd Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Queen City Square Parking Garage: 319-331 E. 4th Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Western and Southern Garage: 310 Broadway Street, Cincinnati, OH
- Longworth Hall Lot: 700 W. Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH
- South Lot: 131 Madison Street, Newport, KY
- The Beer Sellar & Hooters: 301 Riverboat Row, Newport, KY **
**Queen City Riverboats will pick up fans at The Beer Sellar and Hooters for $6 per person. Keep the ticket and the return is free. The riverboats start two (2) hours prior to kickoff, continuing for every 30 minutes until kickoff. Return trips begin at halftime, end of the 3rd quarter, end of the game, and continuing for an additional 45 minutes.
Will the City Connector be running?
The Cincinnati City Connector WILL still be running the entire weekend during all of these events. The 3.6-mile loop, which has 18 different stops through the city, is a great way to quickly get to your destination, whether that be Oktoberfest, The Banks for Bengals tailgating or Smale Park, if you opt to park further away.
Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft will be able to drop you off at your preferred destination, but rates may be higher during special events like the Bengals game or Oktoberfest.
If you plan to rideshare on Sunday for the Bengals game, the designated location for drop-off and pick-up is located on Second Street between Vine and Walnut streets.
