CINCINNATI — You don't have to break the bank to have fun this summer.
Check out this guide to free or discounted events taking place during the lazy months ahead.
Party on the Purple: 6-11 p.m. Wednesdays until Aug. 7. Purple People Bridge, 1 Levee Way, Newport. Free. The weekly summer party series includes live music, food trucks, beer, wine and spirits. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Reggae Wednesdays: 7-10 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 28. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. Free. Put a little “weekend” in your Wednesday with the help of free reggae concerts. myfountainsquare.com
Rockin' the Roebling: 6-10 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 15. Schmidlapp Event Lawn, Smale Riverfront Park, Downtown. Free. This summer party and concert series features Cincinnati bands, along with Christian Moerlein food and beer for purchase. The Schmidlapp Event Lawn is located next to the Moerlein Lager House at The Banks. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Local Music Showcase: 6:30-10 p.m. June 18, July 2 and Aug. 6. Sawyer Point Park, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. Free. The riverfront will be rocking this summer thanks to two new music concert series presented by Cincinnati Parks at Sawyer Point. The Local Music Showcase will spotlight local performers. www.cincinnatiparks.com
Sawyer Point Summer Concert Series: 6-10 p.m. June 28; July 12 and 26; Aug. 2, 9 and 30; and Sept. 21. Sawyer Point Park, 705 E. Pete Rose Way, Downtown. Free. The Saywer Point Summer Concert Series is the second new music series presented by Cincinnati Parks. This series takes place on select Fridays starting June 28. www.cincinnatiparks.com
Opera in the Park: 7:30 p.m. June 9. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Celebrate the start of Cincinnati Opera’s 99th Summer Festival with a magical evening of music in Washington Park. The Cincinnati Opera Chorus and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will perform. www.cincinnatiopera.org
Edgewood Summer Concert Series: 7-9 p.m. June 11, 18 and 25. President's Park, 283 Dudley Pike, Edgewood, KY. Free. This free summer concert series kicks off with a free concert by the Sweet Beats on June 11. edgewoodky.gov
Foley Road Music Festival: 2-11 p.m. June 15. Delhi Park, 5125 Foley Road, Delhi. Free admission. Celebrate Delhi Park's new performance stage with fun, food and music. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Acoustic Lunches at Piatt Park: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, June 4-Aug. 29. Piatt Park, 100 Garfield Place, Downtown. Free. Each week a different local artist will perform an acoustic concert. For more information visit the Facebook event page.
Roots Revival: 7-9 p.m. Thursday through Aug. 29. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Enjoy an evening of free bluegrass, roots and Americana music at Washington Park’s bandstand. washingtonpark.org
Friday Flow: 7-10 p.m. Fridays through Aug. 16. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Weekly R&B concert series with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. beforehand. washingtonpark.org
Hump Day Concerts: 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 14. Voice of America Park, 7850 VOA Park Drive, West Chester. Free. Voice of America offers live music, food and beverages by the gazebo each Wednesday this summer. yourmetroparks.net
Summer Concerts in the Park: 7-9 p.m. June 15 and 29; July 6 and 20; Aug. 24; Sept. 14. Great Parks of Hamilton County. Free. Enjoy pop, funk, rock, the blues and more during free summer concerts taking place at four different Hamilton County parks. www.greatparks.org
Pops in the Park: 8:15 p.m. July 24. Woodland Mound, 8250 Old Kellogg Road, Amelia. Free. The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra will perform songs from across musical genres. greatparksforever.org
Frank Sinatra Tribute Show: 7-8 p.m. July 20. Boone Woods Park, 6000 Veterans Way, Burlington, KY. Free. Matt Snow, “The Cincinnati Sinatra,” and The Casino Players Orchestra pay homage to the legend during this free tribute show. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Art After Dark: 5-10 p.m. June 28, July 26 and Aug. 30. Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Mount Adams. Free. On the last Friday of every month the Cincinnati Art Museum hosts a themed evening of museum tours and live music. Food and drinks also will be available for purchase. www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org
OTR Performs: 6-9 p.m. Sundays, June 9-Aug. 25. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Enjoy arts programming in the park on Sunday evenings. washingtonpark.org
Trillium Art & Music Fair: Noon-9 p.m. June 9. Glenwood Gardens, 10397 Springfield Pike, Woodlawn. The Trillium Art & Music Fair will feature more than 30 local artists showcasing illustrations, photography, textiles and painting. The afternoon also will include live local music, demonstrations, crafts, food and drinks. www.greatparks.org
Taft Museum House Party: 5-8 p.m. Second Thursday of each month. Taft Museum of Art, 316, Pike St., Downtown. Free admission. The Taft Museum invites everyone to crash the house after work with this standing, open invitation. Each month's House Party is based on a different theme. The June 13 theme will celebrate Pride with a courtyard co-hosted by Below Zero Lounge. Festivities will include aerial artists, drag performers and music by DJ Bjorg. taftmuseum.org
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 7-8 p.m. June 20. Boone Woods Park, 6000 Veterans Way, Burlington, KY. Free. Madcap Puppets will bring the epic adventure to life. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Cincinnati Shakespeare in the Park: June 21-Aug. 30. Various public park locations. Free. The Cincinnati Shakespeare Co. provides one of the largest programs for free outdoor Shakespeare performance in the nation, both in number of stops and the radius of the region visited. Admission to every park tour performance is free and open to the public. cincyshakes.com
Boone Woods Art and Crafts Show: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 15. Boone Woods Park, 6000 Veterans Way, Burlington, KY. Free. Area artists will sell their work and crafts. Bluegrass music will be on the Creekside Stage. For more information visit the Facebook event page.
The City Flea: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 15, July 20, Aug. 17 and Sept. 14. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free admission. The City Flea is a curated, urban flea market featuring the works of local artists and vendors. The Aug. 17 market will feature space for 33 children to display and sell their creations. www.thecityflea.com
Art on Vine: Noon-6 p.m. June 2, July 7 and Aug. 4. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. Free admission. Art on Vine seeks to benefit a different local nonprofit every month while also providing a one-on-one art buying experience. www.artonvinecincy.com
Second Sunday on Main: Noon-5 p.m. June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8 and Oct. 13. Main Street between 12th and Liberty streets, Over-the-Rhine. Free admission. Browse Main Street merchants, plus more than 100 vendors, while enjoying the Biergarten lounge, food trucks and live entertainment the second Sunday of each month this summer. secondsundayonmain.org
Summer Cinema: 9-11 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 21. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Dust off those lawn chairs, grab a picnic basket and enjoy a free movie screening each Wednesday. washingtonpark.org
Friday Night Flick: 8-11:30 p.m. June 14. Freedom Park, 550 Freedom Park Drive, Edgewood, KY. Free. A screening of "Ralph Breaks the Internet" will begin at dusk. There will be free popcorn and water, along with items from Kona Ice and other vendors available for purchase. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Movie Nights: Starting at dusk June 22, July 27 and Aug. 17. Memorial Park, 2003 Jack Woods Parkway, Independence, KY. Free. Enjoy free screenings of "A Dog's Way Home," "How to Train Your Dragon 3" and "Dumbo" this summer. www.cityofindependence.org
Yoga at Piatt Park: 6-7 p.m. Mondays in June. Piatt Park, 100 Garfield Place, Downtown. Free. Classes are open to all fitness levels. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Smale Mind & Body: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 25. Free. Smale Riverfront Park, West Mehring Way, Downtown. Yoga classes will be held on the Schmidlapp Event Lawn located next to Moerlein Lager House. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Yoga Fit with Rooted Yoga: 9-10 a.m. Saturdays through July 27. Devou Park Band Shell, Covington. Free. Wear comfortable clothing and bring your own yoga mat. Limited, class-use mats will be provided free of charge. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Weekend Workout: 9-10 a.m. Saturdays through Aug. 31. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. will Licensed Central Parkway YMCA instructors lead rotating fitness classes. For more information visit the Facebook event page.
P&G Workout on the Green: 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Aug. 28. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Licensed, trained instructors will lead all classes. washingtonpark.org
Outdoor Fitness & Yoga Series: 7-8 p.m. Tuesdays, June-August. Winton Woods Harbor Amphitheater, 10245 Winton Road, Greenhills. Free. Head to Great Parks for free outdoor fitness classes to switch up your cardio routine. www.greatparks.org
Adult Swim at Ziegler Park: 7:30-10 p.m. June 27, July 25 and Aug. 29. Ziegler Park, 1322 Sycamore St., Pendleton. $10. Ages 21 and older only. The last Thursday of the month from May to August, Ziegler pool will have its bar open and a DJ for adult-only evenings. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Smale Family Fun: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. June 13, July 11 and Aug. 1. Smale Riverfront Park, 166 W. Mehring Way, Downtown. Free. Meet naturalists from Cincinnati Parks’ Explore Nature, play lawn games, listen to live music and enjoy a variety of roaming and staged performers. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Summer Adventures with the Library: 1-3 p.m. Wednesdays, June 12-Aug. 14. Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Free. Join the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County main library staff for fun summer activities for the entire family. washingtonpark.org
Fountain Feud: 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays through Oct. 8. Fountain Square, 520 Vine St., Downtown. Free. Take game night to the square every Tuesday for Queen City's version of the classic TV game show. myfountainsquare.com
Salsa on the Square: 7-10 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 26. Free. Salsa on the Square features live local and regional Latin bands specializing in salsa, merengue, cumbia and Latin jazz. In addition to the live music, local dance instructors host large dance classes teaching basic and intermediate Latin dancing. myfountainsquare.com
Crazy Cardboard Regatta: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. July 20. Voice of America MetroPark, 7850 VOA Park Drive, West Chester. Free. Just watch or build your own boat and participate in the 10th Annual Crazy Cardboard Regatta. yourmetroparks.net
Mud Mania: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Aug. 8 and 9. Rentschler Forest MetroPark, 5701 Reigart Road, Hamilton. $5 ages 5 and older; free under age 5; $50 mud volleyball team. Come out to enjoy mud volleyball tournaments, a water slide, muddy pools and vendors. yourmetroparks.net
Great Miami River First Peoples Celebration: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 29. Governor Bebb MetroPark, 1979 Bebb Park Lane, Okeana. $5 for ages 5 and older; free under age 5. Experience first-hand the vibrant culture of Native Americans while embracing the opportunity to honor their traditions. Activities will include a drum circle, dancers dressed in regalia and inter-tribal traditional/contemporary dance and song demonstrations. yourmetroparks.net
Summer Food Truck Hot Spot Series: 5:30-8:30 p.m. alternating Wednesdays, June 15-Sept. 21. Union Park, 10165 Old Union Road, Union, KY. A variety of Cincinnati Food Truck Association members will bring different cuisines to Union. For more information visit the event Facebook page.
Magic, puppets and more: 7 p.m. June 7 and 14; Aug. 2, 9 and 16; Sept. 13. Free. Enjoy MadCap Puppets, a Jason & Lucas the Great magic show and learn about animals during these free events. www.cityofindependence.org
