CINCINNATI — On Thursday, thousands of participants will march up 5th Street, from Broadway to Elm, to kick off the 2022 BLINK arts and light festival.
The parade will step off at 7:30 p.m. and more than 2,500 participants are expected to light up the streets of downtown as it makes its way to the parade stage on Elm St., near the Duke Energy Convention Center.
This year, the parade's theme is "Together: a constellation of shared cultures and unique identities; we illuminate joy through creative expression," according to a press release from ArtsWave.
New to this year's parade will be community-nominated "Torchbearers" who will carry glowing BLINK torches during the parade. Of the nominations made by local community members, a committee selected ten:
- Will from Make-A-Wish
- Kristen Schlotmann
- Toilynn O’Neal Turner
- Lee Turner
- Jo Martin
- Ian & Jessica Orr
- Gary Dangel
- Charlotte Reed
- Sherry Hughes
- Isaac Wright
The parade route will cause road closures in the surrounding areas Thursday, starting at 6:30 p.m. that evening. Roads will reopen at around 11 p.m. later that night:
- Fifth Street — closed between Central Avenue and Pike Street
- Broadway — closed between Fourth Street and Sixth Street
- Sycamore Street — closed between Sixth Street and Fourth Street (Garage access maintained from Sixth Street)
- Main Street — closed between Fourth Street and Sixth Street
- Walnut Street — closed between Sixth Street and Fourth Street (Garage access maintained from Sixth Street)
- Vine Street — closed between Fourth Street and Sixth Street (Hotel access maintained from Fourth Street)
- Race Street — closed between Sixth Street and Fourth Street (Garage access maintained from Fourth Street)
- Elm Street — closed between Fourth Street and Sixth Street
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