Riverfest / WEBN Fireworks on the River

The Western & Southern/WEBN Fireworks and Riverfest draws nearly half a million spectators to the banks of the Ohio River on the Sunday before Labor Day, September 6, 2026, transforming Cincinnati’s riverfront and the neighboring Kentucky communities of Newport and Covington into one of the Midwest’s largest single-day celebrations. This beloved tradition, now entering its 49th year, culminates in a thirty-minute pyrotechnic spectacle launched from a 600-foot barge and spanning two bridges, the fireworks synchronized to a live radio broadcast on WEBN 102.7 FM that has become as much a part of the ritual as the explosions of color reflecting off the water below. Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks, the family-owned company that has orchestrated this display since 1977, pioneered the art of pyro-musical shows, and their hometown performance remains their most anticipated work of the year.

The festivities begin at noon at Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove on the Cincinnati side, where families stake out prime viewing spots on the Serpentine Wall using blankets and tarps, a seasonal rite that marks summer’s final weekend. The Rubber Duck Regatta adds whimsy to the afternoon as hundreds of thousands of yellow rubber ducks race down the Ohio River, their collective bobbing raising funds for the Freestore Foodbank while delighting children stationed along the banks. Live music fills the hours before darkness falls, building anticipation for the 9:00 p.m. launch when the first shells arc skyward and the crowd falls into collective wonder.

Viewing options span both sides of the river and reward those who explore the region’s remarkable waterfront infrastructure. Smale Riverfront Park, named the nation’s top riverwalk by USA Today readers, offers 45 acres of gardens, water features, and family-sized porch swings positioned for unobstructed skyline views. The park’s Carol Ann’s Carousel spins beneath the lights of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, itself a masterpiece completed in 1866 as the longest suspension bridge in the world and the direct architectural ancestor of Brooklyn’s more famous span. Cross to Kentucky via the Purple People Bridge, a 2,670-foot pedestrian-only crossing that ranks among America’s longest, and you’ll find Newport on the Levee hosting its own Riverfest celebration with live music and family activities steps from where the fireworks will illuminate the water.

The surrounding attractions transform a fireworks evening into a full weekend of discovery. Newport Aquarium houses thousands of marine creatures in a million gallons of water, its signature Shark Bridge suspending visitors on a rope crossing just inches above circling predators. BB Riverboats offers sightseeing and dinner cruises along the Ohio, providing perhaps the most privileged fireworks viewing available as vessels anchor mid-river before the show begins. The historic Riverside District in Covington presents one of America’s finest collections of antebellum architecture, its Greek Revival mansions and Italianate townhomes lining streets that seem untouched by the century and a half since their construction.

Dining along the riverfront elevates the celebration beyond festival fare. Moerlein Lager House anchors Smale Riverfront Park, its working microbrewery crafting beers that honor Cincinnati’s nineteenth-century brewing heritage while chefs prepare dishes reminiscent of German beer garden traditions. Chart House commands a position directly on the Ohio River in Newport, its floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Cincinnati skyline as servers present fresh seafood and prime rib to diners who understand that some sunsets deserve commemoration. Montgomery Inn Boathouse has built its reputation on ribs served with sweeping river views, while Buckhead Mountain Grill in nearby Bellevue suspends its deck above the water, offering casual mountain-lodge atmosphere with that coveted Cincinnati panorama.

Practical considerations demand attention. Bridge closures begin at 6:00 p.m., making early arrival essential and requiring visitors to commit to one side of the river for the duration. The Purple People Bridge closes entirely to serve as a fireworks launch point, and traffic following the finale tests even local patience. Those who plan ahead, however, discover that the inconvenience dissolves in the collective joy of a regional tradition that has marked summer’s end for nearly five decades.

To experience Cincinnati’s grandest celebration with the space and comfort your group deserves, book a vacation rental through Lake.com and wake the morning after to quiet waters that just hours before reflected one of the Midwest’s most spectacular displays of light, sound, and community spirit.