TheCincinnati Riverfest (officially theWestern & Southern/WEBN Fireworks) is an annual festival that takes place onLabor Day weekend on theOhio River atCincinnati. It has taken place annually since 1977. The highlight of the event, thefireworks display at 9:05 PM, is one of the largest in theMidwest.[1] The festival's corporate sponsors areWEBN (102.7 FM) andWestern & Southern Financial Group.
The fireworks display was first organized in 1977 by the late and great Frank Wood Jr. A.K.A. Dr. Michael Bo Xanadu as a gift for the listeners to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Cincinnati's 1st ever FM rockradio stationWEBN.[2] It has now evolved into an all-day event is held every year on the day before Labor Day. Cincinnati Bell sponsored Riverfest from 2007 to 2014, when it was known as theCincinnati Bell/WEBN Riverfest.[3]
But in 2020 due to the ongoingCoronavirus Pandemic, Riverfest was cancelled. However the fireworks still went on as usual, but in an undisclosed location. It was revealed to be theKentucky Speedway.
Riverfest is filled with many activities, including the Rubber Duck Regatta, in which hundreds of thousands ofrubber ducks are released into theOhio River to benefit theFreestore Foodbank.[4] The festival ends with a gathering on the banks of the Ohio River inCincinnati, Ohio,Covington, Kentucky, andNewport, Kentucky to watch a half-hour fireworks show set to an underscore heard on WEBN.[5] The fireworks are provided byRozzi's Famous Fireworks Inc. The show attracts nearly 500,000 to the area every year.[1] Over 2,500 boats jam the river to get a front row seat for the show, and the river is patrolled by theUnited States Coast Guard,Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources,Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and local units from Cincinnati andCovington. The river is normally closed between theRoebling Suspension Bridge and the"Big Mac" (Interstate 471) bridge.
 | ThisCincinnati-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |
 | Thispyrotechnics-related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byadding missing information. |