3CDC is bringing a host of new experiences to civic spaces downtown.
The Frisch’s Mobile Roller Rink will be coming to Fountain Square for the first time, holding residency for the month of April on the plaza. In addition to roller skating, the rink will offer a new experience during the day serving as a pickleball court.
Based on its popularity and growth, Reggae Wednesday will be moving to Washington Park, a larger space that can accommodate a bigger crowd. The 2023 Reggae season will run May through August, with two concerts per month on the civic lawn.
New at Fountain Square, a partnership with Imani Productions, will be held Wednesdays starting in May, 7-10 p.m. The partnership will feature nights of dancing, celebrating community and wine specials featuring live acoustic music by an eclectic sampling of Cincinnati’s premiere artists.
Starting in June, Summer Cinema will be moving from Washington Park to the great lawn at Ziegler Park, a space that offers primarily neighborhood programming.
The popular Jazz series, which began at Memorial Hall before expanding to Washington Park and eventually Fountain Square, has been converted to a year-round program that will be featured across all three spaces.
A monthly BINGO night is being added to Imagination Alley starting in April.
A monthly Wine Walk is being added to Court Street Plaza starting in May.
Other changes to established programming include Tuesday workouts at Washington Park moving to Ziegler Park, new monthly events on Court Street Plaza, enhanced children’s programming across all spaces, and more.
Over the past 19 years, 3CDC has worked closely with the city to renovate several major public spaces. From parks and performance venues to plazas, 3CDC’s work reimagining these community gathering spaces has had an impact on the overall development of downtown and Over-the-Rhine.
What many people may not realize is that after a space is physically renovated, only half the work has been completed. A beautiful greenspace in the urban core or a brand-new playground and park is only as good as the activity taking place in the space. Work must continue to ensure these community assets are vibrant and full of life. For 3CDC, this involves programming about 900 internally produced events a year across six downtown spaces: Washington Park, Fountain Square, Ziegler Park, Court Street Plaza, Imagination Alley, and Memorial Hall, bringing millions of people to the urban core.
Programming includes live music across multiple genres, a summer camp, workout classes, lunchtime events, free swim lessons and much more. At the close of each season, programming is evaluated and tweaked to best serve those who live in and frequent downtown Cincinnati.
3CDC’s goal is to break even on programming at the six civic spaces it manages, which is a roughly $8.4 million undertaking each year. The spaces generate approximately $8 million in revenue annually, from a variety of sources, including:
- 26% – Ice Rink and Ziegler Pool admissions, along with Memorial Hall Ticket revenue;
- 25% – Corporate sponsorships;
- 19% – Concessions;
- 11% – City funding;
- 7% – Rental income;
- 3% – Parking income.
The annual budget shortfall of approximately $350,000-$500,000 is covered by 3CDC’s corporate budget because the organization believes in the importance of activating these civic spaces. The activity drawn to the civic spaces not only adds vibrancy to the urban core, but results in patrons supporting nearby retailers, restaurants and bars after spending time in the civic spaces.
All of the free programming offered at the 3CDC-manage civic spaces is made possible thanks to the support of our generous sponsors: Fifth Third Bank, Procter & Gamble, UC Health, ProLink Staffing, altafiber, First Financial Bank and UDF.