It's big, it's bright and it's coming back.

BLINK will return to the Queen City this October.

In 2017, the art and light event transformed 20 blocks of downtown Cincinnati with colorful spectacles on buildings, sculptures and sidewalks. The free, four-day event brought an estimated one million people to the area.

The 2019 BLINK will again feature large-scale projection mapping, murals by international artists, interactive light sculptures and diverse entertainment. BLINK will continue to be free and open to the public.

It will run Oct. 10-13, 2019.

After a successful 2017 event, BLINK’s future was uncertain. Until early 2018, organizers stayed tight-lipped on whether the festival would return to Cincinnati.

Jill P. Meyer, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber said last year, “Preparations and fundraising are already underway for BLINK in 2019.” and “We look forward to partnering with those leaders and businesses who know this event, like no other, puts Cincinnati on the global map as an innovative, inclusive and creative future city.”

The art and light event is the only of its kind in the United States.

The event will stretch from Cincinnati’s Findlay Market neighborhood south to Covington, Kentucky – bridging two states, and spanning 30 city blocks and a river.

Grouplove will play a free concert the night of Saturday, October 12 in Covington’s RiverCenter parking lot.

BLINK officials said opening acts for the concert will be announced soon.

The concert is a collaboration between Kroger Wellness Your Way Festival, Blink and Corporex.

“Thanks very much to Corporex and the producers of BLINK for collaborating with Kroger’s Wellness Your Way Festival to bring a free Grouplove concert to Northern Kentucky,” said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. “We look forward to sharing internationally known live music and the Kroger Wellness Your Way Festival, October 11-13, with fans of BLINK.”

A new mural, a permanent addition to the community, will be created for BLINK by locally based Xylene. It will be across the street from Covington’s River Center, on the north side of the TANK garage.

COO of BLINK Bendon Cull said more than 20 installations will be featured from the Roebling Bridge to Seventh and Madison.

“Covington will be one of BLINK’s most densely packed zones for art, light, music and food,” he said. “We are thrilled to be expanding the wildly popular art and culture event, BLINK, into Northern Kentucky. It has always been our vision to celebrate our region as a community wide celebration.”

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