CINCINNATI — Cold temperatures and a post-holiday season lull can sometimes make the winter months a difficult time for businesses in downtown Cincinnati.
To help bring a little warmth to the season, 3CDC and 11 different breweries from across Ohio are teaming up for the third annual Mittenfest at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine.
What You Need To Know
- Mittenfest started amid the pandemic as a way to attract people to downtown and Over-the-Rhine during the winter
- The outdoor beer festival has grown to include 11 breweries from across the state and multiple food trucks
- Organizers hope patrons spend about two hours at Washington Park during the afternoon before going out to visit local bars, restaurants
Now in its third year, the ticketed, outdoor beer festival is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19.
This year’s beer partners include local favorites such as Rhinegeist, Fifty West Brewing, Taft Brewing Co. MadTree, Sam Adams, Listermann Brewing, Esoteric, Mt. Carmel Brewing Company and Northwood Cider Company. Northern Ohio-based Platform Beer Co. and Great Lakes Brewing Company have booths as well.
The event at Washington Park came about a few years ago as a way to bring people downtown. At the time, COVID was still rampant so people wanted a fun but safe winter event outdoors, according to 3CDC. (Photo courtesy of 3CDC)
Each brewery is bringing a complimentary selection of its favorite beers to the event, according to Emily Stowe with 3CDC. They’ll pour a range of styles — stouts, porters, IPAs and an assortment of other unique brews — out of wooden huts lined up along the park’s water fountain area.
Stowe described Mittenfest as a way for the breweries to highlight some of their favorite products that beer drinkers may not know about or be able to get their hands on very often.
Oakley-based MadTree, for instance, is serving its newest beer, Guten Bock — a tribute to Cincinnati’s German heritage and brewing history.
The beer is a traditional doppelbock lager, with notes of caramel, bread and a hint of chocolate to balance things out, said Brady Duncan, a co-founder of MadTree.
“It’s perfect for an event like Mittenfest,” he added.
To get the special Mittenfest brews, a person needs to purchase a ticket online. For $25, a person gets four beer tickets each good for a 10-ounce draft and a ticket for a non-alcoholic beverage, such as a Coca-Cola product or a bottle of water.
It also comes with a voucher redeemable for a draft beer at one of the breweries’ taprooms. That offer is valid from Feb. 18 through March 29.
To avoid large lines, guests are asked when they’re purchasing their ticket to select a pickup time. Each person needs to provide a valid photo ID at pickup to prove they’re at least 21, Stowe said.
Those without a ticket, or who run out of beer passes, can’t buy beer from any of the designated brewery stations, Stowe said. But they can purchase a more standard list of beers, wines and other beverages at The Porch, the permanent bar at the park. None of the special brews for the event will be available for purchase there, Stowe said.
There are plans for four trucks and other entertainment at Washington Park throughout the weekend.
Leading up to Mittenfest, local artist Dan Shields, who created the popular “String Theory” installation during BLINK, partnered with the Bombshells of Cincinnati to create a fiber art piece called “Cozy Curiosities.” It’s three alcoves of yarn and 1,600 “granny squares” that extend across the park’s main gathering space.
At the end of February, they’ll repurpose the squares into scarves and given away to those in need, Stowe said.
Organizers are dressing up Washington Park for the occasion as well. They’re adding additional seating areas and scattering propane heaters throughout the park.
In addition to beer, the event features food trucks, art and other entertainment. Organizers hope guests stay about two hours and then go out to enjoy the rest of what downtown Cincinnati has to offer. (Photo courtesy of 3CDC)
Plans also call for a different DJ each day. Stowe said people shouldn’t expect a dance party in the grass so much as some enjoyable music to add to the ambiance.
The goal is for each attendee to hang at Mittenfest for about two hours before they decide to venture elsewhere, Stowe said. That may not seem like a long time, but organizers planned it that way on purpose.
“We want them to have a great time, but we don’t want to spend their entire time in the park,” Stowe said. “The hope is that people will come down, they’ll spend a couple hours at the park and then they’ll go to a restaurant to sit down and have a meal and warm up or stop at a shop before they head back to their car.”
Activating Over-the-Rhine and downtown during another sleepy time of the year is part of the reason Mittenfest came about, Stowe said. The inaugural event in 2020 took place in the middle of the pandemic when people were itching for a safe way to get out of the house, Stowe said.
While COVID-era restrictions have been lifted mostly, businesses in Cincinnati and elsewhere continue to struggle during winter months compared to the other seasons.
The “sleepy months” of January and February are among the most difficult for businesses, Stowe said, because people don’t go out as much following the holiday season.
“We see this as another draw to get people to come out of their houses, come out from the suburbs, to check out something they maybe haven’t done before,” she added.
MadTree wanted to take part in Mittenfest, Duncan said, because it’s an opportunity to share beers with our community and other breweries from across the state. He also invited people to walk over to his brewery’s second location, Alcove kitchen + bar, which is just around the corner from Washington Park on Vine Street.
“When there’s not much else to do in the winter, this is a great time to get people together to have some fun,” Duncan added.
Stowe was quick to remind that Mittenfest is going to take place rain or shine unless there’s extreme weather. In that case, they’d reschedule for another weekend and ticket-holders would receive a notification by email, Stowe said.
Looking at the radar on Thursday, though, Stowe said the forecast was looking good for the weekend, even if it gets a little cold.
“Bundle up, head downtown, grab a beer and have some fun with us,” she said.
