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WEBN Fireworks
Category: Local Flavor Local Flavor [Edit]
750 E Pete Rose WayCincinnati, OH 45202
Neighborhood: Downtown
(513) 686-8300
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for WEBN Fireworks
4 reviews in English
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Review from Rachel G.
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is truly the last big bang of Summer (and yes pun fully intended)
They go off at 9:05 pm on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend every year, in between the Purple People Bridge, and the Taylor Southgate Bridge. The best views front and center are along the Serpentine wall in OH, and Newport on the Levee in KY. There is no bringing coolers and drinks on either side anymore, so keep that in mind.
This place is an absolute madhouse! There are people everywhere, and if you're not putting down blankets bright and early at 6am when they open the park, you're not gonna have much of a chance later on in the evening. There are normally half a million people in this small area, making it hard to move around in. If the weather is crappy, though, there is hardly anyone around, yet the fireworks will still go on! Sometimes getting a little wet is all worth it, and all awesome, as you can walk up to the wall 10-15 minutes before it starts, and find a spot halfway down.
The traffic before and after will be crazy. Pedestrians, and cars, please watch out for the other. Most of the time its worth it to park farther out and walk. That and it will be cheaper. Expect to pay $20-$30. for anything less than half a mile.
But the fact that this goes on for at least a half hour is amazing! Its even better when you can hear the soundtrack from 102.7. I just wish they had more speakers set up so you don't have to bring a radio. So yes there will be massive amounts of people, and cars, and craziness, but in the end its all totally worth it for one of the best fireworks shows in the nation! -
Review from John B.
Most of us that have grown up here know that this fireworks display is pretty much the standard by which all others are judged. While I won't go into detail about the actual fireworks, I will provide some tips I've come to learn over the many years of attending this event.
You may notice people that make a day of it and go the day before and camp out or leave a taped down tarp or blanket to "mark their spot". I for one, think this is a little ridiculous, unless they actually camp out and live there, I don't think people should be able to squat on a spot (and I've seen people take other people's spots anyways). So what do I do in prep for the big show? Hang out with friends and enjoy the day (or air conditioning) instead. Life is short and I don't want to spend it sitting on a blanket waiting and waiting...
What my group (which has ranged in size from 2-40) has found to work is to either take a party bus down to the river (either KY or OH side) and just walk right in about 20-30 minutes prior to the start (9:05PM this year) and just find a spot. Yes, you will probably not all sit/stand together, but you'll be looking up at the fireworks anyway. (have a designated spot to reconvene post fireworks)
Doing the last minute approach will of course put you in contact with the people that have been out in the sun (or in 2011 rain, yuck!) for 10+ hours not drinking and eating what they should, so you need to be careful when and where you are aggressive or confrontational. Having a big guy in your group can be helpful in wading through the crowds.
Since I am a photographer, I have a tripod and all that stuff to setup, so I have to find places that are not completely surrounded by people. Luckily, even when smack dab in the center of the Serpentine Wall walkway, I have been able to do so. Just keep your eyes peeled and there will be spots where, for some unknown reason, no one is around.
Once the fireworks start, people stand in awe of the BOOMING explosions happening waaaay too close to them, and everyone hollers the proverbial oohs and ahhs. Take a few seconds to look around at the crowd's faces and mix of people.
The fireworks are of course synced to WEBN and in this age of iPods and other PMP's, not many people have actual radios and the music is often hard to hear. To prevent not being able to hear the music one thing you can do (if you have a smart phone) is use the iHeartRadio app and stream the station. Another option is to look for "that guy" in the cutoff tshirt that has the sweet boombox from 1986 that runs off 16 D batteries blasting the music. I guarantee you will be able to hear him before you see him. Maybe slip him a five as a token of your appreciation. He may even let you hold the boombox and you can reenact John Cusack in Say Anything. I dare you.
Most importantly, enjoy the fireworks. They are always over before you know it.
After the fireworks are over, do not rush out, wait for the massive throng to disperse/collapse and then casually saunter back to your (sober!) ride or drinking establishment and talk about your favorite part of the fireworks. (Or run full speed to the bathroom since you have been holding it since they started.)Listed in: High Five 2011
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Review from Karina M.
4/16/2008 1 photo
Okay, if you've read my review of WEBN you know that I don't think much of the station. Their fireworks display, to the contrary, is spectacular.
The dangerous part of the gig is executed by world renowned Rozzi's Famous Fireworks of Loveland, OH. These pioneers of pyrotechnics leave tens of thousands of spectators ohh-ing and ahh-ing the entire display. And the miraculous thing is that they manage to top themselves year over year.
Held on the Sunday before Labor Day, WEBN's fireworks are unique because the bombs blast in seamless synchronicity to the station's classic rock soundtrack. For thirty minutes, the skyline of Cincinnati is transformed into an electric light orchestra that rivals any fireworks display in the nation.
So why only four stars? The crowd.
No matter where you go--on the river in a boat, to a bar on the shore, in a park on a hill--there are drunken idiots who make the event feel somewhat trashy.
But don't let that keep you away. The best places to watch (in my opinion) are Devou Park (technically dry) or Newport Central Catholic (all wet). -
Review from Dan J.
College Hill, OH
10/11/2008 6 photos
The best fireworks display I've ever seen, and I used to work at Walt Disney World.
Growing up in Cincinnati, I don't think there was any single event that was more ubiquitous and universal among Cincinnatians than the WEBN fireworks. It's quite vivid in my mind: school would start back up just before labor day weekend, a precursor to the explosive (pun intended) event every schoolkid anxiously awaited, not to mention the joy of starting the school year with a 3-day weekend.
Delusions of firework-grandeur would melt away as my family would park (First tip: take a bus down to the river, there are park and ride stations set up all over the city. You can arrive later in the day, and leave earlier than anyone else) what seemed to be a thousand miles from our final destination on the Kentucky-side of the river.
Finally reaching the flood wall, we would find a suitable place to set-up (Second tip: always bring a blanket and enough to keep you and your party occupied) and patiently await the sun's dissapearance so the fireworks could commence. Night would finally come and the moment tens of thousands of people had been waiting for would finally arrive. Set to a soundtrack (Last tip: Bring a handheld radio and tune in to WEBN for the full effect), the fireworks would burst forth, reflecting in the wide eyes of young and old. Even though they last for around 30 minutes, they end too soon every year, leaving everyone, young and old, anticipating next year's WEBN Fireworks.
