How to go
What: Ubahn Music Festival
Where: Transit Center West (between Pete Rose Way and Central Parkway), Cincinnati
When: 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Cost: $20-$30
More info: www.ubahnfest.com
Cincinnati is not New York, so you’d be forgiven if you didn’t realize there were two sets of tunnels running beneath the city. One contained the city’s former subway system. The other is an underutilized bus hub. It is this latter space that will be used for the Ubahn Music Festival, a literally underground electronic and hip-hop festival, the first of its kind in Cincinnati.
The event is Friday and Saturday nights.
“We did an event for Scion last year called Scion Exposed (a free auto event) in that space,” said Josh Heuser, founder of AGAR, a local brand management and event marketing company. “It’s a bus terminal built prior to the Banks on Second Street, but it’s never really been used for that. We realized it would be great for a ticketed event. Because it was built to hold buses, it’s an indoor/outdoor venue that could hold 15,000 people, which is perfect for rain or shine. The uniqueness of the venue and the need for a hip-hop festival in Cincinnati is what really drove it.”
AGAR partnered with Self Diploma, a local concert promoter that books national and regional acts for smaller Cincinnati venues, including, for the past two summers, a free hip-hop/electronic concert series on Fountain Square. However, according to Self Diploma co-founder Sean Herron, there are no consistent local venues for hip-hop and electronic music.
“There are some shows at the Madison Theater and Bogart’s,” he said. “But there isn’t a specific venue for it, not a lot of great opportunities.”
Heuser said, “Not a lot of people will take a chance on shows like this, but it’s a growing market. There are a ton of festivals that target their demographic very specifically. I think this festival complements festivals like Midpoint very well. It’s something the city needs.”
Ubahn is for fans aged 18 and older, and for this inaugural event, Heuser is anticipating between 3,000 and 5,000 people. In addition to the action on the two stages, there will be several food trucks, alcohol, live graffiti, skateboard ramps and more than 25 “culture vendors,” locally owned shops and boutiques. Like most festivals on city property, Ubahn will stop serving alcohol one prior to closing, which in this case is 1 a.m.
Patrons will access the festival on Second Street between Pete Rose Way and Central Parkway. There will be signs and tents to help people along. The festival headliners include Mike Posner, The Animal Crackers, A-Trak and Cal Scruby.
“We’re working closely with the city to make sure everything is run smoothly,” Heuser said. “There will be plenty of police and fire in addition to our own security. As the audience develops, our goal is to have it return next year.”
About the Author