Meet Me At Main!
Main Library Reopening Celebration
July 12 - 14, 2024
Thanks for Coming to the Reopening Celebration!
Thousands of you enjoyed family-friendly events while you explored exciting updates at your Downtown Main Library.
Events Schedule
Get a Recap on the Live Blog: See what happened at the reopening celebration!
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- 10 a.m. | Ribbon Cutting
- 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Guided Tours (Signup link)
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Storytimes with Mascots and Media
- 11-11:30 a.m. | Cincinnati Bengals’ Who Dey with FOX 19’s Julie O’Neill
- 12-12:30 p.m. | Cincinnati Reds’ Rosie Red with Local 12’s Sheila Gray
- 1:30-2 p.m. | FC Cincinnati’s Gary with WLWT’s Ashley Kirklen
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Live Music with Cincinnati Music Accelerator featuring DJ Dior
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Food Trucks
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Chalk Art with Pam Kravetz and Indigo Hippo
- 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Songs from the Social Stairs with DJ Vader
- 12 - 1 p.m. | "How to Go Viral and Turn It Into a Full-Time Job" with Clancy Burke
- 2-4 p.m. | Live with Grammy-Nominated Children's Entertainer Zak Morgan
- 4-5 p.m. | Crosstown Readout with Athletes and Mascots from Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati
Friday, July 12
10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
- 10 a.m. | Ribbon Cutting
- 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Guided Tours (Signup link)
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Storytimes with Mascots and Media
- 11-11:30 a.m. | Cincinnati Bengals’ Who Dey with FOX 19’s Julie O’Neill
- 12-12:30 p.m. | Cincinnati Reds’ Rosie Red with Local 12’s Sheila Gray
- 1:30-2 p.m. | FC Cincinnati’s Gary with WLWT’s Ashley Kirklen
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Live Music with Cincinnati Music Accelerator featuring DJ Dior
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Food Trucks
- 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Chalk Art with Pam Kravetz and Indigo Hippo
- 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Songs from the Social Stairs with DJ Vader
- 12 - 1 p.m. | "How to Go Viral and Turn It Into a Full-Time Job" with Clancy Burke
- 2-4 p.m. | Live with Grammy-Nominated Children's Entertainer Zak Morgan
- 4-5 p.m. | Crosstown Readout with Athletes and Mascots from Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati
Saturday, July 13
10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- All Day | World Record Attempt for Most Library Card Signups
- All Day | Guided Tours (Signup link)
- 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Nintendo Super Smash Tournament hosted by University of Cincinnati Football Players and the Cincinnati Fear
- 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Food Trucks
- 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Pickleball with Cincinnati Tennis Foundation
- 1 p.m. | Exhibition Match with Adaptive Pickleball
- 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. | DJ Music with Cincinnati Music Accelerator featuring Preston Charles III, Jimmy Ruehlman, and DJ Dior
- 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Experimenting with Physical Science Hosted by the Cincinnati Museum Center
- 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Live music with DJ Etrayn
- Noon - 1 p.m. | Dance 101 with Pones
- Noon - 5 p.m. | Friendship Bracelet-Making Station
- 1 - 5 p.m. | Touch a Truck with the Cincinnati Fire Department
- 1 - 2:30 p.m. | Live with Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
- 2 - 4 p.m. | How to Be a DJ with DJ Vader
- 4 - 5:30 p.m. | Writing Rap Lyrics with Laurent Che
- 4 - 5:30 p.m. | Live music with DJ Monet
- 5:30 - 7 p.m. | "Taylor's Version: Why Taylor Swift Resonates" by Melissa Jacquart
- 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. | Live Music with Soul Pocket
Sunday, July 14
1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
- 1 - 2 p.m. | Preview of Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio with Cincinnati Opera
- 1 - 2 p.m. | "Taylor’s Version: Why Taylor Swift Resonates" with Melissa Jaquart
- 1 - 2:30 p.m. | Live Music with Chris Comer Jazz Trio
- 1 - 5 p.m. | Live DJ Music with Cincinnati Music Accelerator featuring Jimmy Reuhlman and DJ Dior
- 1 - 5 p.m. | Food Trucks
- 1 - 5 p.m. | Pickleball Hosted by the Cincinnati Tennis Foundation
- 1 - 5 p.m. | Friendship Bracelet-Making Station
- 2 - 3 p.m. | Women in Film Panel moderated by WLWT's Megan Mitchell featuring Ensemble Theatre's D. Lynn Meyers and Film Cincinnati's Kristen Schlotman
- 2 - 3 p.m. | Illustration by Steve Harpster
- 3 - 5 p.m. | Rollerskating Performance with Skate Downtown Cincy
- 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. | Live Music Tribute to the Cincinnati Music Festival with the P. Ann Everson Price All Star Band
Schedule of events subject to change.
Help Break a World Record
Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., be a part of history as the Library attempts to break the world record for most library card signups in one day! All ages are welcome to participate.
Discover New Features at the Main Library
- Redesigned spaces like meeting rooms and interactive areas for kids and teens
- The new Catherine C. and Thomas E. Huenefeld Story Center to record and share history with future generations
- Social stairs that connect all floors and highlight local music history
- Outdoor plazas with new public art and spaces to gather
- Return of the beloved book sculpture
- Phronesis, a new large-scale light sculpture
See construction photos and read more details about this project on CHPL's Building the Next Generation Library website.
The Main Library renovation is guided by CHPL’s Facility Master Plan, which outlines improvements to your 41 library locations with input from more than 3,000 community members.
Main Library Photo Gallery
Browsing the Downtown Main Library
Enjoying the Downtown Main Library
Exploring the Reading Garden at the Downtown Main Library
Exterior of the Downtown Main Library's South Building
Renovated Downtown Main Library Atrium
The Book Sculpture on the South Plaza
The Due Date Wall Located at the Refreshed North Plaza
The Refreshed North Plaza
The Kids Bridge, modeled after Cincinnati's famous Roebling Bridge, complete with flying pigs and musical play elements.
