FOUND Cincinnati is kicking off its second year hosting Downtown holiday festivities, including more than 50 Christmas trees, a concert, and a scavenger hunt with a $2,000 prize.
"FOUND is really a collection of creative, engaging holiday events," said Joe Rudemiller, vice president of marketing and communications for 3CDC. "And the goal behind all of it is to bring the community together in downtown Cincinnati in our urban core."
The festivities were launched last year as a way to invite people to gather outdoors in a socially distanced way, while also encouraging people to support small Downtown businesses during the holiday season.
"We're hoping that people come down, experience these installations and events and support the small businesses that are really critical and crucial to our urban core," he said. "So many of them have had really a difficult 18 months, and they really need the community support."
Festivities include:
- Holiday Homecoming concert: A free concert kicking off the month-long celebration at 4 p.m. Nov. 20. The concert is being done in partnership with the Freestore Foodbank and donations to holiday food drives will be accepted.
- Founders' Forest: A public art installation of 50 lit trees and one large Christmas tree in Imagination Alley beginning at dusk Nov. 26.
- Windows of Wonder: An art installation at dozens of storefront that can be found on a digital map at FoundCincinnati.com. It pays tribute to a Downtown Cincinnati tradition from decades ago, when local businesses elaborately decorated storefronts for the holidays.
- Finding Losantiville: A month-long scavenger hunt with a $2,000 prize. It begins Nov. 29 and participants receive a text message each week with challenges to find the Key to Losantiville. Those who complete the challenges first each week win a prize, with the fastest overall winner receiving the grand prize. Over 5,000 people participated last year.
"People come down, they create new holiday traditions with their family or build on the previous holiday traditions," Rudemiller says. "But we really want to activate the whole urban core with a series of installations, and creative and engaging events that people can participate in."
The FOUND website is also a one-stop shop for people looking for holiday activities throughout the city, with a map indicating details about local events.
