Despite the heat and threat of inclement weather, a jam-packed weekend of sports and entertainment in downtown Cincinnati appears to have been a success.
"The only incidents I heard of were happy families and friends and businesses that had people pouring in and out of their restaurants and bars and retail shops and crowded streets," says Brendon Cull, president and CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. "Those are the kinds of incidents that we like in Cincinnati."
Tens of thousands of people flooded Downtown and Over-the-Rhine Friday and Saturday, attending Taylor Swift's two Cincinnati stops on her Eras tour, as well as two Reds baseball games, an FC Cincinnati soccer match, and lots of other events in neighborhoods and cities around the region.
"That's an incredible statement to the world of what we can do here," he says.
Cincinnati Police report no problems related to the concerts and sporting events. Lt. Jonathan Cunningham tells WVXU it was "just a great weekend," noting officers were equally as excited as Taylor Swift, Reds, and FC Cincinnati fans.
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"It was a phenomenal weekend," Cull says. "I feel like I'm still tired from it, but to look out my window and see the happy faces of Reds fans and FC Cincinnati fans and the Taylor Swift crew — I don't think people will forget this weekend in Cincinnati for a very, very long time."
MeetNKY, Northern Kentucky's tourism board, is also calling the weekend a success. Amanda Johannemann, director of destination marketing and communications, agrees everything went off without a problem, showing the region can host big events well.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management agencies in Northern Kentucky created an emergency weather plan for Friday and Saturday, but ended up not needing to use it. Kenton County EMA Director Steve Hensley reports there were "no issues in NKY (and) Kenton County."
The start time for Saturday's Eras tour concert was moved up an hour in order to end before storms rolled through the area. Jackie Reau with Game Day Communications says word about the change seems to have gotten out with plenty of time so people didn't miss Swift's performance.
"The time change went smoothly," Reau tells WVXU. "It was a legendary experience for music fans."
