Midpoint Music Festival has officially been put on hiatus this year. The music management division of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which has overseen the festival since 2016, made the decision official this afternoon. Mike Smith, the head of CSO’s music management, indicated that they intend to revive the festival as early as next year, however, it is contingent on the Banks music venue being completed.
The last few years have seen Midpoint change greatly in form as the festival passed from one ownership group to another. The festival’s original format, featuring a main stage in Washington park and smaller shows at local Over the Rhine venues, was much beloved by fans though it struggled to make money. The CSO’s involvement in 2016 brought a change in format and bigger headliners, who would play on stages in OTR parking lots. However, the festival moved again in 2017, this time to the CSO owned Taft Theater and surrounding area.
Now, after years of change and months of waiting, Midpoint Music Festival seems content to wait for the right permanent home. The CSO intends for that to be the impending banks venue (tentatively named Riverview), though the Cincinnati Bengals will have to agree to the location of the venue first. Until then, Cincinnati will be without one of its premier festivals; its future potentially promising but currently unclear.
Comments