💡 Happy first day of Blink, Cincinnati!

• The city is about to flip the switch on four nights of glowing buildings, giant art and the tradition of asking, "Wait, is that new?"

🎶 Sounds like: "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers.

☀️ Today's weather: Even the forecast is lit. Sunny, with a high of 79.

Today’s newsletter is 954 words — a 3.5-minute read. Goes by in the blink of an eye.

Blink veteran Chaske Haverkos knew he wanted back in this year. The projection-mapping artist just didn't know where — or exactly what he'd create.

Why it matters: Long before the lights come on, organizers spend more than a year recruiting artists, matching their ideas with pieces of the city and taking creative chances to keep the festival fresh.

Zoom in: Haverkos, who's participated since 2019, eventually was assigned an unusual canvas: two massive brick walls meeting at Sixth and Vine on the former Terrace Plaza Hotel.

• He spent roughly four months creating "The Cube," an audiovisual experience designed to give the corner depth and movement.
• It features an original soundtrack from Cincinnati's Play Audio Agency.

What they're saying: "I've always found that to be kind of a magical thing because each site does provide such a unique challenge," he tells Axios.

Inside the room: Selecting Blink's lineup takes six or seven months, executive director Leslie Mooney tells Axios.

• This year's 92 artists represent 20 countries, with nearly as many newcomers as returners.
• Mooney, a longtime Cincinnati arts leader who took over in July 2025, says organizers aren't chasing a particular mix.
• "It's about finding the best art."

What's new: About 20% of this year's spaces, along with rethinking familiar canvases.

• Las Vegas-based lighting artist and drummer Brett Bolton will perform live at Music Hall, with his drumming driving projections in real time.
• In Covington, New York-based muralist Elléna Lourens and South African projection artist Inka Kendzia pitched their works together: Lourens painted the mural, with Kendzia designing the projection around it.

How it works: Artists don't necessarily need the finished canvas to get started.

• Blink sends projection artists detailed scans of their sites, including dimensions and architectural features, so much of the work can happen on a computer before on-site testing.

The intrigue: Some pieces come down to the wire, with several new murals getting projections still being painted this week.

Zoom out: Behind it all is roughly 18 months of work with local officials and an $8 million production budget.

• Then it's gone in four nights.

The last word: "There's definitely something magic … about being able to share that moment with people and then kind of remember it," Haverkos says, "knowing that it's not going to happen just like this ever again."

Blink is huge. Your night is not. We're here to help.

Reality check: More than 80 installations will light up Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky this week, and unless you've cleared your calendar for four straight nights, you're probably not seeing them all.

• We built a quiz to match your Cincinnati personality with a Blink route — whether you're a Banks regular, Findlay Market wanderer, foodie, parent or crowd-averse art lover.

The payoff: A one-hour itinerary built for you.

Take the quiz and find your Blink adventure.

Rodney Hinton Jr.'s murdal trial continues today in the death of Hamilton County deputy Larry Henderson. Hinton has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. (WLWT)

🗓️ Cincinnati's Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration starts this weekend with free art, films, music, a children's workshop and a community feast. (Urban Native Collective)

🏳️‍🌈 A new LGBTQ+ bar is replacing The Birdcage downtown. The Corner plans to open around Halloween on Race Street, with karaoke, drag bingo, movie nights and Bengals watch parties planned. (CityBeat)

Blink is about to get a little funky.

Why it matters: Blink is massive, so consider this your shortcut to some of the strangest stuff on the schedule.

🦨 Double the skunks: The Art Academy of Cincinnati is going all-in on its mascot, Stinker the Skunk, with a giant illuminated inflatable version on display.

• Then Saturday afternoon, Marshmallow (a real Cincinnati Zoo skunk) will visit as part of the academy's Polka-DOTober celebration.
• Stick around from 7-11pm Saturday for Stinkstock, the academy's annual live music and spoken-word blowout.

🕯️ P&G goes back to its roots: The Cincinnati company that got its start making candles in 1837 will help kick off Blink today with — what else? — a giant candle.

• P&G Design and local creative agency AGAR created the sculpture, with Blink's vertical logo serving as the flame.
• The installation is a nod to the company's candle-making origins and will be part of the festival's opening-night celebration.

🔥 Play with fire: Fire performers take over the Art Academy tomorrow and Saturday nights.

🛼 Skate under the Roebling: Skate Downtown Cincy will host nighttime roller skating at Smale Riverfront Park beneath the suspension bridge from 7-11pm all four nights.

🎧 Party quietly: Findlay Market's Farm Shed turns into a free silent disco from 8-10:30pm tomorrow and Saturday.

🦸 Cosplay after dark: Asianati Night Market will host a cosplay contest at 7pm Saturday on Court Street Plaza.

Cincinnati, we've been Blinkin' for nearly a decade.

It's time to ask: What's your favorite memory of our beloved light festival?

• 📧 Reply with yours and check out our faves below.

💡 Shoutout to our editor Tyler Buchanan. Watt would we do without you?

😅 Swilley hopes her kid makes it through at least one installation.

🤷 Casey may be the only one who doesn't get the hype around the drone show. Like, it's fine, but...

Editor's note: Tuesday's newsletter was updated to note there are 650 soccer teams expected to participate in the 2027 MLS NEXT Cup (not 350 as originally stated by organizers).