Cincinnati youth will have plenty to do this summer as part of city recreation programming.

Last week, council members heard from Cincinnati Recreation Commission (CRC) officials regarding a slew of new programming for children and teens this summer. 

The Summer in the City 2026 program focuses on building youth engagement through expanded access to job skills and income, safe spaces to gather at nighttime, and programs designed to reduce violence and build positive relationships between youth and their communities, 

CRC Director Daniel Betts made the presentation before the Housing and Growth committee to tout the programming. 

“It would be hard to, in this moment, describe everything that we do programmatically in the summer or in the academic year, but our program [reduces] youth violence through safe, engaging evening activities,” Betts said. “That’s the goal.”

This summer, Cincinnati youth have these activities to choose from:

  • Rec @ Nite: Safe Weekend Spaces for Teens (CRC has invested around $650,000). The focus is on youth ages 12 to 17 in “high-need neighborhoods” on Saturdays, June through August, from 5 to 10 p.m. Sites have been expanded from two to four (Evanston and Winton Hills are added for this year; Hirsch and Lincoln centers are the others). More than 2,300 young people were served via the two sites in 2024, and CRC is expecting to double that number this summer with the added sites.
  • Pools – All 24 swimming pools will be open citywide with a full complement of lifeguards (CRC investment has been $2 million)
  • Summer Camps – Day as well as specialty. Camp enrollment now is at about 85%, Betts said. (CRC investment has been $1 million)
  • Youth 2 Work – 250 youth and young adults will be hired, including for the police and fire cadet programs and a Teen Concert. (This is the second year for this event, Betts said, noting an announcement about the headliner is coming soon.)
  • All told, the city is investing $3.65 million for these programs

Additionally, Cincinnati Parks Director Jason Barron said his department is back again with open skating at the Riverfront Rink at Sawyer Point Park with a DJ on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, which runs June 5 through Aug. 28. 

Parks will purchase 100 sets of skates – free rentals to the public – and will offer skating events throughout the city. The parks department will feature a skating event to coincide with major city events.

“When people say there’s nothing for youth to do in this city, that’s just not true,” Council Member Scotty Johnson said.

Parents interested in getting their children involved in CRC summer programming can find information here.

Follow-up questions from Documenter Frazier Smith:

  • There was no mention made about advertising or marketing in the CRC Summer in the City 2026 presentation. Is Cincinnati doing more than the usual social media, billboard and TV ad campaigns? What about taking a more old school approach – stuffing mailboxes and sending flyers to churches?

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcincinnati.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

Find more Documenters’ notes here.