Cincinnati’s famous Blink festival no longer has a guided app, but several local developers have filled the void with unofficial versions.
The twice-yearly festival of lights and art illuminates downtown and northern Kentucky with newly commissioned murals, artistic light installations, projection shows, and live music. From Thursday through Sunday, millions of people are expected to travel across the city and across the Ohio River to check out the dazzling display.
more:11 must-see installations at Blink Cincinnati 2024, according to experts
There is no official Blink app, so visitors are encouraged to use a map. This map is available in physical handout format and in mobile web browsers. The festival used to have a map app, but it was discontinued in 2022.
However, that year, a fraudulent app called Blonk appeared. This app maps attractions and provides other festival information in an interactive format. Here’s what you need to know about our unofficial festival guide and the latest features for 2024.
Bronck Cincinnati: What you need to know about the unofficial Blink Festival app
Blonk was launched in 2022 as a passion project by local artists and software engineers Nathan Bolender and Jason Alghussein, according to a press release from the developers. The designers describe the app as “a completely unofficial guide to all things good at Blink Cincinnati Arts Festival.”
Users can discover where events and installations are held, and view profiles about each exhibit and the artists behind it. The app was recently updated with new features that weren’t available in the previous iteration of Blink.
Blonk app features include:
- A complete interactive map of official and unofficial art installations.
- Latest events and music schedule.
- Offline functionality to ensure navigation without mobile phone service.
- Ability to star attractions for a personalized experience.
- Ability to track visited installations.
- Filter to sort installations by type and status.
- Walking directions to each location and facility.
The app includes all official Blink exhibits, additional unofficial artwork, and up-to-date information about community events around the festival. The app aims to shine a spotlight on local artists and communities that are often overlooked by mainstream channels, the release states.
Blonk can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store. You can search for “Blonk Cincinnati.”
Festival attendees can contribute to the app by emailing their event to info@blonkcincinnati.com.
