Salsa on the Square returns every Thursday from 7 – 10 p.m. featuring live salsa, merengue, cumbia and Latin jazz.

Head to Cincinnati’s Fountain Square on a Thursday night for some live salsa and summer fun. Every Thursday through September 28, Cincinnati’s Salsa on the Square offers dance instructors, food and drinks from 7-10 p.m.

Salsa on the Square started around 15 years ago and is sponsored by P&G, Fifth Third Bank, La Mega 97.7 and 3CDC.

Last Thursday’s live band was Somos Música y Sabor, which has been playing for Salsa on the Square since 2008. The band’s members value the diversity and positivity surrounding the event as these are some of its most attractive characteristics.

“It’s really an important event for the cultural diversity in Cincinnati,” says Victor Velez, the drum player for the band Somos Música y Sabor.

Since the weekly salsa event started, there’s been a noticeable amount of growth. “I would say this year, 2023, has been the best opening year we’ve had,” says Velez.

The event’s host and stage coordinator, Tina de Alderete, has been part of Salsa on the Square for about nine years, and she believes “this is probably one of the biggest and most awesome events the city has.”

“When you look around the crowd here, you just see everybody from all walks of life,” says de Alderete. “You see grandmothers, you see kids, you see people that you would never expect to see… I would say if you’ve never been, you’re missing out and you should get down here pretty soon.”