Toledo announces summer concert series plans. Here’s who is performing

TOLEDO, Ohio — ConnecToledo announced its plans for the 2025 summer concert series during a Toledo City Council meeting Tuesday.

The city’s Director of Economic Development, Brandon Sehlhorst, and ConnecToledo consultant Cheryl Hardy-Dillin said the 2025 theme for the series would be “Party in the Park” and be located, as it was in previous years, at Promenade Park.

The series will include 11 concerts, performed by various local bands, beginning on May 30 and running on Fridays through the end of August.

ConnectToledo said its concerts would be free and open to the public, a deviation from previous years’ ticketed events. Most will run from about 6 p.m. to 9-9:30 p.m. Organizers hope the concerts will also bring more traffic to downtown bars, restaurants and Hensville.

“We need 5,000 people to come down here and we need those people to go into the bars, the restaurants and the businesses, and that is what drives real economic development. Making it free gets more people down here and it allows them to spend their money where we need them to spend it,” Hardy-Dillin said.

The budget for the series is approximately $340,000. ConnecToledo plans to provide $230,000 and is asking for $50,000 from council and $60,000 from Lucas County commissioners.

City officials are hopeful the investment will pay dividends for downtown’s economic vitality.

“The whole point of this is that it benefits our local economy,” Sehlhorst said. “The strategy is very intentional and the goal here is to just provide that consistent programming downtown.”

Council member Cerssandra McPherson voiced enthusiastic support during the meeting.

“Downtown in the summertime — it’s gonna be the place to be,” she said. “That brings life to our community and our people are gonna be thrilled about this.”

The list of concerts is below:

• May 30: Zack Attack Band with opener Trip-letters
• June 6: Beef Carvers with opener The 25s
• June 13: The Grape Smugglers & Hot Air Balloon Glow with opener Miser Vossen
• June 20: Distant Cousinz with opener Wall Music
• June 27: North of Nashville with opener J.T. Hayden
• July 4: Toledo fireworks show
• July 11: Arctic Clam with opener Nikki D and the Sisters of Thunder
• July 18: The Day Drinkers with opener Funk Factory
• July 25: The Skittlebots with opener Daisy Chain
• Aug. 1: Jeep Fest
• Aug. 8: Greggie and the Jets with opener Venyx, and Elton John tribute band
• Aug. 15: Toledo Pride
• Aug. 22: “’90s R&B Jam” hosted Big Trice with Dj Lyte N Rod, WallMusic and Friends
• Aug. 29: The Ultimate Garth Brooks Tribute Band & Drone Show with opener Ashley Martin Band

While events are listed for the venue on July 4, Aug. 1 and Aug. 15 on the concert schedule, musical performances at those are not sponsored by ConnecToledo. The organization still supports those events, though.

ConnecToledo has said it would take over the series after Hunter Brucks’ and HB Concerts’ stint with the program last year. Brucks succeeded ProMedica’s operation of the summer concert series and ran it for a year.

McPherson told WTOL 11 she expects council to approve ConnecToledo’s funding request at its next meeting.