More than a half million visitors are expected to converge downtown next month during a weekend highlighted by the Mobile Skatepark Series, Taste of Cincinnati and a three-game Reds series.

Tourism officials are billing the separate attractions as a surefire economic boon to downtown hotels and restaurants the weekend of May 23-25. What's more, another 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the May 30 street party offering a sneak preview of the new Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art at Sixth and Walnut streets.

The biggest draw will be the Taste of Cincinnati, the food festival that traditionally brings about a half million visitors downtown each year.

But the skate boarding and extreme sports festival May 23-27 at Sawyer Point on the city's riverfront is expected to attract 70,000 visitors for an economic impact of $2.2 million, according to the Greater Cincinnati Sports Corp.

It's the second year the festival will be in Cincinnati, only one of six U.S. cities to host the event.

Officials for the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau compare the busy May weekend to last fall's "Red Hot" weekend that featured the Reds farewell series at Cinergy Field, an Ohio State-University of Cincinnati football game and the Oktoberfest festival.

Ken Alltucker