1940s Day returns to Union Terminal Sept. 6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 8, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 608-5777, chefner@cincymuseum.org

Swing back in time at Cincinnati Museum Center's 1940s Day at historic Union Terminal Sept. 6

Classic cars, big band music, costume contest and more bring the 1940s back to Union Terminal

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) is again immersing you in the sights, sounds and tastes of the 1940s. The museum’s annual 1940s Day returns to historic Union Terminal on Saturday, September 6. 

The 1940s will live once again inside and outside Union Terminal as 1940s Day immerses you in a celebration of the music, fashion, vehicles and people who shaped the pivotal era. Live reenactments of radio programs, a costume contest and history-inspired cooking demonstrations will have you dancing the jitterbug and cooking up a humdinger. Special OMNIMAX® screenings of D-Day: Normandy 1944 will pull back the curtain on one of the war’s most incredible operations. Partners from the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center will also be participating, sharing firsthand stories of hope, resilience and survival from one of humanity’s darkest moments. With this year’s event taking place just days after the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, CMC will pay special tribute to the men and women who supported the war effort.

For a building that played such an active role in the decade, 1940s Day is like a homecoming for the Art Deco icon. Union Terminal buzzed with activity as World War II necessitated even greater traffic through the train station. During the war, over three million American troops passed through the station – nearly one-fifth of the nation’s soldiers who served. To offer troops traveling from across the country a bit of rest and the comforts of home, the nation’s first USO Troops-in-Transit lounge opened in Union Terminal in the space that is now the Rookwood Ice Cream Parlor. The lounge offered service to all troops, regardless of race, at a time when the military and much of the country was still segregated. Troops not only shipped off from Union Terminal, many also returned there to joyful reunions. Among the people disembarking at the station were Holocaust survivors, stepping into Union Terminal’s grand Rotunda to begin their new lives in Cincinnati.

As CMC continues planning for the event, they are looking for 1940s musicians, vintage car owners, vendors and demonstrators to participate. Anyone interested can visit cincymuseum.org/1940sday to fill out a registration form.

1940s Day activities are included with Museum Admission and free for CMC Members. Visit cincymuseum.org/1940sday for updated event information.