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One of the best kept secrets in Columbus might be the sheer number of outdoor festivals, events, and parties we throw throughout the year. Most of our big ones are during the summer months downtown, but you can find something going on nearly every weekend in some part of central Ohio.
You’ve made your suggestions, and here’s the results!
The Top Ten Best Festivals in Columbus
1 – ComFest – Every summer, Goodale Park transforms into a massive musical playground for a weekend with multiple stages, a whole slew of food and craft vendors, and more than enough beer to keep you running the whole time. If you only attend one festival in Columbus, this is the one you won’t want to miss.
2 – Red White & Boom – The largest fireworks show in the midwest is also one of most attended downtown festivals each summer. Typically around 500,000 people flock downtown for the all-day festivities that proceed the nighttime fireworks. Parking can be tough, and finding a good spot to watch can be even tougher, but if you want to see what half a million people downtown at once looks like, you have to go see it for yourself.
3 – Columbus Arts Festival – A giant blend of local and national artists converge downtown for a weekend festival featuring all types of art on display and for sale. The festival also includes several music stages, food vendors, and loads of family-friendly activities.
4 – Ohio State Fair – The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the entire country, and has been around for more than 150 years. All the traditional county fair offerings can be found here, but on a much more massive scale.
5 – Jazz and Ribs Festival – Dozens of rib vendors and dozens of musicians descent upon the riverfront for a weekend of jazz music and bbq ribs every summer. Additional vendors and activities can be found for everyone.
6 – Wildlights at the Zoo – The only real Winter festival to make our list is the annual holiday lights display at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Millions of lights decorate the tree-lined paths all over the zoo for several weeks in Decemeber. Other features include a Santa Claus house, train rides, hot chocolate and hot cider, and an ice skating rink.
7 – Dublin Irish Festival – The Ohio city that shares it’s name with the capital of Ireland throws an annual celebration of the Irish towards the end of the summer. The festival includes authentic dancers, music, games, competitions, food, drink, and more.
8 – The Doo Dah Parade – This Fourth of July parade is a volunteer-based anti-parade of sorts with all sorts of crazy nonsense involved with the marchers and the floats. Probably the craziest parade you’re likely to see all year long.
9 – Via Colori – Via Colori is the annual festival where over a hundred artists come out to turn the streets and sidewalks into a work of art. The festival also features food, music, and other activities. Additionally, benefits go to supporting Children’s Hospital.
10 – Columbus Greek Festival – Over Labor Day weekend, the Greek Festival showcases the culture, food, music, and entertainment of Greece. Held downtown at The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral.
Top get the ball rolling, here’s my top 10:
1. Red White and Boom
2. ComFest
3. The Ohio State Fair
4. Slice of Columbus
5. Columbus Culture Fest
6. Greater Columbus Arts Festival
7. Festival Latino
8. Jazz & RibFest
9. Columbus International Film and Video Festival
10. Circleville Pumpkin Show
1. Columbus Art Festival
2. Comfest
3. Jazz and Rib Fest
4. Renaissance Festival
5. Columbus Car Show (not sure the exact name)
…
Thats all I got.
1. Red, White & Boom
2. Greater Columbus Arts Festival
3. The Ohio State Fair
4. 24 Hr. Ohio Sci-Fi Marathon
5. Jazz & RibFest
6. Columbus Zoo Wildlights
7. ViaColori
8. Doo Dah Parade
9. Greek Festival
10. Circleville Pumpkin Show
Though I’ve never been to the Columbus Culture Festival (which sounds really cool), the Italian Festival (despite being primarily Italian), or Slice of Columbus (which is great in theory, but I don’t really like pizza, so fails for me in practice)… I’m sure most people won’t have been to ALL the options, so hopefully that doesn’t hurt things too much.
Yeah, there’s a handful I’ve never been to either that I’m sure are great (Italian Fest, Doo Dah Parade, Fiery Foods Fest) but I made my picks based on what I know, as I’m sure most will. Once we have a good 20 people or so rocking the vote it should help balance all of that out…
I will just put the events we go to every year.
1. Red White and Boom
2. Greater Columbus Arts Festival
3. Jazz & RibFest
4. ComFest
5. The Ohio State Fair
6. Dublin Irish Festival
7. Oktoberfest
1. Gay Pride festival/parade
2. Comfest
3. DooDah Parade
4. Red White & Boom
5. Fall & Spring Gallery Hops (When the weather is manageable!)
I’m not sure I’ve been to any others … I guess that will need to change. :) Actually, I went to Art Fest for the first time last year and didn’t love it, but it might have been a fluke. Oh, the Earth Day thing at Goodale park this year was cool, but it mostly just made me wish Comfest came more than once a year!
I like
1. Red White & Boom
2. Ohio State Fair
3. Holiday Hop
4. Zoo Wildlights
5. Jazz & Rib Fest
6. German Village Lights
7. Comfest
8. Arts Festival
9. Shakespeare in Schiller Park
10. North Market Holiday Craft Extravaganza
I keep seeing stuff that tempts me to change my list – I hadn’t thought of Shakespeare in the Park or RenFest! Hmmm…
Close enough that I guess I’ll leave as-is for now…
1. Comfest
2. Surly Girl – Here Comes Your Weekend Parking Lot Blowout
3. Columbus Arts Festival
4. Greek Festival
5. Red White & Boom
6. Italian Festival
7. Festival Latino
8. Agora Columbus
9. Oktoberfest
10. Doo Dah Parade
comfest
Dublin Irishfest
Zoo wildlights
….. hrmm those are the only three I go to every year. I would list ribfest also but last two years it’s changed from what I remember as a kid and it sucks IMHO, so I will not be going back.
Add right white and boom for this year now that I live so close I may finally go down there.
1. Via Colori (wholly biased as I helped start it here)
2. Community Festival (biased again as a vendor)
3. North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival (biased b/c, well duh)
4. Columbus Arts Festival (even better as a volunteer)
5. Ohio State Fair (ahh the pig races)
6. Doo Dah Parade (it’s more fun if you march)
7. Hot Times Festival (it’s the volunteering thing again)
8. Dublin Irish Festival (because me maiden name starts with Mc)
9. Greek Festival (because souvlaki is one of my favorite foods)
10. Columbus Microbrew (ideally I will get to attend it this year instead of weeping on my bathroom floor with food poisoning after eating food from something akin to “burrito assassin”…any guesses?
And Madame Anne should apply as a Holiday Craft Extravaganza vendor, no?
^_^ working toward that as a goal! hopefully!
Results have been posted! 8)
Bah…too late. That’s what I get for going on vacation. My list would go something like this…
1) Arts Festival
2) Festival Latino (just for the good, cheap dinner for those 3 nights).
3) North Market Microbrew Festival (imagine the NM packed solid with drunk people and great beer). I’m thinking they’ll be looking for a new bigger venue after a few years. The first one last year was THAT good. I’ll just suggest Brewmasters Gate right now.
4) Village Lights – German Village (You feel like you’re on the set of a classic christmas movie).
5) Via Colari
6) Red White and Boom!
7) Jazz and Rib
The Greek Festival and Oktoberfest will never be on my list as long as they charge admission. I always feel cheated. Add now that Oktoberfest is going to be in the Arena District and they might have earned a permanent boycott from me.
Wha??? I’ve not heard that. According to the GV’s official site it’s in the same spot as last year?
Are you sure it’s not another group doing another Oktoberfest? I think the Columbus Maennerchor does their own Oktoberfest too, so if there is something in the Arena District, I’m guessing it’s being produced by someone else?
This article made me throw up in my mouth.
http://www.snponline.com/NEWS5-9/5-9_gvfestmove.html
Well there’s your problem right there…
Wow. I totally missed that article. That is pretty strange for them to move it to the Arena District.
I think it should be held in Schiller Park and a few of the streets around it could be closed off as well.
Did the africentric parking lot really provide THAT much parking? I say set up some shuttles from the mass of parking lots over by the Kroger in the BD to Schiller Park, or let people duke it out for parking. As a GV resident myself I wouldn’t mind putting up with parking hassles for a weekend for a kickass event like that. People in the Short North & Victorian Village deal with worse for ComFest, so it’s not like it’s impossible.
Oh, also if I were in charge I’d not charge a cover for the event, and therefore eliminate the need to fence the whole thing off (a la comfest). I know the whole thing is a fundraiser for the GV association, but I’m sure they’d see a bigger turnout and hopefully more money coming in through their vendors if the event were a little freer. I know I’m never paying to go to a festival where the whole point is to pay for beer and food. :?
I definitely agree that it should be held in Schiller Park – it seems ridiculous that it isn’t. I’m assuming the primary reason for that is the need to fence things off & charge admission. They don’t want to (possibly CAN’T) just cut off the park like that, or even a major portion of it.
DING quote of the day award