The festive season in Columbus is a time to enjoy the outdoors and make merry. From simple summer-ish events to all-year-round celebrations, Ohio has a blend of festivals with the depth and variety to suit the needs of everyone. The only task you may have is to learn about the respective events so that you are aware of the dates and the venues in good time. But since there are so many of them, and you are just one person, it may not be possible to be everywhere at the same time. Read below to learn about the top festivals in Columbus, Ohio.
1. Columbus Coffee Festival
Posted by Columbus Coffee Festival on Wednesday, 2 October 2019
Americans love their coffee and, sadly, there are not so many festivals themed around this valuable drink. However, Ohio is an exception. For the last four years, the month of September has seen roasters and coffee shops from Ohio and beyond converge at Ohio Village to offer everything coffee. The event offers coffee lovers a chance to sample various types, and also to get valuable lessons on the coffee’s journey from being just a berry on the farm to the wonderful brew that most Americans won’t just do without.
Columbus Coffee Festival
Address: Ohio Village, Columbus, Ohio
Website: Columbus Coffee Festival
Takes place: September
2. Columbus Caribbean Festival
Many cultures do get celebrated in several states across the country, and if you are in Central Ohio, then you must never miss the Columbus Caribbean Festival. The purpose of this event is to celebrate the culture and heritage of the Caribbean. It is a time to fully immerse yourself in the Caribbean culture, with lots of foods, drinks, and lessons about the region. And, since the Caribbean is a top travel destination, expect to meet some of the top travel agencies who will be dangling irresistible offers for you to visit the various destinations in the Caribbean. It doesn’t have to be immediate, but you will leave with an idea of how to score a vacation to one of those exotic destinations.
Columbus Caribbean Festival
Address: Scioto Mile is located in downtown Columbus, Ohio
Website: Columbus Caribbean Festival
Takes place: September
3. Columbus Italian Festival
Columbus Italian Festival is another cultural fair that features prominently in the Columbus events calendar. The festival has been around for nearly four decades, and it is your chance to get a piece of Italy without taking a flight to Rome. Attending this event will give you the full scope of Italian culture, especially when it comes to food and drinks. You will sample Italian foods, wines, beers, and spirits from some of the leading Italian restaurants in Ohio. And while you enjoy the food and drinks, you won’t help but drown in the soothing tunes of live Italian music that will be playing in the background.
Columbus Italian Festival
Address: 720 Hamlet Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43215
Website: Columbus Italian Festival
Takes place: October
Price: Free
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4. Columbus Summer Wine Festival
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Posted by Columbus Summer Wine Festival on Friday, 23 August 2019
The Columbus Summer Wine Festival is to celebrate the region’s wines, and it is a good opportunity for wine lovers to sample some of the region’s finest. Other than the sampling, the event also features live entertainment, specialty food items, food trucks, and artisan exhibitions which will ensure that there will be something for every attendee. However, due to the nature of the event, attendees must be at least 21 years of age.
Columbus Summer Wine Festival
Address: 160 South High Street 43215 Columbus, Ohio
Website: Columbus Summer Wine Festival
Takes place: Usually held in August
Price: From 5 USD
5. Columbus Water Lantern Festival
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Posted by Water Lantern Festival on Saturday, 2 November 2019
Columbus Water Lantern Festival is a family-friendly event filled with hope, happiness, fun and a chance to create nice memories that you will remember for a very long time. During the event, every participant is given an eco-friendly floating lantern, which they decorate with messages of hope, family, prosperity, healing and any other wish they may have; before launching the lanterns onto the waters. The event not only treats the participants with a stunning visual experience, but uniquely, the thousands of lanterns create a connection among the attendees with messages of hope, peace, healing, and love among others.
Columbus Water Lantern Festival
Address: Columbus, Ohio
Website: Columbus Water Lantern Festival
Takes place: Usually held in September
Price: Free
6. Cultural Fusion Festival
Cultural Fusion Festival brings together nearly all cultures in Ohio for a myriad of experiences. Vendors from multiple industries get to showcase their products and services, and there are also lots of foods and delicious music from all cultures. If you love and appreciate diversity in cultures, then you have to spare the date in July to attend this festival.
Cultural Fusion Festival
Address: Helsel Park, Columbus, OH
Takes place: July
Price: Free
7. Columbus Arts Festival
Posted by Columbus Arts Festival on Sunday, 9 June 2019
The Columbus Arts Festival has been growing strong over the last five decades, and it is a chance to sample some of the top fine arts and crafts in Ohio and the neighboring states. In addition to the displays, the festival features more than 140 performances, including R&B, rock, jazz, country, storytelling, choral music and several types of dances.
Columbus Arts Festival
Address: 100 E Broad St #2250, Columbus, OH 43215, United States
Website: Columbus Arts Festival
Takes place: June
Price: Free
8. Columbus African Festival
Columbus African Festival is designed to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Africans. It is a day to indulge in lots of African music, food, and dances. It brings together people of African descent as a way of honoring the motherland, promoting creativity and creating connections among Africans living in the United States.
Columbus African Festival
Address: Innis Park 2995 Innis Road Columbus, OH 43224
Website: Columbus African Festival
Takes place: Usually held in August
Price: Free
9. Columbus Jazz and Rib Festival
Posted by Jazz & Rib Fest on Tuesday, 12 September 2017
The Columbus Jazz and Rib Festival is a popular summer tradition hailed for bringing to light the top local, regional and international jazz talents. In addition to the top performances by the leading jazz artists, the festival also features the best ribs prepared by leading chefs from the United States and Canada. If you love barbecues and outdoors, be sure to mark the date in July so that you don’t miss this event.
Columbus Jazz and Rib Festival
Address: Scioto River in Bicentennial, West Bank and Genoa Parks
Website: Columbus Jazz and Rib Festival
Takes place: July
Price: Free
10. Columbus Black International Film Festival
The Columbus Black International Film Festival aims to bring together black filmmakers locally, regionally and internationally to highlight the stories from the perspective of the Africans in the diaspora. It is a great chance for filmmakers and other participants in the film industry to learn more through the various discussions and workshops featured in the festival. It is also a good chance for industry players to network and understand the full depth of the opportunities present in the film industry.
Columbus Black International Film Festival
Address: Columbus, Ohio
Website: Columbus Black International Film Festival
Takes place: Usually held in August
11. Columbus Mac and Cheese Festival
Posted by Mac and Cheese Festivals on Wednesday, 2 October 2019
Mac and cheese is a favorite comfort food for millions of Americans, and if you are ever in Columbus in September, then you may be lucky to be right on time for the Columbus Mac and Cheese Festival. This event showcases the best mac and cheese from the leading restaurants in Columbus. Once you get the ticket, you will have access to all the tastings available at the venue. The proceeds from the event are channeled towards supporting AYA – a cancer program that benefits young adults and adolescents.
Columbus Mac and Cheese Festival
Address: Easton Town Square, Columbus, OH
Website: Columbus Mac and Cheese Festival
Takes place: September
Price: 20 USD
12. Columbus Greek Festival
Greek festivals are very popular across many states, cities, and communities in the country, and Columbus has not been left behind in such a celebration. The Columbus Greek Festival is held every year to celebrate the incredibly rich Greek culture. The main attractions to this event are the Greek foods, live music, and the valuable lessons on the Greek culture. This is one of the best opportunities to immerse yourself in Greek traditions and cultures without taking a trip to Acropolis.
Columbus Greek Festival
Address: 555 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215, United States
Website: Columbus Greek Festival
Takes place: September
Price: Free
13. Germania Octoberfest
Posted by Germania Oktoberfest on Sunday, 25 August 2019
Germania Octoberfest is another incredibly popular staple in the Columbus events markets where participants get to celebrate and appreciate everything German. Whether it is beverage, food, culture, and traditions you might have not known to be of German origin, this is the festival that reveals it all in a fun and entertaining way. This festival is very family-friendly given that it usually has a designated kids’ play area with all kinds of toys and entertainment for the young guests. As such, you can comfortably attend with the whole family.
Germania Oktoberfest
Address: 543 S Front St, Columbus, OH 43215, United States
Website: Germania Oktoberfest
Takes place: Usually held in September
14. Cartoon Crossroads Columbus
CXC 2019 is a wrap; thank you to all who participated! Have a great time at CXC's programming and events? Join us as a...
Posted by Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC on Friday, 4 October 2019
Cartoon Crossroads Columbus is a four-day festival whose focus is on cartooning and comics. It brings together renowned cartoon artists as well as passionate cartoon fans from all over to country to meet, interact and share more about the comic industry. It is also an event geared towards promoting Columbus as a cartoonist’s town.
Cartoon Crossroads Columbus
Address: Ohio University & Downtown Columbus
Website: Cartoon Crossroads Columbus
Takes place: September
Price: Free
15. Haunted Fest
Haunted Fest is themed around Halloween and so you can expect lots of thrilling as well as creepy performances. It is mainly a party carnival with artists drawn from all over the region. It is extremely popular among the younger demographics, though the elderly who want to relive their younger days are also free to attend. If you don’t love lots of music and beer, as well as creepy performances, then perhaps don’t attend this festival.
Haunted Fest
Address: Columbus, Ohio
Website: Haunted Fest
Takes place: October
16. Columbus Food Truck Festival
The Columbus Food Truck Festival is one of the highly anticipated festivals in Columbus, Ohio. It is always a beautiful treat to some of the most mesmerizing food truck scenes in the United States. During this event, more than 100 mobile food vendors from all over Ohio converge to treat the residents to sumptuous culinary delights. It is not just a way for the vendors to promote their businesses, but also a time to learn and appreciate the incredible culinary diversity in Ohio. It is also a great opportunity for the locals to interact and share meals.
Columbus Food Truck Festival
Address: The Scioto Mile, located in the heart of Downtown Columbus
Website: Columbus Food Truck Festival
Takes place: August
Price: Free
17. Columbus Fiery Foods Festival
J&K Specialty Foods, LLC's goal is to exterminate bland food everywhere, and their flagship Exterminator hot sauce does...
Posted by Columbus Fiery Foods Festival on Thursday, 8 August 2019
Apart from the Columbus Food Truck Festival, another event adored and highly anticipated by food lovers in Ohio is the Columbus Fiery Foods Festival. This event showcases a huge variety of hot foods, though it also features a decent selection of sweet treats. It gives every participant a chance to test their heat by sampling hot delights including BBQs. The major players during the festival are primarily hot sauce salsa vendors, fresh food exhibitors and restaurants that will attempt to attract new clients by displaying how hot and sweet their products are. If you are the teary type that will not tolerate any form of pepper in their meals, then this event is not for you.
Columbus Fiery Foods Festival
Address: 160 South High Street 43215 Columbus, Ohio
Website: Columbus Fiery Foods Festival
Takes place: August
18. Indian Festival
This festival is for celebrating the Indian heritage and culture in Ohio. Every year, the Indian communities in Central Ohio gather to show the incredible diversity and the splendor of their culture through a myriad of activities and entertainment. The event is extremely popular in Columbus and is known to attract people from all walks of life, including college students, vendors, hospitality professionals, traders, and people interested in delving deep into the Indian culture. Expect to find a lot of Indian foods and entertainment, as well as unique handmade crafts that you can always pick as souvenirs.
Indian Festival
Address: Ohio Expo, Celeste Center in downtown Columbus
Website: Indian Festival
Takes place: August
19. Columbus Summer Beer Fest
This is another incredibly popular summer festival in Columbus. It is not just for beer lovers, but anyone who loves enjoying a free spirit and is never afraid to let loose of all the breaks in the name of entertainment. The festival features hundreds of craft beers, thousands of craft beer fans, and several food trucks to let you enjoy the beers without worrying about getting hungry. A major highlight of the festival is the superfluity of live entertainment, as orchestrated by some of the leading local bands. And the beauty of the festival is that it is not all about merrymaking. It has a worthy charity, with all the proceeds being channeled to The Animal Rescue Partners to support the local and regional animal rescue efforts.
Columbus Summer Beerfest
Address: The Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, OH
Website: Columbus Summer Beerfest
Takes place: Usually held in September
Price: From 40 USD
20. Columbus Pride Festival and Parade
Ohio hasn’t been left behind in giving freedom to the LGBT community, and the Columbus Pride Festival and Parade is one such avenue where such is expressed. It is a day for the LGBT community to express themselves through a myriad of activities, including street parades and educational booths to provide more information and sensitization to the public. It is not necessarily for the LGBT, and anyone is free to participate if you will maintain a high level of respect and tolerance to the community members.
Columbus Pride Festival and Parade
Address: Bicentennial and Genoa Park 233 Civic Center Drive Columbus, OH 43215
Website: Columbus Pride Festival and Parade
Takes place: Usually held in June
Price: Free
21. Columbus International Festival [Event has passed]
Columbus International Festival is one of the oldest and most popular festivals in Ohio – a well-known crowd-puller responsible for attracting thousands of participants every year. It is an event that brings together diverse cultures and communities in Ohio to participate in and showcase a variety of events. Some of the notable highlights of this festival include lots of ethnic foods, cooking demos, fashion shows, and live cultural entertainment from diverse groups.
Columbus International Festival
Address: Franklin Park Adventure Building, Columbus, OH
Website: Columbus International Festival
Takes place: September
Price: Free
A time to make merry
Attending festivals is a sure way of learning cultures and traditions and to make merry. And since most of them come in summer and early fall, you have no reason to spend gloomy days when you could be appeasing your spirits in a festival. If you will be visiting Columbus, use this list of the top festivals in Columbus, Ohio, to choose the ones you think will be more fun for you.
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