Festivals & Events: 2023
From a zucchini festival featuring the hottest R&B act of the 90s to food trucks, demolition derbies and even Dean Martin, the Columbus area offers a myriad of weird and wonderul gatherings, just as long as you know where to look.
Now, thankfully, you do. Below, we’ve compiled some of our favorite events in the Columbus area, and even a few road trip-worthy candidates to jump-start your plans for the weekend and beyond.
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Festivals
| JUNE | |
| Six One Pour | June 3 |
| Water Lantern Festival | June 3 |
| Columbus Arts Festival | June 9-11 |
| Grove City Wine and Arts Festival | June 16-17 |
| Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival and March | June 16-17 |
| Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival | June 16-18 |
| Worthington Art Festival | June 17-18 |
| Powell Festival | June 23-24 |
| ComFest | June 23-24 |
| Road Trip! | |
| Newark Strawberry Fest | June 2-4 |
| Avon Heritage Duck Tape Festival | June 16-18 |
| Dean Martin Festival | June 16-17 |
| JULY | |
| Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest | July 21-23 |
| Canal WInchester Blues and Ribfest | July 28-29 |
| Whitehall Food Truck & Fun Fest | July 29 |
| Road Trip! | |
| Ohio Brew Week Festival | July 7-15 |
| Nelsonville Music Festival | July 21-23 |
| AUGUST | |
| Dublin Irish Festival | August 4-6 |
| Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival | August 10-12 |
| All Ohio Balloon Festival | August 10-12 |
| Festival Latino | August 12-13 |
| Columbus Food Truck Festival | August 19-20 |
| Wonderbus Music & Arts Fest | August 25-27 |
| Road Trip! | |
| Hocking Hills Bigfoot Festival | August 4-5 |
| Twins Days Festival | August 4-6 |
| Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival | August 17-19 |
| Millersport Sweet Corn Festival | August 30 – September 2 |
| SEPTEMBER | |
| Greek Festival | September 1-4 |
| Obetz Zucchinifest | September 1-4 |
| Canal Winchester Labor Day Festival | September 2-4 |
| Ohio Renaissance Festival | September 2-October 29 |
| Columbus Oktoberfest | September 8-10 |
| Road Trip! | |
| Marion Popcorn Festival | September 8-10 |
| Lithopolis Honeyfest | September 8-9 |
| Skunkfest | September 9 |
| Ohio Pawpaw Festival | September 15-17 |
| Cleveland Pickle Fest | September 23 |
| OCTOBER | |
| Columbus Italian Fest | October 6-8 |
Events
| JUNE | |
| The Memorial Tournament | June 1-4 |
| Six One Pour | June 3 |
| Short North Yard Sale | June 3 |
| Bexley Women’s Garden Tour | June 4 |
| COSI After Dark: Night on the Nile | June 8 |
| Juneteenth Ohio Celebration | June 17-18 |
| Origins Game Fair | June 21-25 |
| German Village Haus und Garten Tour | June 25 |
| WesterFlora Garden Tour | June 25 |
| JULY | |
| Red, White & BOOM! | July 3 |
| Doo Dah Parade | July 4 |
| Good Guys 40th Anniversary, Summit Racing Nationals | July 7-9 |
| COSI After Dark: Night at the Big Top | July 13 |
| Restaurant Week Columbus | July 24-29 |
| Ohio State Fair | July 26-Aug 6 |
| AUGUST | |
| Pelotonia | August 5-6 |
| Uptown Untapped | August 12 |
| SEPTEMBER | |
| Short North Tour of Homes | September 17 |
| Road Trip! | |
| Young’s Jersey Dairy Fall Farm Pumpkin Fun | September 16 – Oct 29 |
| Delaware County Fair | September 16-23 |
| Little Brown Jug | September 21 |
| OCTOBER | |
| Boo at the Zoo | Weekends October 7-30 |
| Circleville Pumpkin Show | October 18-21 |
| The Great Westerville Pumpkin Glow | October 19-22 |
| Highball | TBD |
| NOVEMBER | |
| Wildlights | November 17-January 7 |
| DECEMBER | |
| Butch Bandos Fantasy of Lights | November 17-January 1 |
Concerts
| JULY | |
| The Workmen at The Basement | July 1 |
| Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox at Newport Music Hall | July 2 |
| Post Sex Nachos at The Basement | July 5 |
| Rosa Linn at A&R Music Bar | July 6 |
| Souls of Mischief at A&R Music Bar | July 7 |
| The Lonely Ones at A&R Music Bar | July 8 |
| Caspr at The Basement | July 8 |
| Dirty Heads at KEMBA Live! | July 9 |
| Jinkx Monsoon at KEMBA Live! | July 11 |
| Bird and Byron at A&R Music Bar | July 14 |
| Father at A&R Music Bar | July 15 |
| Grip at The Basement | July 21 |
| The Backseat Lovers at KEMBA Live! | July 23 |
| Orville Peck at KEMBA Live! | July 25 |
| Gov’t Mule at KEMBA Live! | July 26-Aug 6 |
| The Stews at The Basement | July 27 |
| Noise Control at The Basement | July 28 |
| Atlus at A&R Music Bar | July 28 |
| Canal WInchester Blues and Ribfest | July 28-29 |
| Whitehall Food Truck & Fun Fest | July 29 |
| The WLDLFE at A&R Music Bar | July 29 |
| Binki at The Basement | July 31 |
| AUGUST | |
| Nathaniel Rateliff at KEMBA Live! | August 5 |
| Ice Nine Kills at KEMBA Live! | August 8 |
| The Anchor at The Basement | August 12 |
| Hobo Johnson at A&R Music Bar | August 12-13 |
| Tim Heidecker at KEMBA Live! | August 14 |
| Sylvan Esso at KEMBA Live! | August 15 |
| Shortparis at The Basement | August 15 |
| Charley Crockett at KEMBA Live! | August 16 |
| Wheatus at The Basement | August 18 |
| Manchester Orchestra/Jimmy Eat World at KEMBA Live! | August 19 |
| Granger Smith at KEMBA Live! | August 20 |
| Danielle Nicole at The Basement | August 24 |
| Wonderbus Music & Arts Fest | August 25-27 |
| Angela Perley & The Vindys at A&R Music Bar | August 26 |
| Weyes Blood at Newport Music Hall | August 30 |
| Sir Chloe at The Basement | August 30 |
| OCTOBER | |
| Sammy Rae & The Friends at Newport Music Hall | October 2 |
| Lauren Sanderson at A&R Music Bar | October 3 |
| Mt Joy at KEMBA Live! | October 3 |
| Jawny at A&R Music Bar | October 6 |
| The National Parks at A&R Music Bar | October 9 |
| Cam Cole at A&R Music Bar | October 12 |
| Tom Odell | October 13 |
| Shawn James with Adrian + Meredith at A&R Music Bar | October 13 |
| Stephen Sanchez at KEMBA Live! | October 14 |
| The Aces at Newport Music Hall | October 14 |
| Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at A&R Music Bar | October 15 |
| Jessie Murph at Newport Music Hall | October 17 |
| TV Gate at Newport Music Hall | October 18 |
| Eddie Zuko at A&R Music Bar | October 18 |
| John at The Basement | October 21 |
| Amyl and The Sniffers at Newport Music Hall | October 22 |
| Roosevelt at Newport Music Hall | October 31 |
| NOVEMBER | |
| Chris Renzema at Newport Music Hall | November 3 |
| Yvie Oddly Strange Live Tour | November 10 |
| Palehound at A&R Music Bar | November 18 |
