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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JUNE 
Six One PourJune 3
Water Lantern FestivalJune 3
Columbus Arts FestivalJune 9-11
Grove City Wine and Arts FestivalJune 16-17
Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival and MarchJune 16-17
Creekside Blues & Jazz FestivalJune 16-18
Worthington Art FestivalJune 17-18
Powell FestivalJune 23-24
ComFestJune 23-24

Road Trip! 
Newark Strawberry FestJune 2-4
Avon Heritage Duck Tape FestivalJune 16-18
Dean Martin FestivalJune 16-17

JULY 
Columbus Jazz and Rib FestJuly 21-23
Canal WInchester Blues and RibfestJuly 28-29
Whitehall Food Truck & Fun FestJuly 29

Road Trip! 
Ohio Brew Week FestivalJuly 7-15
Nelsonville Music FestivalJuly 21-23

AUGUST 
Dublin Irish FestivalAugust 4-6
Reynoldsburg Tomato FestivalAugust 10-12
All Ohio Balloon FestivalAugust 10-12
Festival LatinoAugust 12-13
Columbus Food Truck FestivalAugust 19-20
Wonderbus Music & Arts FestAugust 25-27

Road Trip! 
Hocking Hills Bigfoot FestivalAugust 4-5
Twins Days FestivalAugust 4-6
Bucyrus Bratwurst FestivalAugust 17-19
Millersport Sweet Corn FestivalAugust 30 – September 2

SEPTEMBER 
Greek FestivalSeptember 1-4
Obetz ZucchinifestSeptember 1-4
Canal Winchester Labor Day FestivalSeptember 2-4
Ohio Renaissance FestivalSeptember 2-October 29
Columbus OktoberfestSeptember 8-10

Road Trip! 
Marion Popcorn FestivalSeptember 8-10
Lithopolis HoneyfestSeptember 8-9
SkunkfestSeptember 9
Ohio Pawpaw FestivalSeptember 15-17
Cleveland Pickle FestSeptember 23

OCTOBER 
Columbus Italian FestOctober 6-8

JUNE 
The Memorial TournamentJune 1-4
Six One PourJune 3
Short North Yard SaleJune 3
Bexley Women’s Garden TourJune 4
COSI After Dark: Night on the NileJune 8
Juneteenth Ohio CelebrationJune 17-18
Origins Game FairJune 21-25
German Village Haus und Garten TourJune 25
WesterFlora Garden TourJune 25
JULY 
Red, White & BOOM!July 3
Doo Dah ParadeJuly 4
Good Guys 40th Anniversary, Summit Racing NationalsJuly 7-9
COSI After Dark: Night at the Big TopJuly 13
Restaurant Week ColumbusJuly 24-29
Ohio State FairJuly 26-Aug 6

AUGUST 
PelotoniaAugust 5-6
Uptown UntappedAugust 12

SEPTEMBER 
Short North Tour of HomesSeptember 17

Road Trip! 
Young’s Jersey Dairy Fall Farm Pumpkin FunSeptember 16 – Oct 29
Delaware County FairSeptember 16-23
Little Brown JugSeptember 21

OCTOBER 
Boo at the ZooWeekends October 7-30
Circleville Pumpkin ShowOctober 18-21
The Great Westerville Pumpkin GlowOctober 19-22
HighballTBD

NOVEMBER 
WildlightsNovember 17-January 7

DECEMBER 
Butch Bandos Fantasy of LightsNovember 17-January 1

MAY 
Destroyer at The BasementMay 2
Annie DiRusso at The BasementMay 3
Mac Ayres at Newport Music HallMay 3
Annie DiRusso at The BasementMay 3
COSI Science FestivalMay 3-6
Avery Anna at The BasementMay 4
Peter Cat Recording Co at A&R Music HallMay 5
The Crystal Camino Band at The BasementMay 5
Sourblood at The BasementMay 6
Wish You Were Here at KEMBA Live!May 6
Pouya at Newport Music HallMay 6
Coheed and Cambria at KEMBA Live!May 9
The New Pornographers at Newport Music HallMay 9
UPSAHL at A&R Music HallMay 10
Drive-By Truckers at Newport Music HallMay 11
City and Colour at KEMBA Live!May 12
Arts Fishing Club at The BasementMay 12
Olivia Jean at The BasementMay 13
Me Nd Adam at The BasementMay 14
Amy Ray Band at A&R Music HallMay 16
Rebounder at The BasementMay 19
Koe Wetzel at KEMBA Live!May 19
Brit Floyd at KEMBA Live!May 20
Loveless at A&R Music HallMay 20
The Blue Stones at Newport Music HallMay 21
The Moss at The BasementMay 22
Radkey at A&R Music HallMay 24
Oh He Dead at The BasementMay 25
Watsky at Newport Music HallMay 25
Sonic TempleMay 25-28
Buckeye Country Superfest PreParty feat. Larry Fleet at Newport Music HallMay 26
Dreamers and Robert Delong at A&R Music HallMay 26
Buckeye Country SuperfestMay 27
Trash Panda at The BasementMay 27
Ella Mai at Newport Music Hall at A&R Music HallMay 28
Hippo Campus at KEMBA Live!May 30
Hippo Campus at KEMBA Live!May 30
Dylan at The BasementMay 31
Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade at KEMBA Live!May 31

JUNE 
Barenaked Ladies at KEMBA Live!June 2
Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew at Newport Music HallJune 3
Emo Nite at A&R Music BarJune 3
Adore Delano at A&R Music BarJune 4
The Amazons at The BasementJune 5
Louis Tomlinson at KEMBA Live!June 6
ROSIE at The BasementJune 7
COSI After Dark: Night on the NileJune 8
Two Friends at KEMBA Live!June 8
Josh Meloy at A&R Music BarJune 8
Hotel Fiction at The BasementJune 8
All Time Low at KEMBA Live!June 9
Sumbuck at Newport Music HallJune 9
Millyz at The BasementJune 9
Columbus Arts FestivalJune 9-11
O.A.R. at KEMBA Live!June 10
Shrek Rave at Newport Music HallJune 10
Benson Boone at The BasementJune 10
Quinn XCII at KEMBA Live!June 11
Sparta at Newport Music HallJune 11
Smile Empty Soul at The BasementJune 11
Pixies & Franz Ferdinand at KEMBA Live!June 12
Joseph at Newport Music HallJune 13
Hotel Mira at The BasementJune13
Rainbow Kitten Surprise at KEMBA Live!June 14
Bayonne at The BasementJune 15
Palace at Newport Music HallJune 16
Lauren Weintraub at The BasementJune 16
Creekside Blues & Jazz FestivalJune 16-18
Young The Giant at KEMBA Live!June 17
Watch What Crappens at Newport Music HallJune 17
Re:Set – boygenius at KEMBA Live!June 23
Re:Set – LCD Soundsystem at KEMBA Live!June 24
Re:Set – Steve Lacy at KEMBA Live!June 25
GOOSE at KEMBA Live!June 27
Between the Buried and Me at Newport Music HallJune 29
Metric at Newport Music HallJune 30

JULY 
The Workmen at The BasementJuly 1
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox at Newport Music HallJuly 2
Post Sex Nachos at The BasementJuly 5
Rosa Linn at A&R Music BarJuly 6
Souls of Mischief at A&R Music BarJuly 7
The Lonely Ones at A&R Music BarJuly 8
Caspr at The BasementJuly 8
Dirty Heads at KEMBA Live!July 9
Jinkx Monsoon at KEMBA Live!July 11
Bird and Byron at A&R Music BarJuly 14
Father at A&R Music BarJuly 15
Grip at The BasementJuly 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 BasementJuly 27
Noise Control at The BasementJuly 28
Atlus at A&R Music BarJuly 28
Canal WInchester Blues and RibfestJuly 28-29
Whitehall Food Truck & Fun FestJuly 29
The WLDLFE at A&R Music BarJuly 29
Binki at The BasementJuly 31

AUGUST 
Nathaniel Rateliff at KEMBA Live!August 5
Ice Nine Kills at KEMBA Live!August 8
The Anchor at The BasementAugust 12
Hobo Johnson at A&R Music BarAugust 12-13
Tim Heidecker at KEMBA Live!August 14
Sylvan Esso at KEMBA Live!August 15
Shortparis at The BasementAugust 15
Charley Crockett at KEMBA Live!August 16
Wheatus at The BasementAugust 18
Manchester Orchestra/Jimmy Eat World at KEMBA Live!August 19
Granger Smith at KEMBA Live!August 20
Danielle Nicole at The BasementAugust 24
Wonderbus Music & Arts FestAugust 25-27
Angela Perley & The Vindys at A&R Music BarAugust 26
Weyes Blood at Newport Music HallAugust 30
Sir Chloe at The BasementAugust 30

SEPTEMBER 
Modern English at A&R Music BarSeptember 2
Magic City Hippies at A&R Music BarSeptember 3
Cannons at Newport Music HallSeptember 5
Sons of the East at A&R Music BarSeptember 6
Jordan Davis at KEMBA Live!September 7
Hulvey at The BasementSeptember 9
Poppy & PVRIS at KEMBA Live!September 10
Noah Kahan at KEMBA Live!September 12
Owl City at Newport Music HallSeptember 13
CAKE at KEMBA Live!September 15
Warpaint at A&R Music BarSeptember 15
Ani DiFranco at KEMBA Live!September 16
The Milk Carton Kids at A&R Music BarSeptember 17
Ashnikko at KEMBA Live!September 18
Timecop1983 at A&R Music BarSeptember 20
Blue October at KEMBA Live!September 20
BoyWithUke with special guest Naethan Apollo at Newport Music HallSeptember 21
Tim Atlas at The BasementSeptember 21
Warren Zeiders at KEMBA Live!September 22
Dean Lewis at Newport Music HallSeptember 22
Flogging Molly at KEMBA Live!September 23
Bad Omens at KEMBA Live!September 24
Joy Oladokun at Newport Music HallSeptember 26
Bishop Briggs & MisterWives at KEMBA Live!September 27
Matt and Kim at Newport Music HallSeptember 29
The Blitz “Blackout” featuring Black Veil Brides & VV at KEMBA Live!September 29

OCTOBER 
Sammy Rae & The Friends at Newport Music HallOctober 2
Lauren Sanderson at A&R Music BarOctober 3
Mt Joy at KEMBA Live!October 3
Jawny at A&R Music BarOctober 6
The National Parks at A&R Music BarOctober 9
Cam Cole at A&R Music BarOctober 12
Tom OdellOctober 13
Shawn James with Adrian + Meredith at A&R Music BarOctober 13
Stephen Sanchez at KEMBA Live!October 14
The Aces at Newport Music HallOctober 14
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets at A&R Music BarOctober 15
Jessie Murph at Newport Music HallOctober 17
TV Gate at Newport Music HallOctober 18
Eddie Zuko at A&R Music BarOctober 18
John at The BasementOctober 21
Amyl and The Sniffers at Newport Music HallOctober 22
Roosevelt at Newport Music HallOctober 31

NOVEMBER 
Chris Renzema at Newport Music HallNovember 3
Yvie Oddly Strange Live TourNovember 10
Palehound at A&R Music BarNovember 18