Summer Fairs and Festivals In & Around Columbus

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Nothing screams summer more than outdoor fairs and festivals! Many of the festivals offer live music, unique vendors, mouth-watering food trucks, and outdoor fun for the whole family. Use this guide to help you decide which ones you want to hit this summer! There are so many to choose from! {This information is curated from multiple sources, so be sure to confirm the details are still accurate before heading out.}

Fairs and Festivals In & Around Columbus

Check out our post about Community Hops to Check Out This Summer because many communities host these free events on various days of the week.

June

Columbus Arts Festival: June 9 – June 11, 2023 | Join in celebrating the return of the Columbus Arts Festival this year, at the downtown riverfront!

Grove City Wine and Arts Festival: June 16 – June 17, 2023 | Enjoy the pairing of art and wineries in this eight-year anniversary tradition. The event runs in the heart of Grove City’s historical area.

Columbus Pride Festival: June 16- 17, 2023 | The festival takes place on Friday with a parade on Saturday!

Creekside Blues and Jazz Festival: June 16- June 18, 2023 | This event brings together top regional blues and jazz talent to Gahanna along with food vendors, retail vendors, and a discovery zone area for kids.

Craft & Art Fair: June 17, 2023 | Join the Hilliard Historical Society for free family fun. There are local artists, face painting, arts & crafts for kids, jail cell photo op, tours and Buckeye Crepes & Kona Ice.

Worthington Arts Festival: June 17- June 18, 2023| Ceramics, glass, fibers, jewelry and leather work along with food and beverage vendors too on The Worthington Green this year!

Powell Festival: June 23- June 24, 2023 | A 2-day summer experience that includes family-friendly entertainment, delicious food, and fireworks.

Comfest: June 23- June 25, 2023 | A free non-corporation yearly celebration of Columbus, Ohio’s community organizations, performers, artists, and volunteers. Great music!

July

Red, White and Boom: July 3, 2023 | Huge all-day festival in downtown Columbus with all day events and fireworks.

Ohio Brew Week Festival: July 7- July 15, 2023 | Beer festival with many events held in Athens, Ohio.

Westerville Music and Arts Festival: July 8-July 9, 2023 | 2 days of art with local musicians and diverse food offerings from over 20 food trucks and 130 artisans. 

Franklin County Fair: July 17- July 23, 2023 | Find your favorite fair foods, rides and family-friendly attractions, like massive Monster Trucks, furry Farm Animals, Fishing fun, mind-blowing Magic, and much more! Find something for every member of family at the Franklin County Fair in Hilliard Ohio! From farm animals, an amazing dog show, mind-blowing magic, tasty fair food and much more!

Lancaster Festival: July 20-29, 2023 | Celebration of music, arts, and community. Sheryl Crow, Andy Grammer and Red Hot Chili Peppers will perform! 

Columbus Jazz and Rib Festival: July 21- July 23, 2023 | The finest in music and BBQ! Come get your hot ribs and cool jazz! 

Nelsonville Music Festival: July 21- July 23, 2023 | So many artists to see! 

Union County Fair: July 23- July 29, 2023 | Harness racing, Kidzone, animal costume contest, cutest baby contest, touch truck and pony pulls! Lainy Wilson will perform!

Columbus Food and Wine Festival: July 29-July 30, 2023| This festival aims to bring people together to celebrate with family over food, wine, and live music.

Ohio State Fair: July 26- August 6, 2023 | A unique tradition in Columbus with camel rides, games for the kids, petting zoo, pig races, rides, and stage performances. Don’t forget about all the food too! Kidzbop, Clint Black, and Third Eyed Blind will be some of the performers!

Canal Winchester Blues and Ribfest: July 28- 29, 2023 | 2-day summer celebration with award-winning ribs and world-class music.

August

Dublin Irish Festival: August 4- August 6, 2023 | 3-day celebration of all things Irish!

All Ohio Balloon Festival: August 10- 12, 2023 | This festival is held in Marysville with over 30 hot air balloons, sky jumpers, helicopters, live music and food and drinks. Beach Boys Band and Wallflowers to perform in 2023. 

Festival Latino: August 12- August 13, 2023 | Experience traditional and contemporary Latin American Culture.

Columbus Food Truck Festival: August 19-August 20, 2023 | Over 50 food trucks, live music, arts and crafts, games and more! Admission is free. In Hilliard! 

Millersport Sweet Corn Festival: August 30- September 1, 2023 | Festival, concert, rides, 5k and more. Matt Stell and the Frontman to perform. 

September

Obetz Zucchini Festival: September 1, 2023- September 4, 2023 | Family friendly 4-day event that includes rides, concerts, and entertainment!

Columbus Greek Festival:  September 1, 2023-September 4, 2023 | 4-day event to experience the traditions of Greece.

Canal Winchester Labor Day Festival: September 2, 2023 – September 4, 2023 | Three days of music, Columbus Zoo animals, and the food is always a popular attraction at this local tradition!

Ohio Renaissance Festival: September 2, 2023- October 28, 2023 | Takes place on Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day. Each weekend has a different theme like Pirate weekend or Fantasy Weekend and there will always be chicken legs! Typically special trick or treat weekend in October. 

Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival: September 4, 2023 | Interactive performances and activities, art to purchase, and a variety of vendors. A great tradition!

Marion Popcorn Festival:  September 7- September 9, 2023 | Free entertainment with rides, a popcorn parade, and pageants for all ages!

Columbus Oktoberfest: September 8- September 10, 2023 | Stages for polka dancing, kids plaza, 4-mile run and lots of cream puffs and pretzels!

Delaware County Fair: September 16- September 23, 2023 | 4H, mini tractor pull, magic shows, dinosaurs, truck pull and hot dog eating contest! Enjoy a great week with the family!

October

Columbus Italian Festival: October 6- October 8, 2023 | Parade, featured entertainment, taste of Italy, and so much more!

Circleville Pumpkin Show: October 18- October 21, 2023 | Famous spot for all things pumpkin! You’ve got to see it, to believe it!

That’s over 40 fairs and festivals to choose from! Have a blast!

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Maureen Ingham
Maureen Ingham has enjoyed living in the great city of Columbus for nearly 13 years! Originally from Canton, Ohio, Maureen attended Ohio University and will always be a bobcat at heart! After completing her education degree in Athens, she made her way to The Ohio State University to obtain a Masters degree in Special Education. She fell in love with Columbus then and convinced her now husband to join her in this awesome city! She taught 5th grade for 6 years, before deciding to stay home to raise two beautiful girls. Their family has recently moved to Worthington with their two girls and are excited to plant their roots here! Their first daughter, Maeve is 6 and her sister, Reese will soon be 5 years old. They welcomed a son, Miles in March 2020. Maureen has been with The Columbus Moms Blog since the beginning and now enjoys working on editing and events for the blog. She also works as a Postpartum Doula with her sister at a company called Together Wee Grow. They provide night nursing services, as well as daytime support to local families and babies in Columbus. It is a wonderful job to work along her sister and help families with their precious little ones in a vulnerable time period. In between the night shifts, sweeping up crumbs, exploring Columbus, and getting kids to where they need to be, Maureen enjoys working out, trying new recipes and restaurants, traveling, spending time with family, being crafty and trying to help others whenever she can! Maureen has many Columbus favorites. Her go-to restaurant is Third and Hollywood, she enjoys a sweet treat at Sassafrass Bakery or Fox in the Snow, a slice of pizza at Dewey's Pizza and a warm cup of joe at Highline Coffee. A perfect Saturday involves an outdoor activity with her family and trying a new restaurant when they can! She is excited to be a part of an excellent team here at Columbus Moms blog and hopes to be able to inspire mothers that small acts of kindness go a long way in raising their kids and the city they live in!

2 COMMENTS

    • All three of those events are in the guide so perhaps you didn’t scroll far enough. Thanks for letting us know in case we missed them.

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