Columbus Summer Fun 2022: Festival and fair season jam-packed with array of events

Summer is fair and festival season, and if you pace yourself, you can find a local event  just about every weekend from now until Labor Day.

Like the hometown spirit of a community festival? Eat some tomatoes in Reynoldsburg, sweet corn in Millersport, strawberries in London, zucchini in Obetz or baklava at the Greek Festival.

Columbus Summer Fun 2022: Our comprehensive events guide to concerts, festivals, theater, arts and more

Looking for music? Most of the festivals include acts both local and national, or check out specialty festivals such as Creekside Blues & Jazz, the Lancaster Festival or the Jazz & Ribs Fest.

How about art? Head to the Columbus Arts Festival, the Westerville Music and Arts Festival or the Worthington Arts Festival.

You'll find information on all of these and many more.

May lineup: The Guess Who, Tame Impala and Tim McGraw among the performers coming to Ohio in May

June events

• June 4, Water Lantern Festival, Franklin Park, 1777 E. Broad St. Create a floating lantern and relax and enjoy hundreds of lanterns on the water. (waterlanternfestival.com)

• June 10-12, Columbus Arts Festival, along the Scioto Mile, Downtown. Enjoy the work of more than 200 local and national artists as well as performers on three stages and activities for kids. (columbusartsfestival.org)

• June 17-18, Stonewall Columbus Pride Community Festival, Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St. Celebrate the LGBTQ community at this family-friendly event. (stonewallcolumbus.org/pride)

• June 17-19, Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival, Creekside District, Gahanna. Visitors can enjoy three stages of local and national musicians as well as food and crafts. (www.creeksidebluesandjazz.com)

• June 18-19, Juneteenth Ohio Festival, Genoa Park, 303 W. Broad St. Celebrate Juneteenth with a talent show, a classic car show and children's and Father's Day activities. (www.juneteenthohio.com)

• June 18-19, Worthington Arts Festival, McConnell Arts Center, 777 Evening St., Worthington. Join other visitors in checking out the fine arts and crafts at the festival, and sample food from multiple food trucks. (www.worthingtonartsfestival.com)

• June 23-25, London Strawberry Festival, Route 56, London. Enjoy strawberry shortcake and all the other strawberry foods you can eat, along with rides, games and a car show. (www.londonstrawberryfestival.com)

• June 24-25, Powell Festival, Village Green Park, 47 Hill St., Powell. Visitors can look forward to fireworks as well as rides, games, food and plenty of entertainment. (festival.cityofpowell.us)

• June 24-26, ComFest, Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St. The “party with a purpose” celebrates 50 years of community service and good times. (www.comfest.com)

Cheers!: Columbus Summer Wine Festival returns to Whitehall with food trucks, music 🍷

July events

• July 1, Red, White & Boom, Genoa Park, 303 W. Broad St. What's billed as the largest Independence Day celebration in the Midwest returns for its 40th presentation. Expect entertainment, food and, of course, an incredible fireworks display. (www.redwhiteandboom.org)

• July 4, Doo Dah Music Fest and Parade, Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St. The organizers of the 39th parade invite everyone to celebrate “liberty and lunacy,” and then stick around for some music. Angela An, a news anchor on WBNS-TV (Channel 10), will be the "less-than-grand marshal". (doodahparade.com)

• July 9-10, Westerville Music and Arts Festival, Heritage Park, 60 N. Cleveland Ave., Westerville. More than 130 artists will exhibit their wares, and the event will also feature 30 performers,  including headliners The Reagonomics. (www.westervillechamber.com)

• July 14-16, Picktown Palooza, 300 Opportunity Way, Pickerington. Listen to Winger and Steelheart, take in a car and bike show, jump on a few carnival rides and, if you have the energy, zip off in a 5K. (picktownpalooza.org)

• July 18-24, Franklin County Fair, Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia St., Hilliard. Enjoy a full week of classic county fair activities, including a petting zoo, stunt dog shows, crockpot contests, horse musical freestyle, a veggie car derby and much more. (www.fcfair.org)

• July 21-30, Lancaster Festival, various sites in Lancaster. Take 10 days to celebrate music and other arts in Lancaster, including gala performances with fireworks displays. (www.lancasterfestival.org)

• July 22-24, Jazz & Rib Fest, Bicentennial Park, 233 S. Civic Center Drive. Load up on barbecue cooked by local masters as you take in the best of jazz in this festival produced by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. (www.hotribscooljazz.org)

• July 23, Columbus Summer Wine Festival, Kelley Green, 105 Norton Park Drive, Whitehall. Sample wine and shop for arts and crafts. (columbuswinefest.com)

• July 27-Aug. 7, Ohio State Fair, Ohio Expo Center, Interstate 71 and East 17th Avenue. The State Fair returns this year in its full-scale glory, including performances by Toby Keith, Foreigner and Nelly. (ohiostatefair.com)

• July 29-30, Canal Winchester Blues & Ribfest, High and Waterloo streets, Canal Winchester. Two days of music, including headliners Mike Zito and Davy Knowles, along with a rib competition and other food trucks, in case you're ribbed out. (www.bluesandribfest.com)

• July 30, Ohio Eggfest, Fortress Obetz, 2015 Recreation Trail

Obetz. Raise money for cancer while competing in grilling, barbecuing and culinary feats using a Big Green Egg. (www.theohioeggfest.com)

Get fired up: Hot sauce, spicy pizza, salsa will heat up taste buds at Columbus Fiery Foods Festival

August events

• Aug. 4-6, Baltimore Festival, Johnson Park, 220 Summers Choice Drive, Baltimore. A baby pageant, car show, parade, vintage baseball games and fireworks will bring spectators to the festival. (baltimorefestival.org)

• Aug. 4–6, Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival, Huber Park, 1640 Davidson Drive, Reynoldsburg. Check out the car and motorcycle show, let your kids explore the Kids' Corner and, if you dare, enter your team in the Tomato War. (reytomatofest.com)

• Aug. 5-7, Dublin Irish Festival, Coffman Park, 5200 Emerald Parkway, Dublin. The festival celebrates 35 years of Irish fun with concerts by Gaelic Storm, We Banjo 3 and many more, as well as musical workshops, storytellers and and an Irish traditions stage. (dublinirishfestival.org)

• Aug. 11–13, All Ohio Balloon Festival, Union County Airport, 15000 Weaver Road, Marysville. Watch for balloon launches after 6 p.m. and the “Nightly Glow” after dusk. Plus, check out performances by Bret Michaels and Niki Moon. (www.allohioballoonfest.com)

• Aug. 11–14, Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival, Public Square, Mount Vernon. Check out ArtRageous and the Little River Band at this community festival. (www.mvmaf.org)

• Aug. 12-13, Carroll Community Festival, Bessie Benson Park, Center St., Carroll. Enjoy food, crafts and more. (www.facebook.com/CarrollFestOH)

• Aug. 13-14, Festival Latino, Genoa Park, 303 W. Broad St. Enjoy Ohio-based Latino music, dance, children's activities and food. (festivallatino.net)

• Aug, 19-21, Columbus Food Truck Festival, Franklin County Fairgrounds, 4100 Columbia St., Hilliard. The festival stretches out to three days with more food trucks than you can probably sample, as well as music and crafts. (columbusfoodtruckfest.com)

• Aug. 20, Lancaster Brewfest, downtown Lancaster. Twenty-five Ohio craft breweries will have their beers available for the tasting. (lancasterbrewfest.com)

• Aug. 27-28, Columbus Fiery Food Festival, Main Street bridge near the Scioto Mile. Restaurants, food trucks, hot sauce and salsa venders will showcase their most tongue-tingling wares. (columbusfieryfoods.com)

• Aug. 31-Sept. 3, Millersport Sweet Corn Festival, Historic Lions Park, 2900 Chautauqua Blvd., Millersport. Celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Sweet Corn Festival, dispensing corn in multiple forms for 75 years, complete with games, rides and parades. (www.sweetcornfest.com)

September events

• Sept. 2-5, Obetz Zucchinifest, Fortress Obetz, 2050 Recreation Trail, Obetz. A festival that offers free admission, zucchini ice cream and a performance by Boys II Men? How can you go wrong? (obetzzucchinifest.com)

• Sept. 2-5, Columbus Greek Festival, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 555 N. High St. Baklava and dance will be on the menu at the 49th annual festival, which invites visitors to “live Greek for a weekend.” (www.columbusgreekfestival.com)

• Sept. 3-5, West Jefferson Ox Roast, Garrette Park, 3 Fellows Ave., West Jefferson. Enjoy cornhole, a pie-eating contest, kiddie tractor pulls and all the ox roast sandwiches you can eat. (www.westjeffoxroast.org)

• Sept. 5, Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival, Northam Park, 2070 Northam Road, Upper Arlington. Two hundred artists will display their work, while visitors can also relish food, kids' activities and performances. (upperarlingtonoh.gov)

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Summer festivals in Columbus: Food, fireworks, fairs and more