Photo by Schlagheck Photography www.schlagheckphoto.com for Robb McCormick Photography
There's nothing quite like summer in Columbus; the warm evenings, the beautiful golden hours, and the abundance of festivals and events provide things to do every day of the week (morning and night!). For upcoming fall and winter events, visit our Fall & Winter Events in 2023 blog.
Be sure to bookmark this page -- events are added daily as we find them! Are we missing an event? Let us know on Instagram @downtowncolumbus!
FREE events are noted!
RECURRING EVENTS
- Columbus Commons │ FREE Fitness, Commons for Kids, Food Truck Food Court and Breakfast Food Trucks - every week
- Scioto Mile │ FREE Running Club, Concerts, Kids Events, Other Events, Discounted Kayaking - all summer
- National Veterans Memorial and Museum │ FREE Yoga & Jiu Jitsu - every week
- Columbus Museum of Art │ FREE BAM Thursdays (Bar, Art, Music) - Every Thursday from 5 pm - 9 pm
- Pearl Alley │ (Free Entry) Pearl Market - Every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 - 2 pm
- Ohio Theatre │ CAPA Summer Movie Series - June 15 - July 16, times vary
- Huntington Park │ Columbus Clippers games - Games throughout the week - check schedule
- COSI │ Tutankhamun: His Tomb and His Treasures - On display through Labor Day
- Topiary Park │ FREE Sundays in the Park - Every Sunday through August, excluding July 16
ONE-TIME EVENTS
AUGUST
August 21 - 27
- Wednesday, 8/23: Sunny Day Real Estate │ The Bluestone
- Wednesday, 8/23: Pop Up Market by Markets at Pearl │ Battelle Plaza │ 12-4 pm
- Thursday 8/24: NightLight 614: Wedding Crashers │ Genoa Park
- Thursday, 8/24: Danielle Nicole │ The Basement
- Thursday, 8/24: Wine Tasting │ Parable Coffee │ 6pm
- Thursday, 8/24: Open Mic with Cynthia Amoah │ The Kee
- (FREE -- sold out) Friday 8/25: Boyz II Men │ Columbus Commons
- Friday, 8/25: Barry Manilow │ Nationwide Arena
- (FREE) Friday 8/25: Movie Nights in the Park feat. Grease │ Topiary Park │ 9:15 pm
- (FREE) Friday 8/25: Artist Commune: Word for Thought Multimedia Journaling │ Urban Arts Space
- Friday, 8/25: Wyatt Flores │ A&R Music Bar
- Friday, 8/25 - 9/3: Aethereal Jest Arts Council Presents "Twelve Angry Jurors"│ Columbus Performing Arts Center
- Saturday, 8/26: Eat Up Columbus with Freedom a la Cart │ NVMM │ Tickets required
- Saturday, 8/26: Columbus Crew vs. Toronto │ Lower.com Field
- Saturday, 8/26: Lil Baby │ Nationwide Arena
- Saturday, 8/26: Angela Perley & The Vindys │ A&R Music Bar
- Saturday-Sunday, 8/26-8/27: Fiery Foods Festival │ Genoa Park
- Sunday, 8/27: (FREE) Wendy Red Star Community Day │ Columbus Museum of Art
- Sunday, 8/27: Pups in the Park │ Topiary Park │ 1-4 pm
August 28 - 31
PAST EVENTS
WEDNESDAY 6/7
THURSDAY 6/8
FRIDAY 6/9
SATURDAY 6/10
SUNDAY 6/11
June 12-18
June 19-25
June 26 - 30
JULY
July 1-9
July 10 - 16
- (FREE) Tuesday 7/11: Dorrian Days - Water │ Dorrian Green
- Tuesday, 7/11: The Struts │ The Bluestone
- Tuesday, 7/11: Jinkx Monsoon: Everything at Stake │ KEMBA Live!
- (FREE) Wednesday 7/12: Micro Market │ Lazarus Building
- Thursday, 7/13: Ambassador Animals with the Columbus Zoo │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Thursday, 7/13: Benefits of Beekeeping with the Central Ohio Beekeepers Association │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Thursday 7/13: Nightlight 614: Mean Girls │ Genoa Park
- Thursday 7/13: COSI After Dark: Night at the Big Top
- Thursday, 7/13 - Saturday, 7/15: Pets and Vets │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Friday, 7/14: Fashion Night Out at Common Thread │ 237-267 S Third Street
- (FREE) Friday 7/14: Popcorn Pops and Movie Night feat. Shrek │ Columbus Commons
- Friday, 7/14: Bird and Byron │ A&R Music Bar
- Friday, 7/14: Urban Wildlife with the Ohio Canid Center <5/23 4:55 PM>
Taylor Campbell │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Friday, 7/14: Treat Making with Growlers Dog Bones │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- Saturday-Sunday, 7/15-7/16: Columbus Book Festival │ Columbus Main Library
- (FREE) Saturday 7/15: PBJ & Jazz │ Topiary Park │ 12 - 1 pm
- Saturday 7/15: Picnic with the Pops -- The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA │ Columbus Commons
- Saturday, 7/15: Father │ A&R Music Bar
- Saturday, 7/15: Sofar Sounds Concert │ TBD
- Saturday, 7/15: Anime Unleashed │ Columbus Main Library
- (FREE) Saturday, 7/15: Basic K9 Obedience Training with MALTAC K9 │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- (FREE) Saturday, 7/15: Service Animals with Black Paw Canine │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- (FREE) Sunday 7/16: Sunlight Market │ Gay and Pearl Streets
July 17 - 23
- (FREE) Tuesday 7/18: Dorrian Days - Ecology │ Dorrian Green
- Tuesday, 7/18: Community Blood Drive │ National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- (FREE) Thursday 7/20: Dance Performance by Momentum University │ Columbus Commons
- Friday, July 21 - July 30: Pippin by Imagine Productions │ District West
- Friday, 7/21: Picnic with the Pops --Superheroes! │ Columbus Commons
- Friday, 7/21: GRIP │ The Basement
- Friday, 7/21: Please Don't Destroy Live │ Riffe Center Theatre Complex
- Friday, 7/21: Jinx the Fox │ A&R Music Bar
- (FREE) Friday - Sunday, 7/21-7/23: Jazz & Rib Fest │ Scioto Mile
- Saturday 7/22: Picnic with the Pops -- Ben Folds -- What Matters Most Tour │ Columbus Commons
- (FREE) Saturday, 7/22: PNC Mobile Learning Adventure │ Columbus Main Library
- Saturday, 7/22: Colombia Party│ Palmas Tropical Escape
- Saturday 7/23: Columbus Crew vs. St. Louis │ Lower.com Field
- Sunday, 7/23: The Backseat Lovers - Waiting to Spill World Tour │ KEMBA Live!
- Sunday, 7/23: Welcome Back My Friends: The Return of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer │ Southern Theatre
- Friday, July 21 - July 30: Pippin by Imagine Productions │ District West
- (FREE) Tuesday 7/25: Dorrian Days - Space │ Dorrian Green
- Wednesday 7/26 - 8/6: Disney's Frozen │ Ohio Theatre
- Wednesday, 7/26: Gov't Mule - Dark Side of the Mule │ KEMBA Live!
- Thursday 7/27: NightLight 614: School of Rock │ Genoa Park
- Thursday, 7/27: The Stews │ The Basement
- Friday - Saturday, 7/28-7/29: Picnic with the Pops -- Ohio State University Marching Band │ Columbus Commons
- (FREE) Friday 7/28: Morning Pet Playdate │ Scioto Mile │ 8 am - 12 pm
- (FREE) Friday 7/28: Movie Nights in the Park feat. Grand Budapest Hotel│ Topiary Park │ 9:15 pm
- Friday, 7/28: Noise Ctrl │ The Basement
- Friday, 7/28: Atlus │ A&R Music Bar
- Friday, 7/28: The Glitch Mob │ The Bluestone
- (FREE) Friday, 7/28: Artist Commune: Fashion Upcycling │ OSU Urban Art Space │ 6:30 pm
- (FREE) Saturday 7/29: Free Kayak Day │ Scioto Mile │ 1 pm - 5 pm
- (FREE) Saturday 7/29: COMO Dance Class│ Scioto Mile │ 1 pm
- Saturday, 7/29: The Wldlfe - Live on Tour Pt. II │ A&R Music Bar
- Saturday, 7/29: Tech Community Summerfest │ McPherson Commons Park
- Saturday, 7/29: Art After Dark │ Ilkaa's Fine Art Gallery and Atelier │ 8 - 11 pm
- Saturday, 7/29: Drag Brunch Bingo │ Slammers
- (FREE) Friday-Saturday, 7/29-7/30: Columbus African Festival │ Genoa Park
- (FREE) Sunday, 7/30: Pop Up Performance - Winds Brilliante │ Columbus Museum of Art
- (FREE) Sunday, 7/30: Nostalgia Day Party │ The Kee
- Monday, 7/31: binki │ The Basement
August 1 - 6
- (FREE) Tuesday 8/1: Dorrian Days - Water │ Dorrian Green
- (FREE) Tuesday 8/1: National Night Out │ Topiary Park │ 4 pm
- Tuesday, 8/1: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals │ The Bluestone
- (FREE) Wednesday 8/2: Brews in the Bosque │ Columbus Commons
- Thursday 8/3: NightLight 614: Juno │ Genoa Park
- Thursday, 8/3: Film Performance with Roger Beebe: Lineage (for Normal McLaren) │ Columbus Museum of Art
- Friday, 8/4: Colby Acuff │ The Basement
- Friday, 8/4: Claire Rosinkranz │ A&R Music Bar
- Friday, 8/4: Columbus Crew vs. Minnesota │ Lower.com field
- Saturday-Sunday, 8/5-8/6: Pelotonia
- Saturday, 8/5: Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats │ KEMBA Live!
- Saturday, 8/5: Hail the Sun - The Divine Inner Tension Tour │ The Basement
- Saturday, 8/5: Nacho Street Band │ Way Down Yonder Beignets │ 11 am
- Saturday, 8/5: Festival of Movement │Columbus Dance Theatre
- Saturday, 8/5: Marvel Superhero Night with Columbus Clippers │ Huntington Park
- Sunday, 8/6: Free Jazz Night │ Parable Coffee │ 7 pm
August 7 -13
- (FREE) Tuesday 8/8: Dorrian Days - Ecology │ Dorrian Green
- Tuesday, 8/8: Ice Nine Kills: Fear the Premiere Tour │ KEMBA Live!
- (FREE) Wednesday 8/9: Micro Market │ Lazarus Building
- Wednesday 8/9 - Sunday, 8/13: Farm Days │ COSI
- Wednesday, 8/9: AEW │ Nationwide Arena
- Wednesday, 8/9: Maisie Peters │ The Bluestone
- Thursday, 8/10: COSI After Dark: Brewing and Distilling
- Thursday, 8/10 - Sunday, 8/13: "Later the Same Evening" an opera by John Musto inspired by Edward Hooper │ Columbus Museum of Art
- Friday, 8/11: Alternative Symphony Presents an Orchestral Rendition of Dr. Dre: 2001 │ KEMBA Live!
- (FREE) Saturday 8/12: LifeBALANCE Yoga │ Topiary Park │ 11 am - 12 pm
- (FREE) Saturday 8/12: PBJ & Jazz │ Topiary Park │ 12 pm
- (FREE) Second Saturdays at the Main Library
- (FREE) Saturday 8/12: Chalk on the Mile │ Scioto Mile
- (FREE) Saturday 8/12: Kayak Day │ Scioto Mile
- (FREE) Saturday 8/12: Moonlight Market │ Gay and Pearl Streets
- Saturday, 8/12: Columbus Summer Beerfest │ KEMBA Live!
- Saturday, 8/12: The Anchor - US/Canada Tour 2023 │ The Basement
- Saturday, 8/12: Patio Yoga │ Jackie O's Brewing
- Saturday, 8/12: 614 Funk Fest │ Columbus Commons
- (SOLD OUT) Saturday, 8/12: Hobo Johnson │ A&R Music Bar
- (FREE) Saturday-Sunday, 8/12-8/13: Festival Latino │ Genoa Park
- (FREE) Sunday, 8/13: Free Jazz Night │ Parable Coffee │ 7 pm - 10 pm
August 14-20
- Monday, 8/14: Sound Bath in the Sculpture Garden│ Columbus Museum of Art
- Monday, 8/14: Tim Heidecker - The Two Tims Summer Tour '23 │ KEMBA Live!
- (FREE) Tuesday 8/15: Dorrian Days - Farm Days │ Dorrian Green
- (FREE) Tuesday 8/15: The Columbus Zoo Visits Topiary Park │ 1 pm
- Tuesday, 8/15: Sylvan Esso - No Rules (Tour) with Indigo De Souza │ KEMBA Live!
- Tuesday, 8/15: Shortparis │ The Basement
- Wednesday 8/16: The Chicks │ Nationwide Arena
- Wednesday, 8/16: Charley Crockett │ KEMBA Live!
- (FREE) Thursday 8/17: Sips on the Scioto Happy Hour │ Coleman's Pointe
- (FREE) Friday 8/18: The Navigators │ Columbus Commons
- (FREE) Friday 8/18: Tattooed Threads Opening Reception │ Parlor Suites
- Friday, 8/18: Espresso Martini Night │ Parable Cafe
- Friday, 8/18: Kidd G │ The Bluestone
- Friday, 8/18: Summer Fest │ Howl at the Moon
- Friday, 8/18: Wheatus │ The Basement
- Friday, 8/18: Opening Reception: Two Neighbors │ Urban Arts Space
- Friday, 8/18 through Sunday, 8/20: Septemberfest │ Wolf's Ridge Brewing
- Saturday, 8/19: Muscles and Mimosas │ The Kee │ 10 am - 1 pm
- (FREE) Saturday 8/19: CBUS Soul Fest │ Genoa Park
- Saturday, 8/19: All Black Book Fair │ Columbus State Community College
- Saturday, 8/19: Manchester Orchestra / Jimmy Eat World with special guest Middle Kids │ KEMBA Live!
- (FREE) Sunday 8/20: Sunlight Market -- Pose on Pearl│ Gay and Pearl Streets
- Sunday 8/20: Columbus Crew vs. Cincinnati │ Lower.com Field
- Sunday, 8/20: Granger Smith feat. Earl Dibbles Jr. │ KEMBA Live!
- Sunday, 8/20: Adopt a Dog Meet & Greet│Pins Mechanical │1-4 pm
Photos courtesy of Robb McCormick Photography.