Columbus stacked the deck this weekend. Jazz & Rib Fest takes over the riverfront for three days of free music and smoked meat, the Crew host Cincinnati in the derby, and Huntington Park is glowing in the dark. Whatever your speed, you’re covered.
Every event below is verified before it makes the list, same as our monthly guide. Here’s your weekend, already sorted.
This Weekend At A Glance
| Event | When | Where | Cost |
| Jazz & Rib Fest | Fri & Sat 11am–10pm, Sun 11am–8pm | Scioto Mile riverfront | Free |
| Cosmic Baseball Takeover Tour | Thu–Sat, 7:30pm | Huntington Park | Ticketed, nearly sold out |
| Franklin County Fair (final weekend) | Daily thru Sun; Sun 9am–5pm | Fairgrounds, Hilliard | Gate admission, free parking |
| Zoo Adventure Nights (last weekend) | Fri & Sat, 6–10pm | Columbus Zoo, Adventure Cove | Free entry; rides, $12 parking extra |
| Audrey Hobert | Fri, doors 6:30pm | KEMBA Live! (outdoors) | Ticketed |
| Hell is Real: Crew vs. FC Cincinnati | Sat, 7pm | ScottsMiracle-Gro Field | Ticketed |
| Picnic with the Pops: The Alan Parsons Live Project | Sat, gates 6pm, show 8pm | Columbus Commons | Lawn from $36.75 |
| Slightly Stoopid | Sat, doors 6:30pm | KEMBA Live! (outdoors) | Ticketed |
| Walk of Fame Induction + History Walk | Sat, walk 4–6pm, ceremony 7pm | Lincoln Theatre | Free with registration |
| The Grandview Hop | Sat, 5–9pm | Grandview Avenue | Free |
| Rock The Clock X | Sat, gates 2pm | Uptown Plain City | Ticketed |
| Lancaster Festival Finale: Lady A | Sat evening | Wendel Concert Stage, OU Lancaster | Lawn $45 ($55 at gate) |
| An Evening with Band of Horses and Dinosaur Jr. | Sun, doors 7pm | KEMBA Live! (indoors) | Ticketed |
| King Serpent at Goodale Park | Sun, 12:30–2pm | Goodale Park | Free |
| Concerts on the Green: Hadden Sayers | Sun, 7pm | Worthington Village Green | Free |
Friday, July 24
🍖 Jazz & Rib Fest Returns to the Riverfront (Free)
The city’s smokiest free festival runs all three days on the Scioto Mile, 11am to 10pm Friday and Saturday, 11am to 8pm Sunday. The headliner slate is legitimately strong this year: Jonathan Butler plays the West Bank stage Friday at 8pm, Jeffrey Osborne takes it Saturday, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra with Byron Stripling anchors the Bicentennial Park stage Saturday night. Admission costs nothing; the ribs will not. We’ve got the full breakdown of stages, vendors, and parking in our Jazz & Rib Fest guide. And if the festival lines test your patience, the best BBQ in Columbus is smoking year-round.
Location: Scioto Mile riverfront, downtown
When: Friday–Sunday, opens 11am daily
Cost: Free admission
More info: Jazz & Rib Fest
⚾ Cosmic Baseball at Huntington Park
Huntington Park under black light: neon uniforms, UV-reactive baseballs, and the Chili Peppers taking on the Glow Mojis in a game that’s half baseball, half rave. The 2025 tour sold out completely, and this year’s ticket lottery went fast. Tickets are nearly gone: the Clippers say limited options are left, mostly suites and party areas, so call the office at (614) 462-5250 if you want in. Games run Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm.
Location: Huntington Park
When: Thursday–Saturday, 7:30pm
More info: Columbus Clippers
🎡 Last Weekend of the Franklin County Fair
Hilliard’s hometown fair wraps its week on Sunday, so this weekend is your last shot at the midway, the barns, and the fair food. Saturday’s grandstand show is the Central Ohio Truck and Tractor Pulls ($10), unlimited-ride wristbands run $28, and parking is free at the gates. One catch worth knowing: Sunday is a 9am to 5pm day, so don’t plan a closing-night visit. If the fair bug bites, our county fairs guide maps every fair within an easy drive of Columbus the rest of the summer.
Location: Franklin County Fairgrounds, Hilliard
When: Through Sunday; Sunday 9am–5pm
Cost: Gate admission; free parking
More info: Franklin County Fair
🦁 Last Call for Adventure Nights at the Zoo
The Columbus Zoo’s debut after-hours series ends Saturday. Once the rest of the park closes at 6pm, Adventure Cove stays open free until 10, rides lit up, with the Sea Lion and Seal Tunnel and Stingray Bay included. Friday’s free movie is How to Train Your Dragon (2025) at 7:30pm, and the Riley Burke Band plays Saturday from 7 to 9. Walking in costs nothing, but rides take paid wristbands and parking is $12 unless you’re a member.
Location: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Adventure Cove)
When: Friday & Saturday, 6–10pm
Cost: Free admission; rides and parking ($12) extra
More info: Columbus Zoo
🎤 Audrey Hobert at KEMBA Live!
One of pop’s buzziest new names brings the Staircase to Stardom Tour to the KEMBA outdoor stage. Doors at 6:30pm, all ages, rain or shine, and there’s a strict four-ticket limit, which tells you something about demand.
Location: KEMBA Live! (outdoors)
When: Friday, doors 6:30pm
More info: PromoWest
Saturday, July 25
⚽ Hell is Real: Crew vs. FC Cincinnati
The derby comes home. Crew against Cincinnati is the best rivalry in MLS right now, and Saturday’s 7pm kickoff at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field is the only Hell is Real match in Columbus this season. The Nordecke will be at full volume. If you’ve never been to one of these, fix that.
Location: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field
When: Saturday, 7pm
More info: Ticketmaster
🎻 Picnic with the Pops: The Alan Parsons Live Project
The Columbus Symphony backs the Alan Parsons Live Project on the Commons lawn: “Eye in the Sky,” “Games People Play,” and yes, “Sirius,” the Chicago Bulls intro music, with a full orchestra behind it. Gates at 6pm, show at 8pm. Lawn tickets run $36.75 to $52.50 ($10.50 to $15.75 for kids 3–12, free under 2), and you can bring your own picnic, alcohol included, subject to Columbus Commons rules.
Location: Columbus Commons
When: Saturday, gates 6pm, show 8pm
More info: Columbus Symphony
⭐ Walk of Fame Induction in the King-Lincoln District (Free)
The Lincoln Theatre’s annual Walk of Fame ceremony honors three pillars of Columbus’s Black education community this year, including Jack Gibbs Sr., who became the city’s first Black high school principal at East High in 1967. Before the 7pm ceremony, a Neighborhood History Walk runs 4 to 6pm along Long Street, with businesses throughout the district opening their doors. Free, but register ahead.
Location: Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.
When: Saturday, history walk 4–6pm, ceremony 7pm
Cost: Free with registration
More info: Lincoln Theatre
🎪 The Grandview Hop (Free)
Grandview Avenue goes open-street from 1st to 5th on Saturday night for the Hop’s July edition: live music, food trucks, sidewalk vendors, and more than 60 shops and restaurants running specials from 5 to 9pm. It’s free, it’s all ages, and leashed dogs are welcome. Show up hungry and let the avenue decide.
Location: Grandview Avenue, between 1st and 5th
When: Saturday, 5–9pm
Cost: Free
More info: The Grandview Hop
🎶 Slightly Stoopid at KEMBA Live!
Reggae-rock lifers Slightly Stoopid roll through on the Road Trippin’ Summer Tour with The Elovaters and Bumpin Uglies opening. Doors at 6:30pm, outdoors, rain or shine, all ages.
Location: KEMBA Live! (outdoors)
When: Saturday, doors 6:30pm
More info: PromoWest
🎸 Rock The Clock X in Plain City
Plain City’s community festival turns ten, and it booked up for the occasion: country riser George Birge (“Mind On You”) headlines Uptown Plain City with gates at 2pm. It’s a genuinely fun small-town festival 25 minutes from downtown, and the proceeds stay local.
Location: Uptown Plain City
When: Saturday, gates 2pm
More info: Rock The Clock
🎤 Lancaster Festival Finale: Lady A
The Lancaster Festival closes its 42nd year with Lady A backed by the Lancaster Festival Orchestra at the Wendel Concert Stage. Lawn seats are $45 in advance, $55 at the gate, and kids and students 3–17 get in for $10. Worth the drive if you want a big country show without arena pricing.
Location: Wendel Concert Stage, Ohio University Lancaster
When: Saturday evening (check the festival schedule for gate times)
More info: Lancaster Festival
Sunday, July 26
🎷 Last Licks at Rib Fest
Sunday is the wind-down day on the riverfront, and it might be the best one: six-time Grammy winner PJ Morton closes the West Bank stage at 6pm, and the whole festival wraps at 8pm. Six Grammys, a sunset over the Scioto, and one last rack of ribs is a fine way to end a weekend.
Location: Scioto Mile riverfront, downtown
When: Sunday, 11am–8pm, PJ Morton at 6pm
More info: Jazz & Rib Fest
🎸 An Evening with Band of Horses and Dinosaur Jr.
Two generations of guitar bands share one indoor bill: Band of Horses’ widescreen indie rock and Dinosaur Jr.’s gloriously loud everything. Doors at 7pm, all ages. Sunday-night shows are a hard sell in this town, but this one earns the Monday-morning coffee.
Location: KEMBA Live! (indoors)
When: Sunday, doors 7pm
More info: PromoWest
🎵 King Serpent at the Goodale Park Gazebo (Free)
The Goodale Park Music Series rolls on with King Serpent at the gazebo, 12:30 to 2pm, free, with food carts on site. Blanket, chair, lazy Sunday. That’s the whole assignment.
Location: Goodale Park
When: Sunday, 12:30–2pm
More info: Short North Civic Association
🎵 Hadden Sayers on the Worthington Green (Free)
Columbus blues-rock veteran Hadden Sayers plays Worthington’s free Concerts on the Green series at 7pm on the Northwest Village Green. Old Worthington’s patios are right there for dinner beforehand.
Location: Northwest Village Green, Worthington
When: Sunday, 7pm
More info: City of Worthington
That’s the weekend, friends. Rib Fest alone could fill all three days, but the derby and the glow-in-the-dark ballpark are arguing otherwise. If you’re planning further out, the full July guide runs through the Ohio State Fair and beyond.
Get out there and have fun!
