August gets a lazy days of summer reputation but not this weekend in Columbus. Zac Brown Band takes over Nationwide Arena Friday night while Dumpstaphunk plays the riverfront for free, and two festivals set up for the weekend: tomatoes in Reynoldsburg, food trucks in Hilliard.
Saturday features a Clintonville block party, a free Bruce Hornsby concert at the Commons, chamber music under the stars in Gahanna, and a Drag Race headliner at the Lincoln. Here’s the whole weekend, get out and have some fun!
This Weekend At A Glance
| Event | When | Where | Cost |
| Zac Brown Band with Old Crow Medicine Show | Fri, 7pm | Nationwide Arena | Ticketed |
| Scioto Mile Concert: Dumpstaphunk | Fri, 7–9pm | Bicentennial Park | Free |
| Columbus Food Truck Festival: Hilliard Edition | Fri 4–10pm, Sat 11am–10pm | Franklin County Fairgrounds | Ticketed; kids 12 & under free |
| Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival (final days) | Fri 4–10pm, Sat noon–10pm | Huber Park, Reynoldsburg | Free entertainment & parking |
| Clippers vs. Omaha Storm Chasers | Fri & Sat 7:05pm, Sun 1:05pm | Huntington Park | Ticketed |
| And Then There Were None | Thu–Sun, 8pm; through Sep 6 | Schiller Park Amphitheatre | Free |
| Pippin | Fri 7pm, Sat 2 & 7pm, Sun 2pm | Garden Theatre | Ticketed |
| Beetlejuice Jr. | Through Aug 23 | Studio One, Riffe Center | Ticketed |
| CrestFest Block Party | Sat, 11:30am–9pm | Crestview Rd., Clintonville | Free |
| Common Ground Concert: Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers | Sat, 6–10:30pm | Columbus Commons | Free; ticket required |
| The Marvelous Miss Gender starring BOSCO | Sat, 8pm | Lincoln Theatre | Ticketed; 18+ |
| SandBox Series: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus | Sat & Sun, five shows daily | Columbus Children’s Theatre | Ticketed |
| ProMusica: LIVE at Headley Park | Sat, 7pm (park opens 4:30) | Headley Park, Gahanna | $15 advance, $20 on site |
| WOSU’s Bluegrass at the Barn | Sun, from 1pm | Mershon Auditorium | Ticketed |
| CMA Community Days | Sun, 10am–5pm | Columbus Museum of Art | Free |
Friday, August 14
🎵 Zac Brown Band with Old Crow Medicine Show
The Love & Fear Tour lands at Nationwide Arena Friday at 7pm, with Old Crow Medicine Show as the special guest. Zac Brown Band spent last winter as the first country act to play the Sphere in Las Vegas, and the new album behind this tour includes collaborations with Dolly Parton and Snoop Dogg.
Location: Nationwide Arena
When: Friday, 7pm
More info: Nationwide Arena
🎵 Dumpstaphunk on the Scioto Mile (Free)
The Scioto Mile concert series brings Dumpstaphunk’s New Orleans funk to Bicentennial Park, free, 7 to 9pm. A free Friday-night funk show on the riverfront should be a lovely night. Food trucks and a bar will be on-location.
Location: Bicentennial Park, 233 S. Civic Center Drive
When: Friday, 7–9pm
Cost: Free
More info: Scioto Mile
🍴 Columbus Food Truck Festival: Hilliard Edition
The festival’s 15th year rolls into the Franklin County Fairgrounds with more than 45 trucks, Friday 4 to 10pm and Saturday 11am to 10pm. Admission is ticketed, kids 12 and under get in free with a paying adult, and parking is free. Columbus-based Love Is Blind cast member Jordan Faeth will make an appearance Friday from 6 to 9pm.
Location: Franklin County Fairgrounds, Hilliard
When: Friday 4–10pm, Saturday 11am–10pm
Cost: Ticketed; kids 12 & under free with a paying adult
More info: Columbus Food Truck Festival
🎡 Last Call at the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival
Reynoldsburg’s tomato festival wraps up Saturday night. Huber Park hosts free live entertainment, food vendors, and the full festival spread Friday 4 to 10pm and Saturday noon to 10pm. Parking is free at City Hall, Memorial Plaza, Huber Park, and JFK Park, with a shuttle looping every 30 minutes.
Location: Huber Park, 1640 Davidson Drive, Reynoldsburg
When: Friday 4–10pm, Saturday noon–10pm
More info: Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival
⚾️ Clippers Weekend at Huntington Park
The Clippers close out their series against Omaha with three weekend games. Friday at 7:05pm brings competitive eating legend Joey Chestnut to the ballpark alongside $5 Beer Friday. Saturday at 7:05pm, Columbus Zoo ambassadors and select animals hang out on the concourse before the game. Sunday’s 1:05pm Family Day finale has a $24 family pass covering two adults and four kids in the bleachers or on the lawn, and everyone gets to run the bases after the last out.
Location: Huntington Park
When: Friday & Saturday 7:05pm, Sunday 1:05pm
More info: Columbus Clippers
🎭 And Then There Were None at Schiller Park (Free)
Actors’ Theatre of Columbus closes its summer season with Agatha Christie’s mystery about ten strangers trapped on an island, running Thursday through Sunday at 8pm in the Schiller Park Amphitheatre through September 6. Admission is free, and it’s Beth Josephsen’s first production as artistic director. The German Village setting does half the atmospheric work for an Agatha Christie mystery. Premium seats are available for anyone who wants a guaranteed chair.
Location: Schiller Park Amphitheatre, German Village
When: Thursday–Sunday, 8pm; through September 6
Cost: Free
More info: Actors’ Theatre of Columbus
🎭 Pippin and Beetlejuice Jr. Continue Their Runs
Two shows from last weekend continue. Short North Stage’s Pippin plays the Garden Theatre Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 2 and 7pm, and Sunday at 2pm, with limited student rush and Pay What You Want tickets at the door two hours before each show; the run continues through August 30. At the Riffe Center, Columbus Children’s Theatre’s 60-minute Beetlejuice Jr. keeps haunting Studio One through August 23.
Location: Garden Theatre, Short North / Studio One Theatre, Riffe Center
When: Through Aug 30 (Pippin) / through Aug 23 (Beetlejuice Jr.)
More info: Short North Stage / Columbus Children’s Theatre
Saturday, August 15
🎡 CrestFest Block Party (Free)
Clintonville’s Crestview Road shuts down for its 15th annual block party, 11:30am to 9pm. Lots of acts for a neighborhood party: Whetstone Jazz Ensemble, Shane Sweeney of Two Cow Garage, Ron House, and live-band karaoke with Parker Paul. Food trucks include Jetpack’s Burgers, Mexpress Taqueria, The Stuffed Squirrel, and J-POPS.
Location: Crestview Rd. between East Ave. and Calumet St., Clintonville
When: Saturday, 11:30am–9pm
Cost: Free
More info: ColumbusMakesArt
🎵 Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers at Columbus Commons (Free, Ticket Required)
This year’s Common Ground Concert puts Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers on the Columbus Commons stage Saturday evening, 6 to 10:30pm. The show is free to attend, but a ticket is required to get into the park; tickets went online July 15, so anyone without one should check for remaining availability before heading down.
Location: Columbus Commons
When: Saturday, 6–10:30pm
Cost: Free with ticket
More info: Columbus Commons
🎭 The Marvelous Miss Gender starring BOSCO (18+)
BOSCO, of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 14 and All Stars 10, brings her first solo headlining tour to the Lincoln Theatre Saturday at 8pm. The show is 18 and over, and tickets go through the CAPA box office.
Location: Lincoln Theatre
When: Saturday, 8pm
Cost: Ticketed; ages 18+
More info: CAPA
🎭 SandBox Series: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Ages 0–5)
Columbus Children’s Theatre opens its SandBox Series for the youngest theatergoers with a 30-minute immersive take on Mo Willems’ book, where kids step into the story instead of watching it from seats. Performances run Saturday and Sunday at 9, 10, and 11am, then 1 and 2pm, with one more date August 23. Every child ages 1 and up needs a ticket, and each child ticket requires an accompanying adult.
Location: Columbus Children’s Theatre, 177 E. Naghten St.
When: Saturday & Sunday; shows at 9, 10, 11am, 1 & 2pm
More info: Columbus Children’s Theatre
🎵 ProMusica: LIVE at Headley Park
ProMusica Chamber Orchestra plays Gahanna’s Headley Park for the first time this season. The setup is closer to a lawn festival than a concert hall. The park opens at 4:30pm with food trucks and Edison Brewery pouring, and the orchestra starts at 7pm. Seating is bring-your-own chairs or blankets. Advance tickets are $15 ($5 for students), rising to $20 at the park.
Location: Headley Park, Gahanna
When: Saturday, 7pm; park opens 4:30pm
Cost: $15 advance, $20 on site, $5 students
More info: ProMusica
Sunday, August 16
🎵 Bluegrass at the Barn Moves to Mershon
WOSU’s annual bluegrass marathon relocates to Mershon Auditorium this year, trading the barn for air conditioning and reserved seats. The music starts at 1pm Sunday with five acts, headlined by Authentic Unlimited and The Kody Norris Show alongside Junior Sisk, Hammertowne, and Don Rigsby. A vendor village with food trucks sets up on the Mershon terrace.
Location: Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St.
When: Sunday, from 1pm
More info: WOSU
🖼️ CMA Community Days (Free)
The Columbus Museum of Art opens everything for free Sunday, 10am to 5pm. Admission covers general access and the exhibitions, including East of the Pacific, the museum’s special exhibition on histories of Asian American art, with activities built around the show throughout the day.
Location: Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St.
When: Sunday, 10am–5pm
Cost: Free
More info: Columbus Museum of Art
That’s the weekend. For everything past Sunday, the August guide has you covered.
Have fun, Columbus!
