The All Ohio Balloon Festival turns 50 this weekend, filling the sky over Marysville on Friday and Saturday. Back in Columbus, Festival Latino sets up at its new downtown home on the Columbus Commons, and Columbus Taco Week specials run through Saturday night.
Saturday is especially busy with a bourbon festival at the Trolley District, India Festival at the Celeste Center, free afternoons at Whetstone Park and Blockfort, and monster trucks at Nationwide Arena. Here’s the whole weekend. We all deserve a break after the weather of the last two weeks.
This Weekend At A Glance
| Event | When | Where | Cost |
| All Ohio Balloon Festival | Fri & Sat, gates 2pm | Union County Airport, Marysville | Fri $21.72, Sat $16.55; kids 10 & under free |
| Columbus Taco Week (final days) | Through Sat | Participating restaurants | Pay as you order |
| Clippers vs. St. Paul Saints | Fri & Sat 7:05pm, Sun 1:05pm | Huntington Park | Ticketed |
| Zoo Lantern Festival | Fri–Sun, 7:30–10:30pm | Columbus Zoo | Ticketed |
| Sanctuary City (final shows) | Fri & Sat, 8pm | MadLab | Ticketed |
| And Then There Were None | Thu–Sun, 8pm | Schiller Park Amphitheatre | Free |
| Pippin | Fri 7pm, Sat 2 & 7pm, Sun 2pm | Garden Theatre | Ticketed |
| Beetlejuice Jr. (final weekend) | Through Sun | Studio One, Riffe Center | Ticketed |
| The Great Bourbon Affair | Sat, from 5pm | Trolley District, East Market | Ticketed |
| India Festival | Saturday | Celeste Center, Ohio Expo Center | Ticketed |
| Columbus ArborFest | Sat, noon–5pm | Whetstone Park | Free |
| Alley Islands | Sat, noon–10pm | Blockfort, downtown | Free |
| Festival Latino | Sat noon–8pm, Sun noon–7pm | Columbus Commons & Ohio Theatre | Free |
| Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live | Sat 11:30am & 6:30pm, Sun 1:30pm | Nationwide Arena | Ticketed |
| Taste of Gahanna | Sun, 5–8pm | Edison Brewing, Gahanna | $50 |
| Ella Mai | Sun, doors 6:30pm | KEMBA Live! | Ticketed |
Friday, August 21
🎈 The All Ohio Balloon Festival Turns 50
The 50th anniversary edition runs Friday and Saturday at Union County Airport. Gates open at 2pm both days, live music starts at 4:30pm, the mass balloon launch goes up at 6:30pm, and the balloon glow follows after dusk, with The Karate Girls headlining Saturday night. Balloon activities are weather dependent. Kids 10 and under get in free, online tickets include parking, and gate sales are cash only with a $5 parking fee.
Location: Union County Airport, Marysville
When: Friday & Saturday, gates at 2pm; balloon launch 6:30pm, glow after dusk
Cost: Friday $21.72, Saturday $16.55; kids 10 & under free
More info: All Ohio Balloon Fest
🌮 Last Call for Columbus Taco Week
Columbus Taco Week wraps up Saturday. The participating restaurants run their taco specials during normal business hours, no ticket or pass required, and a portion of proceeds supports the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. The full roster and what each spot is serving is in our Taco Week guide.
Location: Participating restaurants across central Ohio
When: Through Saturday
Cost: Pay as you order
More info: Columbus Taco Week
⚾️ Clippers Weekend at Huntington Park
The Clippers close out their series against the St. Paul Saints with three weekend games: Friday and Saturday at 7:05pm and a Sunday afternoon game at 1:05pm.
Location: Huntington Park
When: Friday & Saturday 7:05pm, Sunday 1:05pm
More info: Columbus Clippers
🦁 Dinosaur Lanterns at the Zoo
The Columbus Zoo’s Lantern Festival glows Thursday through Sunday evenings, 7:30 to 10:30pm, running through October 25. This year’s edition adds dinosaur lanterns to the larger-than-life LED displays, and the whole thing happens after regular zoo hours, so it works as a separate evening out. More on what to expect in our Lantern Festival preview.
Location: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
When: Friday–Sunday, 7:30–10:30pm
Cost: Ticketed
More info: Columbus Zoo
🎭 Sanctuary City’s Final Two Shows
Evolution Theatre closes its run of Sanctuary City with 8pm shows Friday and Saturday at MadLab downtown. Pulitzer winner Martyna Majok’s play follows two teenagers navigating life in America without papers, and it has been one of the summer’s most talked-about small-stage productions.
Location: MadLab, 227 N. 3rd St.
When: Friday & Saturday, 8pm
More info: Evolution Theatre
🎭 Agatha Christie Under the Stars (Free)
Actors’ Theatre of Columbus stages And Then There Were None at Schiller Park Amphitheatre, Thursday through Sunday at 8pm, with the run continuing through September 6. Ten strangers are trapped on an island with a killer among them, played out on an outdoor stage in German Village as the sun goes down. General admission is free, with premium seats available for purchase.
Location: Schiller Park Amphitheatre, German Village
When: Thursday–Sunday, 8pm
Cost: Free; premium seats available
More info: Actors’ Theatre of Columbus
🎭 Pippin Continues, Beetlejuice Jr. Says Goodbye
Short North Stage’s Pippin plays the Garden Theatre Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 2 and 7pm, and Sunday at 2pm, with the run going through August 30; Sunday’s matinee is ASL interpreted and followed by a public talkback. Meanwhile it is closing weekend for Beetlejuice Jr., Columbus Children’s Theatre’s high-energy take on the ghost with the most, which haunts Studio One at the Riffe Center through Sunday.
Location: Garden Theatre, Short North / Studio One Theatre, Riffe Center
When: Pippin: Fri 7pm, Sat 2 & 7pm, Sun 2pm / Beetlejuice Jr.: through Sunday
More info: Short North Stage / Columbus Children’s Theatre
Saturday, August 22
🍸 The Great Bourbon Affair
The fifth annual Great Bourbon Affair pours at the Historic Trolley District’s East Market on Kelton Avenue, starting at 5pm Saturday. Expect bourbon tastings from a long list of distilleries alongside the market’s food vendors.
Location: East Market, 212 Kelton Ave.
When: Saturday, from 5pm
Cost: Ticketed
More info: Eventbrite
🎡 India Festival at the Celeste Center
The Federation of Indian Associations hosts India Festival at the Celeste Center on the Ohio Expo Center grounds Saturday. It is the largest single gathering of the Indian community in Columbus each year, with a full day of Indian cuisine, traditional dance and Bollywood performances, a marketplace of clothing and art, and a free health fair with medical screenings.
Location: Celeste Center, Ohio Expo Center
When: Saturday
Cost: Ticketed
More info: FIA Ohio
🌳 Columbus ArborFest (Free)
Columbus ArborFest takes over Whetstone Park, home of the Park of Roses, from noon to 5pm Saturday. It is a free, family-friendly afternoon built around trees and the people who care for them, in one of the city’s best parks for wandering.
Location: Whetstone Park, Clintonville
When: Saturday, noon–5pm
Cost: Free
More info: Columbus ArborFest
🖼️ Alley Islands (Free)
Blockfort’s Alley Islands street festival returns downtown, running noon to 10pm. The gallery’s annual alley takeover mixes murals and art vendors with live music, and it stays free all day.
Location: Blockfort, downtown
When: Saturday, noon–10pm
Cost: Free
More info: Alley Islands
🎡 Festival Latino at Its New Downtown Home (Free)
Festival Latino moves downtown this year, spreading across the Columbus Commons and into the Ohio Theatre. The free festival runs noon to 8pm Saturday and noon to 7pm Sunday with two days of music, food vendors, and dance. Our Festival Latino guide has the full rundown on the new location.
Location: Columbus Commons & Ohio Theatre
When: Saturday noon–8pm, Sunday noon–7pm
Cost: Free
More info: Festival Latino
🚗 Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Glow-N-Fire
Nationwide Arena goes dark, literally, for three Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live shows: Saturday at 11:30am and 6:30pm and Sunday at 1:30pm. Glow-N-Fire is performed in the dark with pyro effects, while FMX riders and a fire-breathing robot dinosaur share the floor with the trucks. Doors open an hour before each show, everyone 2 and older needs a ticket, and it gets loud, so pack ear protection for little ones.
Location: Nationwide Arena
When: Saturday 11:30am & 6:30pm, Sunday 1:30pm
Cost: Ticketed
More info: Nationwide Arena
Sunday, August 23
🍴 Taste of Gahanna
The 29th annual Taste of Gahanna samples the city’s restaurant scene at Edison Brewing Company, Sunday from 5 to 8pm. A $50 ticket covers unlimited food sampling plus one drink ticket, with live music through the evening.
Location: Edison Brewing Company, 785 Science Blvd., Gahanna
When: Sunday, 5–8pm
Cost: $50, includes unlimited sampling & 1 drink ticket
More info: Gahanna Area Chamber
🎵 Ella Mai at KEMBA Live!
Grammy winner Ella Mai brings the Do You Still Love Me? Tour to KEMBA Live!’s outdoor stage Sunday, with AMA and Girlfriend opening. Doors open at 6:30pm on the outdoor stage, the show goes on in any weather, and there’s no age minimum.
Location: KEMBA Live!, Arena District
When: Sunday, doors 6:30pm
Cost: Ticketed
More info: PromoWest
🎭 The Pigeon’s Last Day (Ages 0–5)
Columbus Children’s Theatre’s SandBox Series wraps up Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus with five final performances Sunday, at 9, 10, and 11am, then 1 and 2pm. The 30-minute immersive show for the youngest theatergoers lets kids step into Mo Willems’ book instead of watching from seats.
Location: Columbus Children’s Theatre, 177 E. Naghten St.
When: Sunday; shows at 9, 10, 11am, 1 & 2pm
More info: Columbus Children’s Theatre
That’s the weekend. For everything past Sunday, the August guide has you covered.
Have fun, Columbus!
