Heading downtown this weekend? You’ll want to plan your route before the Columbus Arts Festival takes over the riverfront.
The annual festival returns June 12-14, bringing hundreds of artists, food vendors, live performances, and thousands of visitors to the heart of Downtown. To make room for the event, a number of streets around the Scioto Mile and Downtown riverfront will close beginning Wednesday, June 10.
Most closures will start at noon on Wednesday and remain in place until 5 a.m. on Monday, June 15.
The good news? Broad Street will remain open throughout the festival, making it one of the easiest ways to travel through Downtown during the event.
Drivers should expect closures and traffic impacts throughout the Civic Center Drive area, portions of Rich and Main streets, and several surrounding roads near the Scioto Mile.
Major closures include:
- • Civic Center Drive between Broad and Main streets
- • Main Street between Front Street and Lucas Street
- • Rich Street between Front Street and Lucas Street
- • Granville T. Woods Boulevard between Main and Broad streets
- • Cherry Street between Second and Ludlow streets
- • Portions of Town Street, Jewett Street, Belle Street, Starling Street, and Noble Street
Several streets will remain accessible to local traffic only.
Visitors should also note that parking kiosk spaces located within the festival footprint will be unavailable beginning the week of the event. Kiosk parking on Granville T. Woods Boulevard will close first, beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9. All remaining kiosk parking within the festival area will be removed starting Wednesday morning.
If you’re planning to attend, arriving early, using a nearby garage, or taking COTA can help avoid some of the congestion that typically accompanies one of Columbus’s largest summer events.
The 2026 Columbus Arts Festival runs:
- • Friday, June 12: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- • Saturday, June 13: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- • Sunday, June 14: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Artist booths will close at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, although some artists may choose to remain open later. For more information about the festival, please click here.
