2022 Columbus Arts Festival to Remain in Original Downtown Riverfront Location

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Columbus Arts Festival, presented by the American Electric Power Foundation, has decided to remain in its original riverfront location, June 10-12, ending its plans to relocate to the Arena District in 2022. The Festival will once again enjoy the scenic views along the Scioto River and fill the Main and Rich Street bridges with artist booths.

The decision comes after Festival organizers were unable to reach a suitable and safe traffic plan for producing the 2022 Arts Festival in the Arena District.

“We’re excited that we will remain in a place we know and love well,” said Festival Director Sean Kessler. “And with the completion of some of the new construction, the west side of the Scioto Peninsula will have new parking and public art amenities coming online in time for the Festival.”

The development of the Scioto Peninsula west of COSI has come a long way since it was started in late 2019. Two new garages on Starling Street, at the west edge of the Festival, are slated to open June 1. Thanks to the city of Columbus and the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation, the garages will feature three murals by Columbus-based artists that will be installed by late May and one sculptural installation to be installed in the summer.

The addition of 1,400 parking spaces in the new Starling Street garages brings the total parking within the four-block radius of the Festival to more than 15,500 spaces. COTA bus routes and the Scioto Mile bike paths will continue to serve as alternate ways to get to the Festival.

The Scioto River has long been the location of the Columbus Arts Festival, which began in 1962 on the lawn of the Ohio Statehouse before migrating to the Scioto River waterfront. The river has been the home of the Arts Festival since that time, aside from two years in the Discovery District while the riverfront was reshaped in the early 2010s. The tentative move to the Arena District was originally prompted by development and construction on the Scioto Peninsula to the west of COSI.

Artist selections, performing arts stages and schedules, food vendors and other activities will be announced in the coming months.

Festival Hours: Friday, June 10 from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Please note: on Friday and Saturday artist booths close at 9 p.m.; artists have the option to stay open later.)

For more information on the Columbus Arts Festival, call (614) 221-8625 or visit columbusartsfestival.org.

For a selection of high-res images, visit the Festival’s press media page.

The Columbus Arts Festival is produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

The 2022 Columbus Arts Festival is presented by the American Electric Power Foundation. Additional sponsors and partners include Bank of America, Bath & Body Works, Battelle, Cardinal Health, CDDC, CoverMyMeds, Gateway Film Center, Huntington National Bank, IGS Energy, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., King Business Interiors, Maker’s Mark, The Ohio State University, OSA Technology Partners, Paul-Henri Bourguignon Foundation, PNC, Rhinegeist, Toyota, White Castle, Whole World Lemonade and Worthington Industries Foundation. Media sponsors include ABC6/FOX28, CD92.9, Lamar Outdoor, Ohio Magazine, Orange Barrel Media, RSVP, WCBE, WOSU Public Media and WSNY.

Mission of the Greater Columbus Arts Council: To support and advance the arts and cultural fabric of Columbus. www.gcac.org

The Greater Columbus Arts Council receives major financial support from the City of Columbus, Franklin County Commissioners and the Ohio Arts Council. None of these funds are used for the production of the Columbus Arts Festival.

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