Columbus Arts Festival Expands Accessibility with New Adult Changing Station and Sensory Friendly Tent
For immediate release
May 3, 2024Contact: Jami Goldstein
jgoldstein@gcac.org
(614) 221-8492
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Arts Festival, presented by the American Electric Power Foundation and produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), will feature new accessibility options for Festival-goers of all ages, June 7-9 on the downtown riverfront.
For the first time, the Arts Festival is partnering with Momentum Refresh, an organization providing a mobile universal changing station for families. The space offers a private, air-conditioned and hygienic area for adults with complex medical needs and their caregivers. Sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the adult care station will be located near the corner of Town and Belle streets. It will be open during regular Festival hours.
In partnership with the Autism Society of Central Ohio and sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the Festival will also provide a quiet and shaded sensory friendly tent on Belle Street near the Activities Village, for Festival guests of all ages who need a pause from the bustling Festival grounds.
Returning this year, the Family Safety & Care Station, sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital and provided by the Columbus Division of Fire, offers a private, air-conditioned space for infant and child diaper changing, nursing and relaxing. The station is located next to the Kids Hands-On Activities Village at Belle and Town streets, and will be open during regular Festival hours.
As in previous years, all restrooms on the Columbus Arts Festival grounds include wheelchair-accessible stalls.
To ensure accessibility of information regarding artists, performance schedules, transportation, dining options and other important details, the Festival’s website ColumbusArtsFestival.org is also translatable into 11 different languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Somali and Spanish.
“It’s important to us that the Columbus Arts Festival is an accessible and enjoyable experience for everyone, whatever their needs may be,” says Festival Director Alexis Perrone. “These new additions, from the universal changing space to the sensory friendly tent, ensure that the Festival is truly welcoming to all. We’re grateful to groups like Changing Spaces and Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities for their partnerships in expanding the Arts Festival’s accessibility options.”
For more information on accessibility at the Columbus Arts Festival, visit columbusartsfestival.org/visit/accessibility.
Festival Hours: Friday, June 7 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, June 9 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.)
To volunteer at the Columbus Arts Festival, please go to columbusartsfestival.org/engage/volunteer.
For more information on the Columbus Arts Festival, call (614) 221-8531 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 2024 Columbus Arts Festival is presented by the American Electric Power Foundation. Additional sponsors and partners include Bank of America, Bath and Body Works Foundation, Battelle, COSI, Downtown Columbus, Edwards Communities, Encova, G&J Pepsi, Go Brewing, Graeter’s, High Bank Distillery, Holiday Inn Downtown, Hotel LeVeque, Huntington, IGS Energy, The Junto, King Business Interiors, MLS All-Star Summer Roadshow, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, OSA Technology Partners, Paul-Henri and Erika Bourguignon Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Priscilla R. Tyson Cultural Arts Center, Rhinegeist, Sonesta Columbus Downtown, South Wind Motel, Toyota, Visit Savannah, The Westin Great Southern Columbus, White Castle and Whole World Lemonade. Media sponsors include ABC6/FOX28, Columbus Radio Group, Dispatch Media Group, Lamar Outdoor, Ohio Magazine, Orange Barrel Media, WCBE and WOSU Public Media.
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, Ohio Arts Council and The Ohio State University. None of these funds are used for the production of the Columbus Arts Festival.
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