Arts Festival
The Columbus Arts Festival is one of the city's premiere festivals. Traditionally held along the riverfront, 2008 brought a major change in location. Due to construction projects along the river, the Columbus Arts Festival will be held in the Discovery District.
Those not familiar with the Discovery District, it is an area that surrounds the Columbus Museum of Art, CCAD, the King Arts Complex, Thurber House park, and the Topiary Garden. If this seems like it is really spread out, it is compared to the riverfront where everything was basically in a line along the east river bank. The new location is a good attempt to make the most of a bad situation.
Instead of the Arts Festival being just an exhibit/sale extravaganza, there will be a richer combination of tours, concerts, and other events, which may or may not help the artisans and crafts people that made the downtown summer event a must on their tour show. But will the new location help sales for these folks that made the festival famous nationwide? We'll see.
The Columbus Arts Festival has always been a big attraction for crowds of "just looking" folks as well as some serious art buyers. The new location will probably cut down on the "lookers" but it will also bring out a new set of "lookers" just to see what the new location has to offer.
The artists/crafts people will be confined street displays along Gay Street on the south, and Long Street on the north, Cleveland Avenue on the West, and Washington Avenue on the east. This area is just north of the Columbus Museum of Art and south of Columbus State Community College on the north.
Download a PDF Map of the 2008 Columbus Arts Festival
Discovery District
The area includes 3 higher educational institutions, a wealth of non-profit organizations, residential developments, cafes, and parks. The actual Discovery District Area is a large quadrant of land and buildings bounded by Interstates 71 & 670.
Download a PDF Map of the Discovery District Area
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