Columbus Entertainment

Like most large university towns, Columbus has a huge variety of bars, restaurants and cafés catering for all tastes. In particular, the live music scene is well-established and there are many good venues. There are also other good entertainment options on offer including theatre, cinema, comedy and a wide choice of festivals throughout the year.

Nightlife

There is no shortage of bars and clubs to visit, many of which cater for the student population and get very busy at weekends. Drinking establishments vary dramatically, from loud and boisterous to chic and sophisticated. Most of Columbus' hotspots are scattered around the Ohio State University campus and the downtown neighbourhoods of the German Village, Short North and the Brewery district. It can be extremely busy when the OSU Buckeye football and basketball teams are playing.

The city's club scene is varied and accommodates most tastes including commercial dance tunes as well as a number of more specialist nights. Venues and nights change frequently, so the best way to find out what's on is to pick up one of the two free weekly newspapers; the Other Paper or Columbus Alive!

Fans of live music won't have a problem finding a suitable venue. The city has a rich source of local bands, from pop and rock to experimental alternative acts. There are also many big-name bands appearing and they can usually be found performing at the Nationwide Arena, located in the planned development area called the Arena district.

The popular Blues Station on Vine Street has regional and national blues acts playing every night except Sunday and Monday nights. This large venue is well-known for its music and its Southern Memphis-style menu. On most summer Friday evenings, there are free concerts in downtown Bicentennial Park on the Scioto River.

Columbus also has a thriving gay scene which is concentrated in the Short North, around North High Street, with a few additional bars and clubs downtown. The biweekly OUTlook has complete listings.

Theatre and music

Columbus has no shortage of performing arts and entertainment. The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts presents national and international touring artists and classic films. The organisation is credited with saving the historic Ohio State Theatre from being demolished in 1969. Their varied programme consists of its summer movie series, theatre events and a mix of comedy, folk, pop, jazz and country music. The Contemporary American Theatre Company is the only professional resident theatre company in the city. They present new original plays by playwrights such as David Mamet as well as American and international classics, and a number of smaller and less-well known works from around the world.

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra plays classical music productions in the spring and autumn, and a pops series that includes vocal performances of popular works. The Wexner Centre for the Arts is located on the campus of Ohio State University and consists of a large auditorium with a small black box theatre and film screenings. The Shadow Box Cabaret is a small converted warehouse performance space in Short North that opens on Thursday to Saturday evenings. They have a range of theatre, monologues, poetry and acoustic live music performances.

Festivals

Columbus has a good choice of festivals in the summer months. The most popular ones are;

• Ohio State Fair in August is one of the largest fairs in the United States. It has been an annual event in the city for 150 years and in 2006, it attracted over 800,000 people. It is traditionally a celebration of agriculture and craft, with swine, cattle and poultry-judging as well as horse, bear and livestock shows. The fair is also about entertainment, with a range of concerts and family-oriented shows including jugglers, magic shows and baton twirlers.
• Columbus Arts Festival in June features the finest artists and craftspeople along with a medley of continuous entertainment including art activities, musical performances and food from the city's finest restaurants. More than 300 of the nation's best artists display their works at this annual three-day street festival held along the riverfront in downtown Columbus.
• Jazz and Rib Festival in July is also held on the riverfront and attracts over 500,000 people, making it the largest rib festival in America. Now in its 27th year, the festival brings together some of today's most popular and innovative jazz artists, playing on two different stages.
• COMFEST Community Festival held in June is the largest free, non-corporate urban music and arts festival in the country. Live music and performers simultaneously play on several stages, and local groups and vendors have booths during the entire three-day festival. Performances start as early as 09:00 and finish at 24:00.