This post is written by Claudia Plumley, Experience Columbus’ Marketing Manager.

The fall’s one of my favorite times of the year and it’s not just because of the changing leaves. Fall’s the official start of the arts season.

Learning about Columbus’ arts scene - and all of Ohio’s arts events – is easy. Just read the Arts in Ohio Guide . Along with being available online, it’s also included in the September issue of Ohio Magazine.

I’ve already got my tickets for several events and have a bunch of others circled on my calendar. Here are just a few events I plan to see in 2011-12.

Guitarist Kevin Eubanks will join the Columbus Jazz Orchestra on Oct. 26-30. Does the name sound familiar? He’s the former bandleader from the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will team with BalletMet for Jazz Moves Columbus Feb. 2-12. It’s the third time these two groups have collaborated. Having seen the first two shows, I can easily say I’d move a European vacation to see this show. It’s just that good.

I’m also really curious about BalletMet’s DanceTech on April 20-28. It’s collaboration with the Wexner Center for the Arts where real-time video images will be created in direct response to the movement of the dancers. No performance will be the same – how cool is that?!

The Columbus Museum of Art is bringing out many of my favorite artworks for the exhibit Monet to Matisse starting Sept. 23. They’re showcasing their entire Sirak Collection, considered one of the finest private collections in the world when they acquired it 20 years ago.

I’ve never seen Mamma Mia and can’t wait for it to return to Columbus Dec. 13-18. Who can resist singing those great ABBA songs?!

Then, there’s all of the great art that’s moved – or moving downtown in the next year. Shadowbox’s new digs in the Brewery District are awesome. (No more mall bathrooms!!) They’re presenting The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sept. 11-Nov. 13. I haven’t done the time warp since high school – can’t wait!

One of my favorite festivals, the Columbus Arts Festival , is moving back to the riverfront in next June. And The Columbus Symphony is moving next summer’s Picnic with the Pops concerts to the new Columbus Commons.

I could write all day about the great arts events happening year-round in Columbus. Check out the full list in the Arts in Ohio Guide .

This post is written by Jami Goldstein, vice president of marketing, communications & events at the Greater Columbus Arts Council. This week, the focus is on the Columbus Arts Festival, June 3-5 in the Discovery District, behind the Columbus Museum of Art and CCAD.
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The culinary arts will make a splash at this year’s Columbus Arts Festival with Savor the Arts with Dine Originals . This special area at the festival will feature some of Columbus’ finest eating establishments from newer restaurants such as Barrio, offering South American and Spanish inspired street food, to Rigsby’s, an integral part of the Columbus community since 1986, serving a delicious lobster and corn chowder with chive oil.

Dine Originals Columbus is a community of independently owned and operated restaurants in Central Ohio. The mission of Dine Originals Columbus is to celebrate, support and promote locally owned and operated independent restaurants by providing unique dining experiences for its patrons and collaborative services and benefits for it members. The Columbus Arts Festival is excited to be teaming up with Dine Originals to promote the Columbus restaurant scene and the art of local cuisine.

The Savor the Arts tent will feature delectable menus developed by participating local restaurants that will redefine “something for every taste” including: Barcelona, Barrio, Black Creek Bistro, Deepwood, Due Amici, The Elevator, G. Michaels, Katalina’s Corner Cafe, Mozarts, The Refectory, Rigsby’s, Skillet, Tasi’s and The Top.

It’s just one more reason to get to the Columbus Arts Festival this weekend!

I know, it doesn’t seem that way with all the rain we’ve had, but festival season is already here and the members of the Greater Columbus Events Council are offering great giveaways so that you, too, can experience why people love Columbus’ festivals and events!

For the next few months, we will be giving away fabulous prizes, so keep checking our blog. Our first prize package starts today:

2 Winners will be chosen to win a combination of:

• VIP passes to the Columbus Arts Festival
• Tickets to the Columbus Arts Festival Patron Party on Fri., June 3
• Food tickets to Juneteenth
• Tickets to the German Village Haus und Garten Tour

Here’s how to win: Leave a comment below and name at least one Columbus festival or event that you plan on attending this weekend or in June. All entries must be posted by noon on Tuesday, May 31. One entry per person, please. We’ll randomly select the winners and notify you if you’ve won!

Update 5/31/11: Congratulations Devin and Joe S. for winning the first giveway! Check back often, as we’ll give away more festival packages as the season continues!

Columbus Arts Festival
Photo: Randall Lee Schieber

At Experience Columbus, we hear a variety of reasons why people love Columbus. One that comes up time and time again? This city’s festivals and events. Art, music, food, games, ethnic culture, sports…we’ve got ‘em all, and then some.

If you’re one of the many who love Columbus festivals, you’re in luck because you have the chance to win some pretty sweet prize packages. The members of the Greater Columbus Events Council are celebrating the festivals and events season by offering up several giveaways over the next several months. And the first two start now.

Here’s the first set of prize packages to be won by two lucky readers: (more…)

The Columbus Arts Festival , a well-loved Columbus favorite, takes place in the Discovery District this weekend (check their site here for all the details).

As part of the weekend, the Columbus Museum of Art is celebrating with a special offer and activities for festival goers including free admission, kid-friendly fun and your last chance to see To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum .

Nannette Macijunes, CMA Executive Director, shares the details below.

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As part of the Discovery District , the Columbus Museum of Art is delighted that the Columbus Arts Festival will once again be in our own backyard. To celebrate, CMA, and our special exhibition To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum, will be free to festival goers. The exhibition closes June 7, so if you haven’t had the chance to visit, Arts Festival is the perfect time to explore ancient Egyptian artworks, play the ancient game of the pharaohs and dress in ancient Egyptian costumes. Our parking lot will be transformed into a children’s area with hands-on art making activities and visitors can also take advantage of daily tours, Art Challenges and Museum Quest activities throughout our galleries.

There will also be a Salon Schools make-up station where you can transform yourself into a King Tut or a Cleopatra, and a Generation Gap magical Act featuring Jim Rogers and his thirteen-year-old grandson Ian Davis performing family-friendly illusions. Finally, and I have to say I think this is truly a first for the Museum, there will be a giant inflatable slide located in our parking lot along with an inflatable bounce house. I am fairly certain we’ve managed to cover our bases and can honestly say that we will, indeed, have something here for every visitor.

Arts Festival is one of those fabulous Columbus traditions that helps make central Ohio the richly layered community it is and firmly establishes us a cultural destination. Last year, nearly 7,000 people visited the Museum over the course of the festival, we hope to welcome even more of you this year.

Art Speaks. Join the Conversation.

Nannette Maciejunes, CMA Executive Director

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Photo: Mummy Cartonnage of a Woman, Roman Period, 1st century C.E. Linen, gilded gesso, glass and faience 22 11/16 x 14 5/8 x 7 1/2 in. (57.6 x 37.2 x 19 cm) possible place collected: Hawara, Egypt, Africa, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund.