This post is written by Sayaka Sekiguchi, Events Manager for Experience Columbus.

Festival season isn’t over yet! There are still plenty more fun and exciting events coming up in Columbus! But this will be your last chance this year to win some fabulous prizes donated by the members of the Greater Columbus Events Council.

Here are a set of prizes:

1 Winner:
• 2 entries to the Columbus Microbrew Festival at the North Market
• A complimentary registration to the New Albany Walking Classic

1 Winner:
• 2 tickets to the Arnold Sports Festival
• 4 tickets to the New Albany Classic Invitational Grand Prix & Family Day

4 Winners:
• Greek Festival packages including admission and baklava for two
• Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival package, including 2 t-shirts and one parking pass

Here’s how to win: Leave a comment below and name at least one Columbus festival or event that you plan on attending in September, October, November or December.

All entries must be posted by Noon on Aug. 12. One entry per person, please. We’ll randomly select the winners and notify you if you’ve won!

Who doesn’t love free stuff? We’re also giving away giftcards to shops at Jeffersonville Outlets this week. Click here to comment and enter that giveaway, too!

This post is written by Mary Szymkowiak, for the Dublin Convention and Visitors Bureau. You can find Mary on Twitter @MaryS_DublinCVB .

As a longtime Dublin girl (and Dublin Convention & Visitors Bureau staffer ), I love all-things-Irish. So, my anticipation grows exponentially every year as we approach the Dublin Irish Festival —a magical central Ohio event, TWICE named a “Top 100 Event in North America.”

The 24th anniversary of the Dublin Irish Festival (Aug. 5-7), or “DIF” as fans call it, will be an amazing celebration of Irish music, culture, food and fun that comes with the tagline: Like Ireland, except smaller. Set on 29 beautiful acres of Coffman Park, DIF features many of the world’s top Irish bands. Best of all, you don’t have to be Irish to attend!

As a diehard DIF girl (one that has greeted many motor coaches), here’s my list of insider tips:

• Buy tickets at the gate–or save by purchasing them early online . Buying online is the ONLY way to take advantage of the weekend pass (not available at the gate). Kids under 12 are free. Students with a valid school ID save $2 on admission. Free admission Sunday until 11 a.m. with a donation of a non-perishable food item.
  
• Come early, stay and play. Historic Dublin hosts the Thursday night 5K Run and Dub Crawl —a fun event featuring plenty o’ Irish attitude. Dublin has 14 hotels, all within five minutes of the Festival. Additionally, Columbus has many hotels within a short drive of Dublin.
  
• Free parking is available at many businesses within walking distance of Festival grounds. Metro Center Business Park offers parking AND a free shuttle. Many Dublin hotels also offer shuttle service for guests. The best parking is reserved for bicycles.
  
• With 65 acts and 535 performances , you can feel the electricity in the air during DIF weekend. I’ll drop a few names (Moya Brennan, Gaelic Storm, StepCrew, Liz Carroll, The Young Dubliners, Teada, Karan Casey & John Doyle) and leave it to you to chart your fan plan.
  
• The Columbus Feis Irish Dance competition coincides with DIF, taking place at Dublin Coffman High School on Saturday. On Saturday night, the Feis Parade of Champions strut their stuff on the PNC Bank Irish Thunder Stage . It’s ALWAYS a showstopping ‘best of the fest’ event.
• If you find yourself lost, hurt or (Irish) penniless—think entrances. That’s where the Columbus State Preferred Pathway Information Tents, First Aid stations and ATMs are located.
  
• Thirsty? You’ll need to purchase tokens ($2 each) for Festival alcohol, soda and water stands; cash not accepted. (DIF has its own signature stout, brewed exclusively for the event. Warning: get yours while it lasts.)
  
• Embrace the culture. Buy a DIF T-shirt. Visit the Wake Tent. Pet a Celtic Canine. Shop for imported goods. Watch a hurling competition. Remember-While you’re here, you’re Irish!

I’m going to start off with a disclaimer: I’m a pescetarian (I eat seafood, but not other meat.) You’d think that would make the Jazz and Ribs Fest (July 22-24) low on my list of favorite summer festivals, but you’d be very wrong! There’s so much energy in this event that it’s hard to stay away - even if I’m grabbing a fresh squeezed cup of lemonade rather than a rack of ribs.

Set at North Bank Park and McPherson Commons in the Arena District, it’s a great place to spend a summer day. This year, the festival is even more special, because it’s the first big event to take place near the newly opened Scioto Mile park along the city’s riverfront! It’s a beautiful setting, made even better by the presence of cooling fountains and relaxing bench swings perfect for a break from the sunny July weather, just a short walk from the hustle of the festival. Even better, the festival is free!

Every year, the Jazz and Ribs Fest brings in more than 40 top national and local performers to fill downtown with music on three stages. This year, headliners include Dave Koz and Big Bad VooDoo Daddy and Latin Jazz virtuoso Bobby Sanabria, and local favorites MoJoFlo and Derek DiCenzo are always great to catch.

People tell me the ribs are outstanding, and having the chance to taste samples and meals from 23 different vendors in one location is pretty amazing. You’ll have to let me know - I’ll stick to the fair fries! You can even get tips for improving your own barbeque from the Great American BBC Tour

If you’re coming into town for this three-day festival, the Downtown Crowne Plaza is just a short walk away from the center of action. So come out and enjoy the music, the food and the new Scioto Mile! What are you looking forward to most?

We’ve seen some fantastic festivals around Columbus so far, and the fun continues as summer kicks into full gear!

As we mentioned last month, some members of the Greater Columbus Events Council are giving away fabulous prizes so you can experience their festivals and events this summer.

Here are the next set of prizes:

Winner number 1 will receive:
· 2 entries to the Preview Party at the 2011 North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival

Winner number 2 will receive:
· 2 one-day tickets to the Dublin Irish Festival Dub Club

Five lucky winners will receive:
· 2 tickets to the Ohio State Fair
· A VIP Parking Pass to the Jazz & Rib Fest

Here’s how to win: Leave a comment below and name at least one Columbus festival or event that you plan on attending in July or August. All entries must be posted by noon on Thur., June 30. One entry per person, please. We’ll randomly select the winners and notify you if you’ve won! Good luck!

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!

This post is written by Claudia Plumley, marketing manager at Experience Columbus.
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Festival season is my favorite time of the year in Columbus. It officially kicks off on Saturday with the Ohioana Book Festival.

As an English major, the Ohioana Book Festival is one of my favorite Columbus festivals. More than 100 authors will be there this year – all of whom have recently been published. Each will read from their latest book.

Also this weekend is the Capital City Half Marathon . Then the next weekend, it’s the Komen Race for the Cure – the third largest race of its kind in the world. Then after that, it’s the Asian Festival . You get the idea – there’s a fun festival or event happening in Columbus nearly every weekend!

Mark your calendar with this handy schedule of events that are members of the Greater Columbus Events Council. Watch our blog for the opportunity to win prize packages throughout the year.

Ohio State Fair

Festival season continues in Columbus, and so do the giveaways.

Like we mentioned last month , members of the Greater Columbus Events Council are helping us celebrate lots of events by sharing lots of prizes.

This time, we’re featuring July and August happenings, and the ante is definitely upped: FIVE LUCKY READERS will win the following:

• A North Market Food & Ohio Wine Festival package, which includes a $20 North Market gift certificate and 2 entries to the preview party
• A VIP parking pass to Jazz & Rib Fest
• 2 tickets to the Ohio State Fair
• 2 tickets to the Dublin Irish Festival
  

To win is easy:

Simply leave a comment below, and name at least one July or August Columbus festival or special event you plan to attend this year. If you need a few ideas, visit this list of Greater Columbus Events Council members.

One entry per person, please. All entries must be posted by noon on Tuesday, July 6 . After that, we’ll randomly select five winners who are going to have a lot of fun this summer. Good luck!

P.S. Don’t forget the third and final giveaway:

Stay tuned for the last prize package, which we’ll give away in August. Check back or subscribe to this blog via your RSS reader or email to receive updates.

UPDATE (7/6): The winners have been selected and are posted in the comments. Congrats!

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…)

If you’re looking for inexpensive summer entertainment options, you’re in luck.

Columbus is home to the #1 zoo and the #1 science center in the United States. So this summer, Experience Columbus is helping families discover how affordable a weekend of fun and exploration can be. We have partnered with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, COSI , Drury Inn & Suites , Bob Evans , Greater’s Ice Cream and Cameron Mitchell Restaurants to put together the Roar and Explore Package .

Through Labor Day, for only $299, a family of four will receive the following:

• Four tickets to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

• Four tickets to Zoombezi Bay water park

• Four tickets to COSI

• Two nights at the Drury Inn & Suites , with your choice of three locations in Columbus. Other hotel choices are also offered, but prices may vary.

• One free kids meal at Bob Evans

• One free junior cone at Graeter’s Ice Cream

• $15 gift card to Cameron Mitchell Restaurants

Additional family members may be added when booking. Packages can be booked online or by calling (888) 236-8084.

If you’re looking to create your own affordable getaway or show off the city to friends and family who are in town, check out these lists of Free Things to Do and Things Under $10 for ideas.

Also, festival and special event season in now upon us and Columbus has some of the best cultural and artistic celebrations  in the country - many with free or inexpensive admission. For specific details about some of them, check out this page that features members of the Greater Columbus Events Council.

There is plenty of inexpensive fun to be had and ways to save on some of the best entertainment in town.

Festival season is upon us, and it’s my favorite time of the year in Columbus. Being an English major, the Ohioana Book Festival on May 9 is one of my very favorites.

More than 70 Ohio authors will be there - all of whom have recently been published. Some are household names, like children’s favorite R.L. Stine, who wrote the Goosebumps series. Jeff Smith, author of the award-winning graphic novel series Bone, will be back in Columbus for the event. His work was featured at the Wexner Center last year. (If you’re a big fan, don’t miss the Wexner’s screening of The Cartoonist - a documentary about Smith showing May 22.)

There are lots of chances to meet the authors. A book fair runs all day and many of them will participate on panel discussions. Topics range from romance novels to what a writer’s life is really like. And, if you’re an aspiring author, this is the place to be. There’s a panel discussion on the oh-so-important topic of how to get published.

My favorite part is listening to the authors read. All 70-some authors will give 10 minute readings from their latest books. Last year, I heard poetry, followed by fantasy, followed by a historical biography.

If you can’t make it to the festival, you can still support it by book shopping this week. Download this Barnes & Noble voucher and use it at any B&N location in the country May 7-9. A percentage of the sale price will go to Ohioana.