This weekend was the 39th Annual Community Festival (AKA Comfest) held in Goodale Park in downtown Columbus, OH. What started off as a festival for hippies coming together as a community and speaking out on political issues, has turned in to a weekend showcasing the city’s local bands, food and shops. My friend Anna lives for this weekend every year.
The crowd is eclectic to say the least. A mix of old school hippies, hipsters, young moms, fraternity boys, punks, GLBTs... and me. The people watching is hard to be rivaled. Oh yeah, and women can walk around topless. Which might sound pretty awesome, but trust me when I say the breasts you see aren’t usually the breasts you want to see.
The streets surrounding the park are lined with food vendors from local favorites like Jeni’s Ice Cream to traditional fair food. I decided to try Tibetan dumplings - like potstickers but stuffed with beef, spinach and cheese - from Earth Crust Pizza and the smashed veggie balls from vegan restaurant Dragonfly. Delish! And no Comfest is complete without Pad Thai from Nida’s.
The event is family friendly with acts for kids and a full-scale playground. Five stages are set up throughout the park with acts performing back to back all weekend long. I was excited to hear local favorite The Wet Darlingsplay, and kind of bummed I missed The Madison Square Gardeners. The beauty of Comfest is there is something for all musical tastes. Jazz, rock, country, you name it. I usually pick a spot near a stage to sit, talk and eat with friends for hours. And when the weather is warm and sunny like it was this weekend, you wish it could last all week instead of just until Sunday night.
Once you’ve listened to some tunes and had some yummy eats you’ll want to wander through the tents of local vendors. Handmade soaps, tie-dyed hippie wear, jewelry and clothing mingle in with local artists and activist organizations. The new-ish trendy t-shirt shop Homage sold vintage and kitschy shirts focusing on Ohio cities.
And The SBB - a company that helps connect local retail businesses with consumers - also had a tent getting festival-goers to sign up for their SBB card, which provides discounts at independent retailers, restaurants and bars in neighborhoods throughout central Ohio. You can sign up for one online if you don’t have one already.
If you live in Columbus and have never been to Comfest, mark your calendars for next year. It’s always the last weekend of June. And if you happen to stumble upon C’Bus during Comfest weekend, make it a point to check it out. My advice is go early Saturday or any time on Sunday - Saturday night is just too crowded. And give me a shout... you can park at my house for free. It’s just a short walk to Goodale Park!