Your guide to summer fun in Ohio:
Columbus Summer Fun
These Columbus places are perfect to bring the whole family!
Joshua A. Bickel | The Columbus Dispatch
Columbus Arts Festival
The Scioto Mile, including the Rich and Main Street bridges
Dates: June 7 – June 9
More than 250 artists have been invited to participate, and the variety of offerings is impressive. Five stages provide venues for live music, theater, dance and spoken word performances, while food vendors line the streets.
Admission: free
[KINO LORBER]
“Babylon”
Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 N. High St.
Dates: June 7-8
The 1980 movie, which was screened at the Cannes Film Festival but never released in the United States for fear of causing racial tensions, tells the story of a young DJ battling xenophobia and racism as he advances his career.
Admission: $8, or $6 for members, students and senior citizens
“Moon Over Buffalo”
Hoge Memorial Presbyterian Church, 2930 W. Broad St.,
Dates: through June 16
Mistaken identities and farcical situations fill Out of the Box Community Theatre’s production of Ken Ludwig’s backstage comedy about a bickering husband-wife team of actors before, during and after a stage performance.
Admission: $10 to $12
FFN 26th Anniversary Show
MadLab Theatre, 227 N. 3rd St.
Dates: through June 15
FFN, MadLab’s resident improv troupe, celebrates 26 years of improv with the return of former members and formats, along with some new wrinkles and improv friends.
Admission: $8 to $15
[DISNEY]
Friday Night Flicks
Sycamore Creek Park amphitheater, 300 Covered Bridge Lane, Pickerington
“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” with other screenings continuing most Fridays through Aug. 2; future films: June 14, “Smallfoot”; June 21, “The Sandlot”; June 28, “The Greatest Showman”; July 12: “Incredibles 2”; July 19, “Jurassic Park”; July 26: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”; Aug. 2, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”
Admission: free
Brooke LaValley | The Columbus Dispatch
Nelsonville Music Festival
3301 Hocking Parkway, Nelsonville
Date: June 6-9
For its 15th year, the festival booked several bands who at their peak, bottled up the feelings of 15-year-olds nationwide, including Death Cab for Cutie and the Breeders. Mavis Staples will preside as the matriarch of the woodsy outdoor festival.
Admission: $55 to $90 for daily passes; $175 to $180 for weekend passes
“Aida”
100 Price Rd., Newark
Dates: through June 15
Weathervane Playhouse presents Elton John and Tim Rice’s Broadway musical, loosely based on Verdi’s opera, about a romantic triangle and political drama in ancient Egypt.
Admission: $15 to $37
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Garden Theater, 1187 N. High St.
Date: through June 23, 8 p.m.
Short North Stage ends its season with a revival of the provocative musical about a transgendered rock musician, her botched operation and the pangs of unrequited love.
Admission: $30 to $44
[WARNER BROS.]
Grove City outdoor movie series
Fryer Park, 3899 Orders Road, Grove City
Dates: June 6 – Aug. 1
“Smallfoot,” with other screenings continuing most Thursdays through Aug. 1; future films: June 13, “Mary Poppins Returns”; June 20, “Aquaman”; June 27, “The House with a Clock in Its Walls”; July 11: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”; July 18, “Incredibles 2”; July 25, “Christopher Robin”; Aug. 1: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”; make-up dates in early August
Admission: free
Photo: Jeremy Daniel
“Finding Neverland”
Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St.
Dates: June 4 – 9
The Broadway musical drama, presented by Broadway in Columbus and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, is based on the 2004 Oscar-nominated film about Scottish playwright J.M. Barrie, whose 1904 London play “Peter Pan” was inspired by his friendship with a widowed mother, her four young sons and their make-believe adventures.
Admission: $29 to $99