Welcome to the Art Show reviews for Columbus Arts Festival
Art Fair: Columbus Arts Festival
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Held on the Downtown Riverfront
Dates: June 12 - 14, 2020
Presented By: The Greater Columbus
Arts Council
Founded: 1961
Show Type: Outdoor
Expected Attendance: 400,000 people
Exhibiting Artists: 300
Artist Application Deadline: December 13, 2019
Jury Fee: $40
Booth Fee: $595 - $1,170
Web site: www.columbusartsfestival.org
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Is this festival worth the trouble? The fee for the booth is kinda high, I usually will spend 100-500 here in Maryland. Is there so many visitors to make it pay?
Posted by: Melisa Weekley | 12/21/2023 at 02:22 PM
Medium: Photography
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show:
2017
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: Rather not say
Price Range of your Work: $500 - $5,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show:
1st time
Number of Years You have been doing Art Fairs overall: 3-5 years
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5
Location: 5
Facilities: 5
Ease of Participating: 5
Sales: 5
Overall: 5
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people
Good Things about this Art Fair:
Customers of every level. Knowledgeable customers. For such a large event very organized
What could this Art Fair have done better?:
Only a couple of small things. I have a quality secure tent but they were not aware of the manufacturer of my tent so they made me use their tent. Their tent is crap.
They had a continental breakfast every morning. Which was helpful. Would like more healthy options like fruit and yogurt.
Such a big event really good reliable Wi-Fi would be nice.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Once you do this show you will know what a first rate show is.
Posted by: Bob Franzese | 06/20/2017 at 10:33 PM
I did this show a long time ago when it was downtown.
Have you ever seen a booth with 4 fifty gallon barrels full of water, on the corners, tied to the display go airborne?
Posted by: David Leach | 04/23/2014 at 08:33 PM
Show Name: Columbus Arts Festival 2013
City and State: Columbus, OH
Your Medium: Wood
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2013
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: Rather not say
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 10+ times!
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 1 (poor)
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Poor
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure.
Good Things about this Art Fair: Beautiful location that can easily handle large crowds.
Bad Things about this Art Fair: Mostly low end sales in my booth.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: If you have low end and can sell to a huge beer drinking crowd, you will probably do well.
See my blog on ArtFairInsiders.com for additional commentary on this Show
Posted by: Vicki Munn | 07/09/2013 at 11:14 PM
Show Name: Columbus Art Festival
City and State: Columbus, OH
Your Medium: 2D mixed media
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2013
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 2-3 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure.
Good Things about this Art Fair: Love showing on the bridges, very cool venue.
Bad Things about this Art Fair: The bridges are a little windy at times. but unless your work is very fragile its great.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: They are very nice, convenient parking
Posted by: Marirosa Hofmann | 06/24/2013 at 10:58 PM
Show Name: Columbus Arts Festival
City and State: Columbus, Ohio
Your Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: Rather not say
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 10,001-50,000 people
Good Things about this Art Fair: venue is changing back to where it used to be, supposed to be a much better location. The event staff are amazing, very organized, very helpful, our tent got wiped out and they provided us with another one the next day so we could continue with business and they set up a fund immediately to help those artists who lost tents and art.
Posted by: Serena David | 11/27/2012 at 10:48 AM
Show Name: Columbus Arts Festival
City and State: Columbus, OH
Your Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2012
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: Rather not say
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people
Good Things about this Art Fair: Probably one of the best art fairs in the Midwest, if not the best. Huge crowds loving me and buying. Highly organized and great artists I've never seen before. Beautiful work. This is the pinnacle of your art fair applications.
Bad Things about this Art Fair: Booth sitters sometimes hard to find if you're alone.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: Do it! Pay the fees and show up. You'll be glad you did.
Additional Commentary on this Show (or about this form): Director Scott Huntley is a great guy! Shana Scott also very engaged and helpful!
Posted by: Matt Cole | 11/27/2012 at 10:45 AM
This was a GREAT show for me. 1st time participating in 2012 and I would love to be invited back! My medium is 3-D mixed media and the crowd was in the mood to BUY, BUY, BUY! I also received a lot of custom orders. I loved the setting on the bridges but be prepared for high winds. I also was skeptical about the 10:00 pm show times but the crowds were there well after dark. Also, the bridges and canopy's lit up at night was breathtaking. Would highly recommend this show!
Posted by: Linda Barnett | 11/27/2012 at 10:42 AM
Show Name: Columbus Art Festival
City and State: Columbus OH
Your Medium: Painting
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 5-10 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 2
Facilities: 3
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 3
Overall: 3
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Okay
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people
Good Things about this Art Fair: Show layout is a square but next year it's moving back downtown which is a far better location. Well run, nice folks running it.
Bad Things about this Art Fair: Old location was not good, and weather can be seriously bad , hot and stormy especially when they move it downtown, I've seen scary storms there.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: Jurying is all over the map so I think anyone has a shot at getting in.
Posted by: John Booth | 02/07/2012 at 09:02 PM
Show Name: Columbus Arts Festival
City and State: Columbus Oh
Your Medium: 2D mixed media
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $2001-$5000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 3-5 times
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 4
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 4
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Good
Estimated Attendance: 50,001+ people
Good Things about this Art Fair: The directorship and comittee have been strong but I understand some changes are happening, the show moves back to river setting this year which should be better sales and attendance
Bad Things about this Art Fair: Bad weather last year
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show: weights, In the river setting I have sold during rain showers on the week days, somewhat captive downtown audience
Posted by: Aaron Hequembourg | 01/26/2012 at 09:27 PM
Show Name: Columbus Summerfair
City and State: Columbus,Ohio
Your Medium: Jewelry
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 5 (great)
Facilities: 5 (great)
Ease of Participating: 5 (great)
Sales: 5 (great)
Overall: 5 (great)
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: 5001-20,000 people
Good Things about this Art Fair:
Very well organized, promoters very helpful, well advertised, artist friendly, great variety of good art, pretty big food court.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Bring plenty stock and heavy weights. It can be really windy.
Additional Commentary on this Show:
Cheap hotels within 15 min. drive.
Posted by: Serena David | 06/25/2011 at 05:50 PM
Show Name: Columbus Arts Festival
City and State: Columbus OH
Your Medium: 3D mixed media
Year you most recently exhibited at this Show: 2011
Your Estimated Sales at this Show: $5001-$10,000
Number of Years You have Exhibited in this Show: 1st time
Attendance: (1 is poor, 5 is great) 5 (great)
Location: 4
Facilities: 4
Ease of Participating: 5 (great)
Sales: 4
Overall: 4
Booth Fee vs. Your Sales Ratio: Great
Estimated Attendance: Not really sure.
Good Things about this Art Fair:
I almost didn't post a review here, as next year the show is moving to a different location at a riverfront park.
I will say that the show is well-organized, friendly, with excellent community and volunteer support. Sales were about average for us. And in these economic times, average is GOOD.
Load-in was easy, layout and traffic were good, no bad locations, but next year--who knows?
Bad Things about this Art Fair:
I'm sure you've heard all about the storm that walloped us this year. We received no warning at all from the staff, a problem which I'm sure will be rectified next year.
In fact, the organizers were so snakebit after the first storm that they shut us down an hour early on Sunday, worried about another storm that never materialized.
Advice to Other Artists Considering this Show:
Just be aware that severe storms have plagued this show for at least the last two years, and brace and weight your tent accordingly.
Additional Commentary on this Show:
The map for next year's event in the park showed most of the artists' tents on the bridges going over the river. After this year's disaster, staff did say that they were rethinking that decision. I can only imagine the destruction if everyone had been on the bridges.
Posted by: Amy Flynn | 06/25/2011 at 05:45 PM