City’s new WinterFest set for Downtown
Columbus won’t have its annual Grand Illumination at Bicentennial Park and the Scioto Mile this year, but it plans a new event with food trucks, local beer and music that will raise money for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.
For the past several years, the city has made an evening event out of the first lighting of its display at the Scioto Mile. Last year, it flipped the switch on more than 250,000 lights in about 150 trees and featured holiday music along with a visit from Santa.
But this winter, the Columbus Department of Recreation and Parks has planned a new event dubbed WinterFest that will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Bicentennial Park.
“This isn’t a replacement as much as it’s a new event,” said Brian Hoyt, the department’s spokesman. “What we saw was an opportunity to create a new event that would cater to an audience that we really haven’t done before and really wasn’t in the Downtown area, say, five to 10 years ago.”
Attendees will be able to buy seasonal beers from four Ohio breweries and food from eight food trucks. A portion of food and beer sales will benefit the food bank.
A local coffeehouse will sell coffee.
The recreation department’s own food truck will sell hand-crafted bowls and a signature soup from Milestone 229 as part of the Empty Bowls Initiative. The department has planned a short ceremony to present a check to the food bank.
Music at Bicentennial Stage will feature Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons at 11 a.m. and again at 12:30 p.m. Doc Robinson also will play two sets, at 11:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. DJ RJD2 will perform at 2:30 p.m. (The schedule is subject to change, the department notes.)
Although there is no Grand Illumination event this year, the city still will light up the Scioto Mile. Thousands of lights were installed earlier this month.
Hoyt said the city chose Saturday for WinterFest because several other events are happening that day: The Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis is scheduled in the morning, and the Short North Holiday Hop is that day.
“You really can come down and park your car and spend your whole day Downtown,” he said.