by K Vaze

Created on: April 14, 2009   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

Considered one of the best and most prestigious art and crafts shows in the country, the Columbus Arts Festival is truly a delight for art lovers of all ages. For 3 days in summer the downtown Columbus OH comes to life with live music shows, art and crafts, great food and tons of fun filled activities. This year the 48th annual Columbus art festival presented by Time Warner Cable, is scheduled take place from June 5 to June 7 of 2009 at the Discovery District in downtown Columbus.

How to get there

The admission and parking are free for all visitors. There are plenty of parking areas designated for the event. However since this is a popular event among the whole central Ohio region the parking gets full really early in the day. If you want to avoid the hassle of driving through the maze of closed roads (for the Festival) and finding a nonexistent parking place or one that is miles away from the actual event, it is a good idea to take a COTA (Central Ohio Transit authority) bus, the public transport service for the area. They run special and extra buses for this event from convenient locations all around the city.

Where to stay

If you are an out of town art enthusiast wanting to explore this incredible art and crafts event, there are plenty of nearby hotels that provide convenient accommodations. Some of the closest ones to the Discovery district are, Westin Great Southern Hotel (Around $119/night), Hyatt on Capitol Square( From $120-169/night), Best western, Courtyard by Marriott, Double tree and many more around Downtown. Many of these have specially discounted rates and packages with shuttle service to the festival and airport for artists and festival visitors. If you have a RV or want to spend those beautiful summer days camping close to the event go to the nearest Campground, the Alton Campground on Broad St.

What to do

Now here is a question that has a very, very long answer. There is spectacular artwork to look at; there is live entertainment, hands on art and craft activities and off course delicious food to taste from various local vendors. There are plenty of activities to enjoy for all age groups. Here is a list of things to do at this wonderful and fun event.

1. Since it is an Art festival there are more than 500 artists displaying their art. Artists from all over the country and Canada have to win a booth from 230 of them at this festival through a Jury process. You will see spectacular artwork exhibitions one is "Art

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