So, to ensure that you have the chance to attend your favorite festivals this summer, we have put together a guide detailing which summer festivals are not taking place this year, and, more important, which summer festivals are taking place.
For those who wish to add their festivals to this list, please e-mail Ashley Moor at ashley.moor@coxinc.com.
🔆Dayton Pride Parade & Festival
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Typically taking place over the first weekend of June, the Dayton Pride Parade & Festival is part of a nationwide celebration commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Riots and LGBTQ pride. The event features a parade and festival.
Status: It’s on! The Greater Dayton LGBT Center will host an in-person pride celebration on Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5 with a performance by the Rubi Girls, Reverse Parade and plenty of vendors in downtown Dayton. For information about the Dayton Pride Parade & Festival can be found by visiting its website.
🔆Troy Strawberry Festival
Attendees of the Troy Strawberry Festival look forward to the plethora of strawberry donuts, live entertainment, local vendors and more at this annual event.
Status: Canceled. The 2021 Troy Strawberry Festival, originally scheduled to take place over the first weekend of June, was canceled due to coronavirus concerns. However, the city of Troy is planning to host a much smaller version of the event, called the Strawberry Jam, in downtown Troy. The event will include live music on Prouty Stage and a small collection of food vendors on Friday, June 4 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday, June 5 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
🔆St. Christopher Festival
For over 60 years, the St. Christopher Parish in Vandalia has hosted the St. Christopher Festival, an event featuring carnival rides, food, family-friendly activities, gambling and more.
Status: Postponed. The event is set to be held June 10-12, 2022.
🔆Jewish Cultural Festival
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Each summer, Temple Israel in Dayton has celebrated Jewish art, food and rituals with the Jewish Cultural Festival.
Status: It’s on! This year, Temple Israel is hosting the Taste of the Jewish Cultural Festival as a series of three drive-thru events from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 16, May 14 and June 11. Each drive-thru event will be centered around one specific holiday or aspect of Judaism, which will be represented in food, education, interactive crafts, projects, live entertainment and merchandise. More information about the festival can be found by visiting its website.
🔆Lebanon Country Music Festival
This popular country music festival on Main Street in Lebanon features performances by country musicians, family-friendly activities and the chance to shop at the unique retailers in the area.
Status: It’s on! This year, the festival will be held Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12 and is set to feature musical acts like 9Eight Central and Jessie Lyn & the TNT Band. More information about the event can be found by visiting its Facebook page.
🔆St. Helen Spring Festival
Credit: DAVID MOODIE/CONTRIBUTED
Credit: DAVID MOODIE/CONTRIBUTED
This carnival-style festival, hosted by the St. Helen Parish in Riverside, has ushered in a season of fun summer activities for years with its carnival rides, food and family-friendly activities.
Status: Canceled. “It has become abundantly clear that due to the size of our festival and the number of people it attracts, there is no viable solution to ensure the health and safety of our community patrons and volunteers,” organizers said in a statement released on the festival’s website. The event was originally scheduled June 11-13. Currently, the St. Helen Parish is planning to host a drive-thru version of the event with food and a raffle.
🔆Banana Split Festival
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
The city of Wilmington celebrates the banana split with a festival during the second weekend of June with old-fashioned games, rides, a classic car cruise-in, unique food booths, and, of course, a make-your-own banana split booth.
Status: Postponed. Organizers have made tentative plans to host the festival in 2022.
🔆Celtic Fest Ohio
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
This popular festival takes place on the Ohio Renaissance Fairgrounds in Waynesville and features live bands, Scottish and Irish dancers, plenty of delicious food and other interesting entertainment.
Status: It’s on! The Celtic Fest Ohio will be held Saturday, June 19 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Ohio Renaissance Fairgrounds in Waynesville. Attendees will have the opportunity to browse aisles of unique shopping, food and live entertainment. More information about the event can be found by visiting its website.
🔆Waynesville Street Faire
The city of Waynesville hosts its annual Waynesville Street Faire, which includes plenty of unique shopping opportunities, a free book swap, cruise-in and other community-wide activities, each summer.
Status: It’s on! The Waynesville Street Faire will be held on Main Street in Waynesville on Saturday, June 19, Saturday, July 17, Saturday, Aug. 14 and Saturday, Sept. 11. More information about the event can be found by visiting its Facebook page.
🔆Yellow Springs June Street Fair
The Yellow Springs June Street Fair showcases the best of the city with local food, vendors and entertainment in downtown Yellow Springs.
Status: Canceled. However, the city hopes to host the October installment of their street fair.
🔆Dayton Jazz Festival
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
For the past few years, the city of Dayton has hosted the Dayton Jazz Festival, an event in which jazz musicians come together to perform in downtown Dayton.
Status: The Downtown Dayton Partnership has estimated this event will take place sometime in June.
🔆Lights in Flight Festival and Fireworks Show
The city of Dayton’s fireworks show and annual celebration of the Declaration of Independence typically attracts more than 50,000 visitors to downtown Dayton each year.
Status: It’s on! This Fourth of July celebration will be held from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 3. The fireworks show will light up the sky at Riverscape MetroPark at 10 p.m. More information about the fireworks show and festival can be found by visiting the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website.
🔆Americana Festival
Credit: FILE
Credit: FILE
The city of Centerville celebrates the Fourth of July with a fireworks display, 5K run, parade, street fair, auto show, family-friendly activities, food and more on South Main Street in Centerville.
Status: It’s on! Centerville’s Americana Festival will be held on Monday, July 5. Find more information about the Americana Festival by paying a visit to its website.
🔆Dayton Celtic Festival
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
This popular celebration of Celtic heritage usually features live music, delicious food and family-friendly activities at RiverScape MetroPark in downtown Dayton.
Status: Canceled. Organizers blamed late-lifting COVID-19 restrictions and issues abroad in an announcement posted May 26 on the festival’s website. “We find that due to the late lifting of restrictions we are unable to present the same caliber event we have proudly produced these past two decades,” the United Irish of Dayton Inc. posted online. “We are unable to secure any international artists due to the ongoing worldwide pandemic, unable to provide imported beers at sufficient quantity, unable to present a full cultural area, unable to provide whiskey tastings and unable to create the required new festival layout needed due to significant construction taking place at our festival site.”
The festival is set to return July 29-July 31, 2022. Meanwhile, organizers said they will host smaller events at various locations in downtown Dayton. The smaller events will be called the Dayton Celtic “Knot” Festival, with more details to be announced later.
🔆Dayton Blues Festival
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
The Dayton Blues Festival features performances by several blues musicians as a part of Levitt Pavilion’s Downtown Summer Music Series.
Status: Levitt Pavilion has yet to set a date for this festival, which is set to take place sometime in July.
🔆Germanfest Picnic
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Those who have an appreciation for German cuisine and culture have shown up to this annual festival by the thousands in past years. The annual event, hosted by the Dayton Liederkranz Turner German Club, features German food, beer and live entertainment.
Status: It’s on! Last year, the Dayton Liederkranz Turner German Club hosted a more COVID-friendly version of the event, and this year, the club plans on going full steam ahead with an in-person celebration of German culture from Friday, August 13 to Sunday, August 15 at Historic St. Anne’s Hill. More information about the event can be found by visiting the Dayton Liederkranz Turner German Club’s website.
🔆St. Brigid Parish Festival
This popular carnival-style festival is organized by the St. Brigid Parish in Xenia each summer. The event features carnival rides, food and other family-friendly entertainment.
Status: It’s on! The St. Brigid Parish Festival will be held on Aug. 13, 14 and 15 at St. Brigid Parish in Xenia. More information about the St. Brigid Parish Festival can be found by visiting its website.
🔆Potatoes N’ Such: Dayton Potato Festival
This brand new festival is a celebration of the ever-versatile potato.
Status: It’s on! The event is currently set to take place on Saturday, Aug. 14 from noon to 8 p.m. at Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton. More details will be announced on the event’s Facebook page.
🔆Dayton Porchfest
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
This festival features free concerts held on porches throughout the St. Anne’s Hill neighborhood in Dayton.
Status: It’s on! Dayton Porchfest will be held on Saturday, Aug. 21 from 1:30-7 p.m. in the St. Anne’s Hill neighborhood. More information about Dayton Porchfest can be found by visiting its website.
🔆ARTFest on Main
Over a hundred artists convene in Springboro for ARTFest on Main, a fine arts festival featuring artistic activities, live music, beer, wine, food and more.
Status: It’s on! ARTFest on Main will be held Saturday, Aug. 28 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Springboro Historic District. More information about ARTFest on Main can be found by visiting its Facebook page.
🔆Dayton Funk Festival
Dayton’s Funk Fest celebrates the city’s musical contributions to popular funk music with performances by funk musicians.
Status: The Levitt Pavilion has yet to set a date in August for the Dayton Funk Festival.
🔆AleFest Dayton
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
AleFest Dayton celebrates unique beers and food from the Miami Valley and beyond.
Status: An exact date has yet to be determined for August 2021.
🔆Dayton African American Cultural Festival
Credit: Barbara J. Perenic
Credit: Barbara J. Perenic
The Dayton African American Cultural Festival promotes the art, education and health of African American people with hands-on activities, entertainment and health screenings.
Status: A date has yet to be set for the festival, which is set to take place in August.
🔆Dayton Greek Festival
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
As summer nears its end, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church hosts its annual Dayton Greek Festival. The popular local event features Greek food, pastries, wine, dancing, church tours and a specialty boutique store.
Status: Yet to be determined by organizers of the Dayton Greek Festival. More information can be found by visiting the event’s website.
🔆Hispanic Heritage Festival
Latin music and food abound at this celebration of Hispanic heritage at RiverScape MetroPark in downtown Dayton.
Status: A date is still not set for the Hispanic Heritage Festival, which is tentatively set to take place in September.
🔆Dayton Art Institute’s Oktoberfest
The Dayton Art Insitute celebrates its own version of Oktoberfest with German food, beer, live entertainment and merchandise. The Oktoberfest event is the Dayton Art Institute’s largest fundraiser of the year.
Status: A date has yet to be set for the Dayton Art Institute’s Oktoberfest event, which typically takes place in September.
🔆Ohio Renaissance Festival
Each year, the Ohio Renaissance Fairgrounds is home to a large celebration of 16th-century England. The Ohio Renaissance Festival features a medieval marketplace, full-contact jousting, games, rides, entertainment and themed weekends.
Status: It’s on! The Ohio Renaissance Festival will be held at the Ohio Renaissance Fairgrounds in Waynesville from Sept. 4 through Oct. 31. For more information about the Ohio Renaissance Festival, pay a visit to its website.
🔆Kettering’s Holiday at Home Festival
Each year, this Labor Day celebration in Kettering features a parade, a 5K, an arts and craft show, an auto show, children’s activities, live music and more.
Status: It’s on! This year, Kettering’s Holiday at Home Festival will be held Sunday, Sept. 5 and Monday, Sept. 6 at the Kettering Government Center and Fraze Pavilion. More information about the Holiday at Home Festival can be found by visiting its website.
🔆A World A’Fair Dayton International Festival
Credit: HANDOUT
Credit: HANDOUT
A World A’Fair is the largest international festival in Ohio, held at the Dayton Convention Center every May. Attendees of the event have a chance to experience the cultures of dozens of countries from around the world.
Status: Postponed. A new date for 2022 has yet to be announced.
🔆Hamvention 2021
The Dayton Hamvention is an amateur radio convention sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association.
Status: Canceled. Those who had purchased tickets to the event will be deferred to 2022.
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