The Athens Community Arts and Music Festival is returning to Union Street for its annual gathering of talented creatives and vendors, live music, and community-centered fun on a perfect summer day in southeast Ohio.
If you haven’t had the chance to attend or you’ve never heard of it, the Athens Community Arts and Music Festival is a great way to spend an end-of-summer day with friends before ushering in the fall and the beginning of a new school year for all of the students who call Athens home. Here’s what you can expect at this year’s festival.
About the Festival
The Athens Community Arts and Music Festival—for those who haven’t been around—is a time-honored tradition in Athens that dates all the way back to 1999, only being interrupted by the dreaded p-word in the early 2020s. The festival itself is a celebration of the Athens community and all of the talented creatives in it, spanning a full day of events and live music to look forward to.
The live acts aren’t limited to just music either—as the name implies, the festival encompasses all sorts of art and expression. Beyond the live music, you’ll find poetry, dance, and plenty of other art taking center stage throughout the day. The live music headlining the festival this year is Ohio-native Guided by Voices, an indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton. The rest of the festival promises to feature a number of both local and regional acts to tie in with their celebration of community.
You’ll also find tons of local creatives filling the walkways with their tents, setting up shop for the day. Whether you’re looking for carefully crafted jewelry, a well-loved vintage piece, or a simplistically beautiful ceramic dish or vase, this big, end-of-summer festival will definitely provide. Plus, it’s just fun to look around at all of the amazing things that people are capable of creating. Alongside makers and creators, you’ll also find some of the local nonprofits set up with information on who they are, plus they’ll have family-friendly activities to participate in.
Since it spans the full day, the Athens Community Arts and Music Festival will naturally have a handful of local food trucks posted around the setup to satiate festival-goers throughout the duration of the celebration.
The Festival Details
The Athens Community Arts and Music Festival gives local residents of Athens County a chance to get out, soak up some summer sun, enjoy live music, and attend one of the larger gatherings of the season all while enjoying what the creative community has to offer—and the best part of all, is that the festival is free to get into. If this all sounds like a great time to you, the Athens Community Arts and Music Festival takes place all day on August 3rd starting at 11:30am on the corner of Union and Congress Street.