Make plans this weekend with these 10 cool things to do in Columbus
This weekend, music lovers can fall in line to see Fall Out Boy, who return to Columbus after three years with supporting act Jimmy Eat World on Friday to perform at the Schottenstein Center with openers Carr and Hot Mulligan.
If you have a penchant for thrills and chills, the five-day Halfway to Halloween Film Festival gets underway on Friday at Easton Town Center 30 with "Sinister," a 2012 supernatural horror flick starring Ethan Hawke as a true-crime writer whose discovery of gory snuff films leads to all manners of ooky-spookiness.
Looking for screams of a different variety? Comedian Aries Spears will have you shrieking with laughter during his three-night stand at Columbus Funny Bone.
In the first half of next week, two veteran music acts will be in town catering to two very different audiences: blues legend Buddy Guy and British metalheads Girlschool.
This is just a handful of happenings coming down the turnpike. Read more about them and find out what else is going on below. To receive these ideas in your inbox each week, sign up for the Life in the 614 newsletter.
Young professionals to serve up 'A Taste of Columbus'
Hosted by the Columbus Young Professionals Club (CYP), "A Taste of Columbus" will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at The Kee, 225 Neilston St. This annual culinary event will feature up to 50 food and drink stations offering complimentary sample bites and tasting pours from local restaurants, bakeries, coffee and tea shops, breweries and distilleries. Attendees will enjoy live music, local art, interactive activities including The Kee’s arcade, virtual golfing, giant chess/checkers and Jenga, a selfie photobooth and more, door prizes, networking opportunities and “A Toast to Wonderful Workplaces” awards. Tickets cost $20. (cypclub.com/a-taste-of-columbus)
Cocktails and other fun to flow at Mix & Shake
North Market Downtown and the Ohio Distiller’s Guild have partnered for Mix & Shake, an evening of cocktails, food, live music, a strolling magician, tarot readings and games from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at North Market, 59 Spruce St. The market will close at 3 p.m. Thursday and remain closed during the event. General admission tickets, which cost $50 in advance and $55 at the door, include 10 tasting tickets and a $10 food voucher for North Market. Companion tickets cost $25 in advance and $30 at the door and include 2 non-alcoholic drinks and a $10 food voucher for North Market. Proceeds will benefit the not-for-profit North Market Development Authority and the Ohio Distiller’s Guild. You must be 21 or older with valid ID for tastings. (northmarket.org)
Columbus State to stage award-winning play 'Proof'
In "Proof," a young woman, her manipulative sister, their father and an unexpected suitor are the piece of the puzzle in the search for the truth behind a cryptic mathematical proof. The 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama and Tony Award winner for Best Play by David Auburn will be performed by Theatre Columbus State at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at CAPA’s Van Fleet Theatre, 549 Franklin Ave. The play ran on Broadway from Oct. 24, 2000 to Jan. 5, 2003 after 917 performances, making it the longest-running Broadway play of the 21st century. Admission is free. (bit.ly/4ctCNj1)
Farm animals to come to Franklin Park Conservatory
Christa Hein, founder of the hands-on learning adventure Bring the Farm to You LLC of Centerburg, will be bringing her farm to Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, guests can Interact with chicks, chickens, ducks, a turkey, rabbits, sheep, goats and a pig during this petting zoo experience. The program is included in admission and registration is not required. Admission costs $23.50 for ages 13 to 59; $19.50 for ages 60 and older; $16 for ages 3 to 12; and free for members and children younger than 3. (fpconservatory.org/events)
Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World to return to Columbus
Fall Out Boy, who last performed in Columbus in 2021 on the Hella Mega Tour with Green Day and Weezer, will be back as the headliner for a show beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Schottenstein Center, West Lane Avenue and Olentangy River Road. The four-man band's string of hits include "Dance, Dance," "Sugar, We're Goin' Down," "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)," and "High Hopes." Their 2023 rendition of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" was modernized to include references from Michael Jackson and MySpace to Columbine and climate change. Also returning is supporting act Jimmy Eat World, who played Kemba Live in 2022. Ticket prices start at $65. (ticketmaster.com)
Aries Spears to tickle comedy fans' funny bones
Comedian-actor Aries Spears, who burst onto the scene as a regular on Fox's ground-breaking sketch-comedy show, "Mad TV," is coming for a four-show engagement at the Columbus Funny Bone, 145 Easton Town Center, this weekend. Spears also is known for his role as Cuba Gooding Jr.'s younger brother in the blockbuster film "Jerry Maguire" and has appeared on Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, "Showtime at the Apollo," in his own comedy special, "Hollywood, Look I'm Smiling," and has done voiceover work for several animated series. Showtimes are at 10 p.m. Friday (doors open at 9:30 p.m.); 7 p.m. Saturday (doors at 5:30 p.m.); 9:45 p.m. Saturday (doors at 9:15 p.m.); and 7 p.m. Sunday (doors at 6 p.m.). Tickets cost $37. (columbus.funnybone.com)
AMC Easton Town Center 30 to host Halfway to Halloween film fest
Blumhouse, known mainly for producing horror films, and AMC Theaters are celebrating Halloween early with the Halfway to Halloween Film Festival, which kicks off Friday in more than 40 cities and 100 AMC movie theaters across the U.S., including the Easton Town Center 30 theater. With tickets priced at $8 per film, the festival will feature: "Sinister" on Friday; "The Purge" on Saturday; "Ouija: Origin of Evil" on Sunday; "Insidious" on Monday; and "The Invisible Man" on Tuesday. Viewers also will have the chance to win giveaways, get sneak peeks and see exclusive recorded messages from directors and talent from the films. See website for movie times. (amctheatres.com/events/halfway-to-halloween)
'Indigenous Wonders' showcases Hopewell earthworks
The eight Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, which the UNESCO World Heritage Committee voted to inscribe as a World Heritage site last September, include three sites managed by the Ohio History Connection. Built between 1,600 and 2,000 years ago by the indigenous Hopewell Culture, the earthworks are the focus of the "Indigenous Wonders of Our World" exhibit at the Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave. Visitors can learn about these complex masterpieces during a staff-led tour of the exhibit from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday (and April 6-7). The tour is included with museum admission, which costs $16 for ages 13 and older; $14 for ages 60-older and college students with ID; $10 for ages 4 to 12; admission is free for ages 3 and younger as well as Ohio History Connection members. (ohiohistory.org)
Buddy Guy to sing the blues at the Palace
Boasting the most Blues Music Awards any artist has ever won (38), Buddy Guy will play at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St. His appearance was rescheduled from last November and all previously purchased tickets will be valid for Tuesday's show. The 87-year-old bluesman has received eight Grammys, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement Grammy, the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, the Presidential National Medal of Arts and was ranked 27th in Rolling Stone magazine's 2023 list of greatest guitarists of all time. Ticket prices begin at $44 and there is a limit of six tickets per person/household. (capa.com)
Girlschool to bring last US tour to King of Clubs
Girlschool, who were part of the new wave of British heavy metal bands of the mid-to-late 1970s to early 1980s, will make a stop on their final U.S. tour on April 3 at The King of Clubs, 6252 Busch Blvd. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Still active after more than 45 years, Girlschool is the music industry’s longest-running all-female rock band. General admission floor tickets cost $25; premium floor and reserved mezzanine seats cost $35; King's Landing bar seats, reserved mezzanine tables and floor tables for four people cost $120; balcony box suites for four people cost $150. (tkoc.live)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 10 things to do in Columbus this weekend
