DAYTON EATS: Summer festivals near and far offer a bounty of food flavors, experiences

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

The ground underneath us is springing back to life.

It’s bright, juicy and luscious everywhere I turn and I am here for all of it.

Each year I try and ready my dining dance card so I can maximize my experiences. A big part of that is planning ahead for festivals.

The outdoor festival game in Ohio is strong. In Dayton we are particularly lucky to be in such close proximity to large cities with Columbus and Cincinnati, which are both relatively short drives away. Each year I look to see not only what’s happening in Dayton when it comes to outdoor festivals, where often the food can be immensely satisfying, but also out of town to see what rises to the occasion. As I was doing my yearly planning for events that I hope to attend, I realized that after more than a decade of writing this food column I’ve only shared my local list with readers.

In an effort to right this wrong, here is the current festival list with events that will have a food component or focus that interests me. These are all events where I know the food will be delicious and the content presented will be electrified with the festival magic that this time of year always brings with it.

Because there are so many here I have only included the dates, description and website URL. If it’s of interest you can always navigate there for the description of the event, any vendor lists they might have and other details you would need.

May 26: Cheese Fest, Dayton

https://dineoutdayton.com/events

May 27-28: Columbus Asian Festival, Columbus

https://asian-festival.org

May 27-28: Ohio Black Expo Riverfront Culture Fest, Columbus

https://ohioblackexpo.com

May 27-28: Jeni’s Strawberry Jam at Land-Grant, Columbus

https://landgrantbrewing.com/event/jsj23

May 27-29: Taste of Cincinnati, Cincinnati

https://tasteofcincinnati.com

May 31: Kettering Block Party, Kettering

https://fraze.com/kettering-block-party-2023

June 2-4: CincItalia – Cincinnati Italian Festival, Cincinnati

https://cincitalia.org

June 2-4: Summerfair, Cincinnati

www.visitcincy.com/listing/summerfair-cincinnati/4950

June 3: Columbus Chicken and Beer Festival, Columbus

www.chickenandbeerfestcolumbus.com

June 3: Uncorked: Columbus Wine Fest, Columbus

https://uncorkedwinefestivals.com/uncorked-columbus-wine-festival

June 3-4: Troy Strawberry Festival, Troy

www.troystrawberryfest.com

June 9-10: Schwabenfest, Cincinnati

https://www.facebook.com/Cincydonau

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

June 9-11: Poultry Days, Versailles

https://www.versaillespoultrydays.com

June 9-11: Columbus Arts Festival, Columbus

www.columbusartsfestival.org

June 10: Cincy Beerfest, Cincinnati

https://cincybeerfest.com

June 10: Yellow Springs Street Fair, Yellow Springs

www.yellowspringsohio.org/street-fair

June 10: Columbus Summer Wine Festival, Columbus

https://columbuswinefest.com

June 11: Dayton Jazz Festival, Dayton

https://levittdayton.org/event/city-of-dayton-jazz-festival

June 11: Jewish Cultural Festival, Dayton

https://tidayton.org/festival

June 11: The Taste, Kettering

https://fraze.com/the-taste-2023

June 16: Cincinnati Food Truck Assoc. Food Fest, Blue Ash

https://cincinnatifoodtruckassociation.org/events

June 16-17: Jungle Jim’s International Craft Beer Festival, Fairfield

https://junglejims.com/international-craft-beer-festival

June 16-18: Schützenfest Cincinnati, Cincinnati

www.schuetzenfestcincy.com

June 17: Rock Piqua Food Truck and Music Festival, Piqua

https://piquaartscouncil.org/rock-piqua

June 17: Black Heritage Festival, Urbana

www.urbanablkheritagefest.com

June 17: Celtic Fest Ohio, Waynesville

https://celticfestohio.com

June 17, July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 16: Waynesville Street Faire, Waynesville

www.facebook.com/waynesvillestreetfaire

June 21: Spass Nacht, Kettering

https://fraze.com/spass-nacht-2023

June 23: A Taste of Worthington Summer Food Festival, Worthington

www.experienceworthington.com/a-taste-of-worthington

June 23-25: Panegyri Greek Festival, Cincinnati

https://www.htsnchurch.org/event/panegyri/home

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

June 24: Miamisburg Pickle Fest: Just Dill With It, Miamisburg

https://dineoutdayton.com/events

June 24: Tequila Fest Cincinnati, Cincinnati

https://tequilafestcincinnati.com

June 24: SunWatch Summer Fest, Dayton

https://boonshoft.org/events/

June 30-July 2: Taps, Tastes and Tunes Festival, West Chester

www.westchesteroh.org/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/8837/122

July 3: July Sommerfest: Red, White and Brats, Columbus

https://germaniacolumbus.org/event-4502713

July 7-8: North Market Ohio Wine Festival, Columbus

https://northmarket.org

July 7-9: Everybody’s Favorite Barbecue and Hot Sauce Festival, Cincinnati

https://everybodysfavoritefestival.com

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

July 8: Kickin’ Chicken Wing Fest, Kettering

https://dineoutdayton.com/events

July 8: Soul of Columbus Food and Art Festival, Columbus

soulofcolumbusfoodartsfest.org

July 14-16: Cincinnati Celtic Festival, Cincinnati

www.cincycelticfest.com

July 15: Pineapple Fest at Austin Landing, Miamisburg

dineoutdayton.com/events

July 15: Cincy Blues Fest, Cincinnati

https://cincyblues.org/cincy-blues-fest

July 21-22: The Ohio Challenge, Middletown

ohiochallenge.com

July 21-23: Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest, Columbus

www.hotribscooljazz.org

July 21-23: Cincy Soul: The Black Taste, Cincinnati

www.cincysoulblacktaste.com

July 22: Dayton Garlic Fest, Dayton

www.facebook.com/DaytonGarlicFest

July 23: Dayton Blues Festival, Dayton

https://levittdayton.org/

July 27-30 and Aug. 3-6: GoettaFest, Newport, Ky.

https://goetta.com/goettafest

July 28-30: Dayton Celtic Festival, Dayton

daytoncelticfestival.com

July 28-30: Annie Oakley Festival, Greenville

www.annieoakleyfestival.org

July 29-30: Columbus Food and Wine Festival, Columbus

columbusfoodwine.com

Aug. 4-5: Lebanon Blues Festival, Lebanon

lebanonbluesfestival.com

Aug. 4-6: Dublin Irish Festival, Dublin

dublinirishfestival.org

Aug. 5: Down A River, Down A Beer, Piqua

www.downariverdownabeer.com

Aug. 5: Ghana Festival Ohio, Columbus

ghanafestohio.org

Aug. 11-13: Germanfest Picnic, Dayton

germanfestdayton.com

Aug. 12: Columbus Beerfest, Columbus

columbusbeerfest.com

Aug. 12: Art on the Lawn, Yellow Springs

www.facebook.com/ArtOnTheLawnYellowSprings

Aug. 12-13: Festival Latino, Columbus

www.festivallatino.net

Aug. 13: Dayton Funk Festival, Dayton

https://levittdayton.org

Aug. 13: Art on the Commons, Kettering

www.playkettering.org/art-programs-events/art-on-the-commons

Aug. 19: Bacon Fest, Kettering

dineoutdayton.com/events

Aug. 19: Springfield Rotary Gourmet Food Truck Competition, Springfield

springfieldfoodtruck.com

Aug. 19-20: Fairborn Sweet Corn Festival, Fairborn

fairbornsweetcornfestival.org

Aug. 19-20: Dayton African American Cultural Festival, Dayton

www.daacf.com

Aug. 25-27: Germania Society Oktoberfest, Cincinnati

germaniasociety.com/oktoberfest

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Credit: Tom Gilliam

Aug. 25-27: The Lebanese Festival, Dayton

thelebanesefestival.com

Aug. 26: HAMILPALOOZA, Hamilton

www.hamilton-ohio.com/hamilpalooza

Aug. 26: ARTFest on Main, Springboro

artfestonmain.com

Aug. 26: Taco and Nacho Fest, Miamisburg

dineoutdayton.com/events

Aug. 26-27: Columbus Fiery Foods Festival, Columbus

columbusfieryfoods.com

Dayton Eats looks at the regional food stories and restaurant news that make mouths water. Share info about your menu updates, special dinners and events, new chefs, interesting new dishes and culinary adventures. Do you know of new exciting format changes, specials, happy hours, restaurant updates or any other tasty news you think is worth a closer look at? E-mail Alexis Larsen at alexis.e.larsen@hotmail.com with the information and we will work to include it in future coverage.

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