Comfest

This year was my first time going to ComFest and I had a great time! It's perfect for families and all ages. There were tons of food trucks, vendors, and bathrooms. I loved the live music and everyone was there to have a good time. It's a good group of people that go and tend to all have similar interests. Definitely will be back next year!

With the festival taking place at Goodale Park, it's pretty much in my backyard and impossible for me to avoid. Last year I was out of town but, this year I made sure to give it a visit. The weather was sunny and hot all weekend but the spirit of Comfest rang true. Food, drink, music, art, local businesses, and good people having a damn good time. What's not to love? I spent most of my time lounging under a tree with friends on patched together sheets and blankets. That was definitely the best part, just passing time with good friends. Yes, we saw naked folks and the smell of weed was rather consistent, but this is the perfect atmosphere to just let go and not worry about everyone else. Just do you! When it came to the food, I enjoyed pizza from Late Night Slice, fries from one of the fair food stands, and hummus and falalel from Lavash. There were so many choices it was hard to settle. I also saw ice cream, baked goods, funnel cakes, etc. A good mixture of local restaurants and fair food stands. There was a little something for everybody. On top of all that, I also loved seeing how clean the park was kept and how much programming there was for the kiddos. Living in the neighborhood, it's nice to see that its taking care of and family friendly. Pro tip - make sure you find safe parking. I saw way too many cars getting towed in front of my house for silly things like parking in front of a fire hydrant or handicap ramps.

Another great year for Comfest! Lots of sun and no rain! Lots of bands and vendors to choose from! Loads of food to choose from from anyone's appetite. Parking could be a challenge so plan to walk a bit.

Comfest 2022 was a blast, I'd only been one other time and loved it then, too. The biggest drawback is there's no wine (but it IS a BEER festival!). Goodale Park becomes packed and the surrounding area does, too, so if you can carpool or catch a bus, I recommend doing so because the streets are jam packed. There are plenty of awesome hippie-ish like vendors setting up booths. Get coins on the border of the park at the designated booths to purchase beer. The smell of weed hangs in the air. There are multiple concerts going on throughout the park. Different events are scheduled for different days so check if you're interested in anything specific. Or just bring a blanket and lay around in the park like me and my friends, admiring the chaos and fireflies (oops- lightning bugs!).

I found this festival to be overhyped. It's something to say you've been to in Columbus. It's got art, music, and other orgs tabling. For the most part, it's just about socializing. Grab some food and a drink to cool yourself down. I also saw a lot of people smoking. I'm guessing it's allowed for Com Fest? Since the secondhand smoking ban passed in Ohio a few years ago, I didn't expect to see that. Maybe they go easy on rules for Com Fest.I know people go topless or barefoot here but I definitely didn't see any of that, although a lady did tell us she saw one lady topless.It seems like a hippie type of experience. I also saw lots of high schoolers, families, and young adults.Goodale Park is pretty nice though. It's a nice space to hold a festival. It just sucked to find parking. We drove around for more than 30 minutes and settled at a parking garage in Short North. It was only a five minute walk from the park though.

Great festival to go to if you're a hippie and you're into free love. You get to hear some good local music and have some good local eats. Make sure you come early so you can find some parking because there is no parking available you have to park on the street or pay to park somewhere so be prepared to spend about an hour to find parking.Make sure to bring some extra money with you to explore the local crafts that are on display and available for purchase.You can bring a blanket so you can sit down for a while and enjoy as many bands as you want in a row or bring your stroller if you have children it's all allowed.

When I go to Comfest, I have flashbacks to the South Park episode where all the hippies take over town during the Hippie Jam Fest... well, this isn't quite that extreme, but it has it's moments. I quite embrace this festival for what it stands (peace, love, and justice) AND for the weekend full of contunuous live music.I love live music, so this is the perfect opportunity to experience the array of awesome (and not-so-awesome) musicians central Ohio has to offer--- and for FREE. You pay out the wazoo for parking and beer, but if you don't drink, you're in luck... but, it's safe to say most people who attend Comfest DO drink (or are anesthetized by other substances). It's peaceful. Loving. Mellow. And often very stinky (think B.O.)... and don't even get me started on the port-o-johns... With that said, I don my earthiest outfi, pack up my wooly blanket and cooler of drinks and head over to Goodale Park. I am patient with parking, which is helpful as we like to attend during peak times, when it is near impossible to find easy parking in Victorian Village. I don't mind walking either and usually end up parking in Harrison West or near campus. The people-watching alone makes it worth the trek! Community Festival (hence Comfest) is first and foremost a platform for the organization to spout off about social and political issues- but this is done against the backdrop of a free music festival. Most folks just come for the music, which is contunuous on a number of stages throughout Goodale Park.... but despite being free, I usually spend a ton of money parking, eating and drinking, but it is totally worth it. Money goes to good social causes, like local homeless shelters. If my drunkeness can help a fellow in need, all the better! The musicians also volunteer their time and music, playing for free. This is a Columbus festival to the core. Love or or hate it, you can't help but appreciate its uniqueness. Despite my poking fun and generalizing, I love Comfest! Can't wait for it to come around again! I went twice this year. It was a great to ring in the weekend, watching The Randy's play a happy hour show on the Gazebo stage. It was even better to end the weekend at the jazz stage Sunday night. A torrential downpour Sunday afternoon did not deter the faithful. If anything, it lent to the "woodstock" mood.A word of advice: I'm not sure I'd bring my kids, but to each their own. I also want to note that some women tend to stroll around topless (many who have no business being without clothes!) but again, to each their own. In fact, last Comfest I saw a stoned, topless woman pulling her kid around in a red wagon... go figure.Aside from those minor critiques.... what you leave with is a good message and fabulous music!HAPPY COMFEST!

This is a great time. There are some things that they could do better, like not requiring patrons to wait in two separate long lines to get a beer, but it's still a blast.A couple of notes. It's not a communist agenda. It's liberal/progressive with some socialist views. If you don't know the difference you should look it up.Secondly, the toplessness isn't about nudity. It's about equality. Men can do it, so women can do it. Good-looking men with shirts off turn heads, so do women. It has nothing to do with anything below the waist.The food and the merchandise are awesome. Most of the bands are decent.And yes, people are "partaking" while there. Part of the agenda of legalization.It might not be for everyone.That's ok. It's much more of a hippie vibe. But if you fit into this niche it's the best of times.

I like festivals and Comfest is the best one in Columbus. It has often been said it's not as fun as it was. That is true because now everyone wants to be there and the assholes ruin it for the rest of us. It's free so you can't complain about it because you're not forced to buy anything. The music is not always good but it's nice background noise while passed out under a tree, and the vendors sell lots of cool local products.If you haven't been there you should know a few things. It's in Goodale Park, a really nice park any time of the year. There's lots of space to stretch out and watch bands or people. It gets crowded around the stages and on the streets. People walk so fucking slow. Another problem is getting there. It's better to not drive if you can. Busses go past the park. There's parking along several streets if you can walk. On Sundays the city has free parking at meters. The people in charge say you shouldn't bring pets. Attendees are like fuck that, and bring their dogs, pigs, and whatever anyway. It's not a good place for them. There are loud noises and many people so they go crazy. The beer process is kind of weird. First you buy tokens then you use them when you buy the beer. This means you have to wait in line twice. It also can be a long wait. The beer is also expensive. A 20 oz. of something is about $7. It also has other alcohol options like wine. A review of Comfest is not complete without talking about the boobs. Yes, there's a few topless chicks there and many of them shouldn't be. Many like the attention but some get offended if stared at. There's some you should ask before taking pictures. I think Comfest is good for the city of Columbus. It's a fun way to blow the weekend and to act like an idiot. There are lots of music and people to see and it's all free so get there.

Years ago I would have given this event a 5 star, back when it was less crowded and more laid back and chill.Early in the day and Sunday's are still a good day to attend, but as Friday and Saturday progresses the crowd changes.Over the years it seems to bring in a different type of crowd. What once was a local community festival has turned into a State Fair minus the rides.Crowds are coming in that have no idea how to just sit back, maybe put a little buzz on, and listen to some good music and feel the positive vibes.I'm starting to see way too many that want to be noticed, cause a scene and unfortunately get into fights and/or help themselves to your property.It's not too late for Comfest to get ahold of this and turn it back to where it once used to be. Maybe get back to the music that used to be played rather than that which brings in a bad element.