Itâs that time again, time to head down to Goodale Park for a weekend of art, food and music at Columbusâ 42nd annual Comfest! During this hour, All Sides Weekend host Eric French talked to a documentarian about the festivalâs long and colorful history. Plus we talked with some of Comfestâs featured musicians and a preview of this yearâs must-see acts.
ComFest History
Comfest has been bringing local art, food and music to Columbus for more than 40 years. Recently, the festivalâs popularity has risen, and so has its attendance and operating procedures. While many small things may have changed, there still remains a sense of community in Columbus's own "Party with a Purpose.â? Seth Moherman, a Comfest historian and filmmaker, is making a documentary on the festival. He explained that although it started out as a small free speech forum, it has grown and attracted a large audience. âIt started back in 1972 as a fundraiser for a coalition of community groups that kind of shared a common interest, a common goal, to change their environment to provide service and things that werenât being met by society at the time,â? Moherman said. âThey wanted to find a way to speak out and create an environment that they wanted; that they thought was more inclusive for people to express their own views.â?
ComFest Music Lineup
With so much going on, it might be hard to decide what to do. Our panelists give recommendations on which music acts to catch this weekend. Recommended performances by guest panelists Friday
- Counterfeit Madison on the Gazebo stage at 7pm
Saturday
- Sleep Fleet on the Bozo main stage at 1:40pm
- Nick D' & The Believers on the Offramp state at 4pm
- The Yeah Babies on the Offramp state at 4:45pm
- Dan White Sextet on the I Wish You Jazz stage at 6pm
- New Basics Brass Band on the I Wish You Jazz stage at 7:40pm
- Forest & The Evergreens on the Bozo main stage at 8pm
- The Dewdroppers on the Gazebo stage at 9pm
Sunday
- Fields and Planes on the Offramp stage at 11:40am
- The Apes on the Offramp stage at 4:55pm
- Bummers on the Offramp stage at 5:40pm
Guests
- Seth Moherman, Comfest historian, documentarian, TV editor
- Travis Hoewischer, editor of 614 Magazine
- April Kulcsar, booking agent
- Josh Weiker, local music blogger
- Nick Tolford, Leslie Jankowski, Julian Dassai, musicians from Nick Tolford & Co
Event
Comfest kicks off Friday, June 27 and runs through Sunday, June 29