Top headlines of the week, June 19 2026
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.
- ComFest, a free community festival, will take place from June 26 to 28 in Goodale Park.
- The event celebrates community, political activism and advocacy through music, art and workshops.
- Attendees are not permitted to bring personal alcohol, coolers or glass containers into the festival.
Local artists’ sounds fill the air while community advocates host workshops on topical issues, a booth gives out free Narcan and another sells original art. Kids paint, people dance and drink a beer, or a few. This is ComFest, and it’s returning to Goodale Park from June 26 to 28.
ComFest, a community festival, is a celebration of community, political activism and advocacy. The festival will feature musical performances, local community organizations, artists and educational workshops on current issues. Overall, the festival is a celebration of peace, love and community.
“ComFest’s annual celebration of the daily work it takes to shape true community is the manifestation of more than 50 years of nurturing the idea of People Power. Not just some people. All of us,” Steve Abbott, a member of the the program guide committee, wrote in the program guide.
Established in 1972, the first ComFest brought together community members with the shared belief of freedom, peace, justice, kindness and equality, according to the 2026 program guide. The goal was to show attendees they are not alone in their hope for a better a future.
The volunteer-run festival continues on those same principles it was founded on. ComFest is free and “powered by community.” There are no corporate sponsorships. Volunteer opportunities are available all weekend. For more volunteering information, visit comfest.com.
“We’re a bunch of people radicalized by common decency,” Abbot wrote. “Moving mountains, even one at a time, in the face of powerful and hostile attacks is hard work. The important results of these efforts, and even their modest successes, are worth celebrating. So here we are.”
The 2026 festival logo features monarch butterflies extending in a circular direction out from the center, where the Hopewell symbol is shown. The words “Migration Is Natural” follow the butterflies’ path. The logo was designed by Rhian Jones, winner of the 2026 logo contest.
The political component is intertwined into the festival, but visitors are encouraged to think about politics, not as elections and offensive political ads, but as what they do every day.
“Grocery shopping. Filling the tank. Educating kids. Funding education. Expecting safety in your neighborhood. Visiting state/national parks. Saving your kids or your job from AI. Confronting with racial/gender/LGBTQ discrimination. Or deciding whether scientists or political flunkies should make decisions about your family’s health care. Having a say in how your taxes are used and whether your family or wealthy developers get tax breaks,” Abbott wrote.
What’s happening at ComFest?
The three-day festival includes an all-day street fair with local artists and vendors, community workshops centered on relevant advocacy topics at the peace and healing pavilion, food, art, live music and more.
There are six main locations for scheduled events: the Bozo Stage, Gazebo Stage, Goodale Stage, Mendelsonic Live Arts Stage, Peace & Healing Pavilion and Sing Out. The workshops are occurring at the Peace & Healing Pavilion while the other locations will host live music, art and speakers.
One of the performances this year is a concert featuring the Columbus Cultural Orchestra. Known as the Hip-Hop Youth Orchestra, this group is focused on highlighting multi-generational musicians of color during performances of jazz, classical and hip-hop music. Their performance is at the Mendelsonic Live Arts Stage on June 28 at 12:45 p.m.
KidsArt, a place with kid- and family-centered activities, is located near the corner of Goodale Street and Dennison Avenue. There will be activities there on June 27 from noon to 6 p.m. and June 28 from noon to 5 p.m., including a kids’ parade on June 28 at 3 p.m., around the west lawns of Goodale Park, complete with tambourines and bubble machines. Families with children and teens up to 17 years old are welcome to participate in KidsArt activities.
There will also be a healing arts space, stilt walkers, a festival museum and more.Over the course of three days, the festival will include over 200 performances, workshops, speakers and health and wellness demonstrations.
The full schedule can be viewed at comfest.com/program-guides/comfest-2026-program-guide.
Festival rules, regulations and parking
It’s recommended that attendees bicycle or ride the COTA bus to limit traffic and protect the environment. But, if driving is necessary, parking is available in the Arena District or in nearby garages. Most street parking in the neighborhood requires a parking permit, and cars parked illegally will be towed. If biking, bikes can be parked at the bike corral in the park near Buttles and Dennison avenues. Bikes are not permitted to be ridden throughout the park.
No personal alcoholic beverages are allowed to be brought into the event. Further guidelines include no coolers and no glass of any kind. Bags and backpacks are subject to search. Attendees can, however, visit one of the many drink stations set up around the festival.
During the festival, there will be an information station inside the park, near the entrance at the corner of Park and Russell streets. Attendees can ask about finding street fair vendors, stages, community organizations or refreshments.
The event is kid-friendly, but parents are encouraged to get wristbands for their kids in case children get lost in the large space. Wristbands are available at entry, KidsArt and the Safety Base at the north end of the shelter house.
Honored individuals
Multiple individuals are honored at ComFest for their community work. In 2026, ComFest is honoring community activist Mark Stansbery, artist Jenny Morgan, community organization Heer to Serve and ComFest volunteers Loyce Theesfeld and Lisa Johnston.
More ComFest details
The festival will close at 11 p.m. on June 26 and 27 and 6 p.m. on June 28. The barricade entrance at Swan and Park streets will close at 10 p.m. June 26 and 27; no reentry will be allowed.
The event is free and no tickets are required. For more information, a full schedule, map and program guide, visit comfest.com.
Dispatch reporter Ella Diehl can be reached at [email protected]
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.dispatch.com ’
