Picture this:
Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival
Across a beautiful summer day drifts the soulful serenade of saxophones and the rhythmic strum of guitars. Laughter echoes all around as children dance to upbeat tunes and couples sway.
The aroma of delicious food fills the air between notes, from the savory smells of smoky barbecue and freshly-buttered kettle corn, to the sweet fragrance of funnel cakes.
In between songs, attendees admire local art at vibrant vendor booths and take in the beauty of the adjacent creek as people paddle by.
This warm and welcoming scene can be found every year at the Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival®.
Sounds of the creek
For more than 25 years, music lovers have flocked to Gahanna on Father’s Day weekend for the highly anticipated Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival®. This year, the festival runs from June 13-15.
Last year, festival-goers from 23 states traveled to the heart of Gahanna for the regionally and nationally renowned entertainment that has become synonymous with this signature event.
The festival offers a wide range of musical genres beyond its namesake blues and jazz, including soul, bluegrass, funk and rock. Featured performers play on three different stages: the Jazz Stage, Blues Stage and Creekside Stage.
In 2025, visitors will get the chance to hear from award-winning artists, such as Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition inductee, Thumpdaddy, as well as the quartet led by Chase Potter, who has performed on The Tonight Show.
This year’s festival will also feature a special treat (besides the mouthwatering food options, of course): a lineup stacked with talented female musicians.
Saxophonist Jessy J headlines the Jazz Stage on Friday night and powerful vocalist Rachel Sepulvada, supported by the Lucas Holmes Quartet featuring Bryan Olsheski, takes the Jazz Stage Saturday night. Vanessa Collier, a returning blues artist, will also perform Saturday on the Blues Stage.
On Sunday, Americana artist Angela Perley headlines the Creekside Stage, while the female-led gospel group Nikki D & The Browns take the Blues Stage to close out the festival.
CBJF
Beyond the music
Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival
While enjoying the music, guests can dive into dishes from a variety of food stands and local restaurants, ranging from savory options such as Louisiana Grill Home of Bourbon Chicken and Medallens Gyro to sweet treats such as the Peach Cobbler Factory.
There will also be retail vendors for artisan goods as well as locally brewed drinks. All alcoholic drinks are provided by Gahanna-based breweries and distilleries and will include cocktail mixers from Gahanna’s own Simple Times Mixers.
Adding to the attractions, artists create murals on-site during the festival each year to fill the space with new visual art to admire. All the work is done in partnership with the Gahanna Area Arts Council and is showcased in the Open Air Art Studio, a staple of the festival since 2022.
Help along the way
The Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival® started in 1999 as a small half-day event commemorating the opening of Gahanna’s Creekside Park. Now, the festival draws more than 30,000 visitors to the Creekside District and Park each year.
Alongside the help of the performers and, of course, the festival-goers, the large-scale success of the event must also be attributed to its local sponsors and partnerships.
The community is fortunate for the support of the Gahanna Area Arts Council and central Ohio organizations such as the Columbus Blues Alliance, Urban Jazz Coalition and the Jazz Arts Group to help bring talent to the festival. Additional partners include the City of Gahanna, Heartland Bank, a division of German American Bank, and The Columbus Dispatch.
The festival itself is put on by the Gahanna Convention & Visitors Bureau and sponsored by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Maisie Fitzmaurice and Ella Jay are editors at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
