
Photo courtesy of Arnold Sports Festival
Building Out
Get ready to show off all your muscles at The Arnolds Sports Festival 2019, held throughout Columbus Feb. 28-March 3. Come hang out with the strongest and most muscly people you will ever see. Plus, meet and party with some of your favorite athletes and experience unique events and games like pole fitness, baton twirling and more!
The largest multi-sport event in the world, the 2019 event is estimating 22,000 athletes from 60 nations compete in 80 sports and events at this annual event. This year also marks the 31st Arnold Classic, which will be held at the Columbus Convention Center Battelle Grand on Saturday, March 2, along with the Bikini International, Arnold Classic Men’s Physique and Arnold Strongman Classic Finals.
Don’t forget the man himself. Arnold Schwarzenegger will make his annual appearance during the festivities.
Ticket Information
The most popular ticket is the Daily EXPO ticket which cost $25 at the door, but additional packages and tickets for certain events are available. Click here for all Arnold Sports Festival ticket information. You don’t want to miss your favorite event!
If you are an AEP Ohio customer, make sure to purchase your ticket at the Ohio Expo Center Bricker Building ticket location for $3 off the Arnold SportsWorld Kids & Teens EXPO. All you have to do is show the ticket agent the AEP Ohio app downloaded on your phone.
New Events for 2019 and the Kids & Teens EXPO
New at the Arnold
Last year, the Arnold introduced categories including ax throwing, body painting and pickleball. New events for 2019 include
- Armlifting
- Futsal – a popular game in South America that is similar to soccer
- Viking Dash Trail Runs – a 5K that tests your mental and psychical strength.
Click here to learn more about Arnold games and events.
About the Arnold SportsWorld Kids & Teens EXPO

Emma Howells
The Arnold SportsWorld Kids & Teens EXPO, which is set for March 2-3 in the Bricker Building at the Ohio Expo Center.
If you purchase the Daily EXPO Ticket, admission is included.
The Arnold SportsWorld is the main activity center for youth sports competitions and family activities. The Kids & Teens EXPO will feature more than 20 sports areas with a schedule of challenging contests, games, hands-on demonstrations and drills, a fun zone with zorb balls (transparent, human-sized hamster balls), bounce houses, bull riding, face painting and virtual reality.
The Arnold SportsWorld will also host the Miss Arnold Fitness Pageant at noon on Sunday, March 3. Participants will compete for a $10,000 prize package. The 2019 hosts are NSYNC’s Christ Kirkpatrick and ABC6’s Katie McKee. For more information, visit www.arnoldpageant.com.
New Events for SportsWorld Kids & Teens EXPO
- Archery tag
- Buckeye Mobile Tour
- “Buddy Up” Program – adaptive tennis for down syndrome kids
- Eagles Pro Women’s Soccer
- YMCA Family Fun Factory
- Foosball
- Great photo booth
- Legoland Discovery Center
- Mascot Olympics
- Nowak Arnold apparel
- Plush pony races
- Football Throw Competition – hosted by Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Speed cubing with Rubik’s Cubes
- High school weightlifting competition
- Warrior Games/Warrior Workout by Alignment Essentials
PROMO CODE! Make your Arnold Weekend a Breeze with Lyft!
To ensure these fitness enthusiasts get their protein fix, Lyft, the rideshare company, is making your Arnold weekend 100 times better with 100 local free dinners!
- The first 50 orders of “the Arnold Special” (chicken breast and broccoli) from Barley’s Brewing Company will be compliments of Lyft, with the diners also receiving a promotional code for “$5 off 2 rides.”
- If the athletes wish to indulge while in Columbus, the first 50 slices of pizza from Late Night Slice will also be courtesy of Lyft, with the same promo code.
What about parking? No need!
For those who wish to attend the Arnold, but don’t want the hassle of parking or driving, simply use the code “ARNOLD2019” in the Lyft app to receive $5 off 2 rides, when being dropped off or picked up at the Columbus Convention Center, in the Short North and at the Ohio Expo Center.
Bethany Schultz is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.